DISEASE An Introduction to Pathogens and Transmission

DISEASES  A change in the normal way that the body functions that causes harm to the body  SYMPTOMS: are the changes in our body that occur when we get a disease  Example: The sneezing, coughing and runny nose that you get when you have a cold

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES  A disease that can spread from person to person  This kind of disease can be INFECTIOUS or CONTAGIOUS

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES  Caused by a PATHOGEN which is a micro-organism that causes diseases  You become INFECTED when a pathogen enters your body

SPREADING DISEASE  Diseases can be spread by contact with a person infected with a disease.  Can be spread by DIRECT contact  Example: Kissing  Can be spread by INDIRECT contact  Example: Drinking from the glass of an infected person

RINGWORM  Caused by the Trichophyton Fungus  Caused by skin to skin contact with an infected person  Can also be caused by contact with something an infected person has touched  Causes scaly, itchy or painful patches on the skin

SPREADING DISEASES  Disease can enter the body through an uncovered wound.  Pathogens that are airborne can enter the body through cuts and wounds

STREP THROAT  Caused by the Streptococcus bacteria  The pathogen enters the body through any breaks in our skin  Causes very sore throat, fever and thick yellow mucus in the throat

SPREADING DISEASE  Diseases can be spread by infected people, or animal and insects that don’t have a disease.  A pathogen can live in an organism and not cause a disease, but it can be passed on to someone else and cause disease.  These organisms that are infected but not sick are called a CARRIER or a VECTOR.

MALARIA  The mosquito is a vector of the deadly disease malaria  A bite from an infected mosquito can introduce the pathogen to the circulatory system and ultimately to the liver.  The disease causes fever and headache, which in severe cases can progress to coma or death.

NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES  Any disease that cannot be spread by person to person  People with non-communicable diseases have something in their body that does not work  Sometimes people are born with non- communicable diseases  You cannot catch a non- communicable disease

NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES  MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: causes numbness, muscle weakness and blurred vision  DIABETES: causes excessive thirst, fatigue and high blood sugar  SICKLE-CELL ANEMIA: red blood cells are “sickle shaped” causing a host of health problems