Public health Flashcards
What are infectious diseases
Its an illness caused by a pathogen that can be transmitted between individuals
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What is emergin pathogens
An infectious diseases that is new to the human population or diseases that haven increased in incidence,virulence or geographical range
What is re-emerging pathogens
Infectious diseases that was under controk before but now is increasing in incidence
What is incidence
How many have the disease right now
What factors should you consider when an emerging/reemerging disease is appeared
How contagious the pathogen is?
How virulent the pathogen is?
Contageous- how easy is transmission Virulence- how severe is the diseas
What is zoonosis
A disease that transmits from another specicies of animal into a human
What is the difference between pandemic vs epidemic vs endemic diseases
- A pandemic- is an epidemic that has spread to different countries and/or continents
- A epidemic- Sudden increase in disease cases among specific large population in a specific area
- A endemic- is constantly present in the population or reigion with a relatively low spread ( eg, common flu)
What is prevalence
how many people have had it before
What are the factors that contribute to the emergence/ re emeergence of diseases
- Evolution of pathogens: mutations allow pathogens to infect humans or mutations can make the pathogen more contagious/virulent
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Globalisation: diseases are spread globally due to international travel. ( eg a disease non prevelant disease to australia can be introduced to australia
3.** Increased exposure to animals**: Due to inceasing human population and climate changes, humans are more in contact with animals carrying the disease - Increased population: Causes more transmission rates
- Insuffcient vaccination: some individuals may choose not vacinate- which therefore reduces herd immunity.
What are the modes of transmission?
- Airborne transmission
- Droplet transmission
- Direct physical contact
- Indirect physical contact
- Faeceal and oral transmission
for indirect could be vectors (mosquitoes) and for feeceal
it can be like contaminated water sources, dirty.
What made the indefenous population drop
Because of the intorduction of new dieseas ( such as small pox, measelss, sphillis)
Why were the indigenous population so heavily impacted
- They did not have immunity against whereas europeans had access to medical care and immunological memory to it ( natural active immunity)
- Indegenous poeople lacked knowledge and management of new diseases and were prevented from practicing indigenous medicine
Lifestyle relation - Did not have acess to traditional food and they lived in socoities typically spread out and uncrowded but when colonised were brought together.
What are the 4 categories teqniques to identify pathogens fall into?
- Physical
- Phenotypic traits
- Immunological
- Moleculer
What is the physical pathogen identifcation teqniue
Taking a sample and visually observing the pathogen under a microscope to determine their structure.
What is the phenotypic pathogen identifcation teqniue
- Selective media- when you use an agar plate that is designed to allow certain pathogens to grow and multiply.
- Gram staining- exposing bacteria to a series of staind ( gram pos+ - thick wall purple) ( gram neg- thin wall- pink)
What is the Immunological pathogen identifcation teqniue
Serelogy- THe diagnosis of disease based of the presence of antibodies or antigens in a persons serum, an example of this is ELISA testing.
What is the Molecular pathogen identifcation teqniue
- Hybridisation detection- labelled segemtns of genetic material that is complementary to a pathogens genetic material is added to a sample, if signal is detected the pathogen can be identifiied.
so the usage of DNA and RNA to recognise the pathogen.
difference between infectious and contagious diseases
infectious illnesses caused by the spread of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites) or prions whereas contagious illnesses are ifectious diseases that spread from person to person are said to be contagious.
What is the order of chain of infection and what do the terms mean
Resovoir—> Mode of transmission—–> Suspctible host
Resoiver is the habitat where the pathogen lives,grows and multiplies
Transmission is the passing of a pathogen to another individual
What are the prevention strategies
- Hygine and sanitation
- Acess to clean water and food
- PPe ( gloves, masks, etc)
- Antimicrobial agents( Disinfectants and Antiseptics)
- Vaccinations (herd immunity)
- Lockdowns
NOTE REMEMBER BE SPECIFIC TO THE QUESTION NOT ALL APPLY
What is screening
Public healthy workers may test for the presence of a disease in a population to help identifiy which individuals are infected so they can target a resonse.
eg. Self screening, screening tests at GP
Why should we focus on prevention before treatment
Because not all treatment will be effective and it saves much more time and resources to prevent than treat all individuals.
What is quarantine and isolation
Its when someone is infected or come in contanct with an infectant, they are asked to seperate away from healthy individals to control and seperate the spread.
How do we treat infected individals
Specific treatments, such as medication (antigbiotics and antivirals)
What are antibiotics and how does it target “yk” cells
Medication that are selective to only target bacterial cells and not the cells of a patient.
- Inhibits cell wall synthesis
- Disrupts plasma membrane
- Inhibit DNA/RNA synthsis
- Inhibit metabolic pathways
- Blocks ribsome subunits and inhibit protien syntehsis.
Remember like animal cells dont have cell walls
What are antivirals and how does it target “yk” cells
Medication that is selective to only target viruses
They **DONT KILL VIRUSES **but stops one step of an virus life cycle.
Why are the misuse and overuse of antibiotics are bad
Also say how it can be resisitent to antibiotics
Because some bacteria becomes naturally resistant to the drug and continues to replicate after application of antibiotics.
Impermiabile
Inactivation of anitbiotic
Modifying the shape of the protien targeted by antibiotic
Pumping out of the drug
What does disenfectants mean compared to antiseptics
Disinfectants are substances applied to non-living surfaces to kill or slow growth of microorgansm wheras Antispecits are substances applied to living tissue to kill or slow growhth of microorganisms.
Are all infectious diseases contagious
No, contagious means transfers from human to human. Lyme disease as example , tick to human stays with human.
