Environmental Health Flashcards
meaning: World Health Organisation (WHO), water-borne, polluted, faeces, diarrhoea, respiratory, food-borne and immune system
World Health Organisation (WHO) - part of United Nations (organisation that tries to solve global problems) and is concerned with protecting and promoting the health of people around the world.
water-borne - something that’s carried / passed on by water
polluted - made dirty + poisonous by human waste
faeces - bodily waste from the human digestive system
diarrhoea - a very runny tummy
respiratory - related to breathing
food-borne - something that is carried on / passed on in food
immune system - the body’s ability to fight diseases and infections
what does environmental health concern
it concerns the things in the environment that can affect people’s health and well-being. this could be the air, water, soil / things like animals and insects that spread disease.
what are the 2 biggest threats to children in SA and how many children under the age of 5 die of environmental health hazards and according to who
in SA 2 biggest threats are water-borne and respiratory diseases.
According to WHO about 3 million children under the age of 5 die every year due to environmental health hazards.
what are the 4 types of environmental diseases and describe them
1 - Water-borne diseases
these are diseases that are caused by drinking, swimming, washing / cooking with water that has been polluted by animal / human faeces. E.g. - cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea. diarrhoea causes 3 million deaths in SA every year.
2 - Respiratory and lung diseases
E.g. - tuberculosis (TB), bronchitis and asthma. they are 2nd biggest killer of children under age of 5. in homes where fires made with wood, dung / coal, smoke + small particles are breathed in easily. air is also polluted by cars and factories releasing chemicals into air.
3 - Diseases spread by animals
diseases like malaria, bilharzia and typhoid are spread by animals like mosquitoes, flies, rats and ticks. make sure your home hygienic and doesn’t attract pests.
4 - Food-borne illnesses
food that isn’t prepared hygienically / stored properly can become spoiled; even though looks + tastes good, spoiled food can make people ill. wash hands + surfaces before preparing food. keep raw and cooked food separate.
what is TB
tuberculosis is bacterial infections usually attacks lungs. this disease kills many young adults in SA. TB infectious disease that spread through infected person’s pit droplets. if person who has TB coughs, sneezes, talks, sings / spits, someone nearby could become infected.
what are the symptoms, treatment methods and prevention methods of TB.
Symptoms:
- a bad cough that lasts for more than 3 weeks
- pain when coughing or breathing
- coughing up blood
- fever and sweating at night
- feeling tired and weak
- weight loss
- no appetite
Treatment:
most cases TB curable. to get better, you need to take your medicine every day for between 6 and 12 months. you mustn’t miss 1 day. if someone you live with has TB, you should get tested.
Prevention:
if your immune system weak, easier to be infected with TB. you can improve you immune system eating healthy diet, exercising and avoiding smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs.
TB more easily spread overcrowded living conditions. keep your living space clean and well ventilated (enough fresh air). Do not share eating utensils with someone who is infected with TB
meaning: sanitation, pollute and purified
sanitation - the removal of sewage and waste
pollute - make dirty and poisonous through human waste
purified - cleaned, and poisons removed
what 7 areas must you target to improve your living conditions
1 - Sanitation
it’s important people go toilet away from where children play. It’s also important that the toilet waste doesn’t run into drinking water.
2 - Water
water should be kept clean. no chemicals should run into water source, + no animal + human toilet waste must be allowed to pollute water. water we drink may need to be purified before safe to drink.
3 - Poisons and pollutants
make sure house well ventilated. cigarette smoke + smoke from fire are poisonous to human body. other common items that can be harmful to humans are paraffin, cleaning chemicals and pesticides. they must be very carefully used and stored.
4 - Personal hygiene
many health risk avoid if we keep our homes and ourselves clean. make sure rubbish thrown away and not left in yard or street. wash hands before eating, before preparing food and after going to toilet.
5 - Safe food
flies spread many diseases, so keep food covered, preferably in fridge. throw away rotten food. make sure your hands and surfaces are clean when working with food.
6 - Education
it’s important people taught how to avoid environmental dangers. important community awareness programmes include how to avoid malaria, how to make drinking water safe and and ways to reduce pollution.
7 - Rubbish and pollution
rubbish attracts pests like rats + flies, which in turn bring disease. litter also blocks drains, causing flooding. don’t litter + make sure your household rubbish taken to right place.
describe the importance of clean water
most important health issue in SA need for clean drinking water. most us drink water taps at home, at school / in street. how clean is this water. is it safe to drink. we also get thirsty when we’re not near tap, and so we might drink water from river, dam / tank. can we get sick from this water.
