Local health problems Flashcards
Tuberculosis: symptoms
- Persistent cough
- coughing up blood
- Weight loss
- High temperature (body feels hot abs weak)
TB : causes
- infection in the lungs that spreads through the body
- very contagious :
you can catch it through saliva droplets * sprayed when you cough, sneeze, or talk & breathed in my other people) - if eating utensils, glasses, plates, towels, beds etc shared
TB: treatment
- Takes long time (many months)
- Doctors at clinics give strong meds
- Meds must be taken correctly
Diarrhoea: symptoms
- severe stomach cramps/pain
- constant upset stomach
- unable to keep food in body for Long
- feeling sick or nauseous
- high fever
Diarrhoea: treatment
- sip water often as possible
- stop eating meats, dairy and spicy foods
- eat small amounts of apple, carrot, chicken soup, porridge and dry bread
- rest
- go to doctor immediately if diarrhoea continues for more than 24 hours
Diarrhoea: causes
Germs caught by:
- from someone who is sick with diarrhoea who didn’t wash their hands after going to the toilet
- drink/wash in dirty water
- eating food that is not fresh (flies eggs in rotten food make house very sick)
What is cholera? How is it caught?
- Severe form of diarrhoea, that doesn’t get better in 24 hours
- Caught by drinking dirty water
What is dangerous about diarrhoea?
Dehydration (the body losing too much fluid and drying out)
Measles: symptoms
- starts with cough, sore throat, runny nose
- then spots appear in mouth & face
- spots spread to the rest of the body
Measles: prevention
- vaccination (at 9 & 18 months)
- don’t share utensils, towels, plates etc with infected persons
Measles: causes
Germs are airborne
Spreads when
- people live in overcrowded places and
- don’t keep clean and
- share eating utensils, plates, cups, towels etc
Measles: treatment
- need to see doctor immediately
- drink lots of water
- eat healthily
Malaria: causes
Bite of a female mosquito
(Although not all mosquitoes carry malaria)
Malaria: symptoms
- feeling so sick you cannot get out of bed
- high fever
- damages growing bodies & brains
Malaria: treatment
- stay in bed
- take medicine to help fever down
- drink lots of clean water
- might need to be hospitalized
Malaria: prevention
- do not leave buckets of water (or any containers that could collect water) lying around
- use mosquito nets at night
- use mosquito repellent
- wear clothing that covers arms/legs
- medicine
Malaria: areas (in South Africa)
Mpumalanga
Limpopo
Maputuland coast of KZN
What is HIV?
- HIV = human immunodeficiency virus
- A virus that attacks the body’s immune system, lowering the person’s resistance to infection & cancer.
- Currently no cure; once someone has it, they have it for life.
- If not treated, it can leads to AIDS.
How is HIV treated?
Cannot be cured.
Can just be controlled (with proper medical care)
What is AIDS?
- AIDS = acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
- A disease in which the body loses its immunity i.e. the person’s resistance to infection & cancer is lowered.
How is HIV spread?
When you come into direct contact with with an infected person’s body fluid (eg blood)
HIV cannot be spread by…
- hugging
- touching
- sharing utensils, cups or plates
- sitting close to someone with the disease
- using the same toilet as someone with the disease
What is stigma
Stigma means shame or grace.
Someone who has been stigmatised has a bad reputation.
What is a foster mother?
A woman who takes place of a mother in raising a child
What is a delegate?
A person who has been chosen to represent a group of people, especially at meeting
What does “exemplary” mean?
representing the best of its kind
Give reasons why people try drugs?
- people who are sad / bored take drugs to help them forget about their feelings
- for excitement
- because their friends put pressure on them to
- because they think it will make them look cool
What is bad about using drugs?
- can lead to health problems
- they are very addictive
What are legal drugs?
drugs that are legally allowed to be used under certain circumstances eg.
- medicines
- cigarettes
- alcohol
- glue and paint thinners
They are not necessarily good for you.
Why are cigarettes bad for you?
bad for your health because:
- damages your lungs
- prevents your brain from developing properly (if you are a child)
- can cause cancer
- makes your teeth
At what age are alcohol and cigarettes legal?
alcohol - 18 years old
cigarettes - 16 year old
List the negative consequences of drinking alcohol
- Relaxes you so much that you
- react slower
- lose control of your body
This is why drunk people (drivers & pedestrians) have more road accidents - can make people aggressive & cause them to harm others
- drinking too often can cause problems at home and work
List some illegal drugs (drugs that are not allowed to be bought or sold)
- Marijuana
- Crystal meth (tik)
- cocaine
- madrax
- opiates (eg. herion)
- party drugs (eg. Ecstacy)
- prescription drugs that are sold illegally
Marijuana
- aka weed
- taken from the Cannabis plant
- people smoke it.
- Short term effects of inhaling the smoke:
- it causes problems with thinking, learning and memory
- causes inability to move properly
- makes you feel very hungry
- make people do things they wouldn’t normally
- long term effects:
- can’t concentrate properly
- can’t remember things
- damages lungs
- depression
- anxiety
What is depression?
feeling constantly sad
What is anxiety?
feeling afraid
Crystal meth
- aka tik
- cheap & popular
- sold as crystals
- people heat up the crystals and then breath in
- can lead to infections (gum disease, tooth decay and skin sores)
- very addictive (because it causes strong feelings of pleasure and energy to start with) BUT it damages the brain
