Chapter-13Why Do We Fall Ill Anything that prevents proper functioning of cells and tissues will lead to a la ck of proper activity

of the body. When a person experiences such a condition, h e is said tobe ill or in poor health . What is health? A state of being well

A state of being well enough to function well physically, mentally and socially. Which are the factors important for staying in good health? Physical Environment Social Environment Cleanliness (Personal Hygiene and Public Cleanliness) Good Food Good economic conditions Social Equality and harmony (an example of how community issues effect individua l health) To have the opportunity to realise the unique potential in all of us Disease = Dis Ease = Disturbed Ease and there is a specific cause for thisdiscomfort.Dis ease is any harmful change that interferes with the normal appearance, structure , orfunction of the body or any of its parts. Conditions essential for being free of a disease There should be no discomfort to the individual. There should be no specific and particular cause for a discomfort Difference between being healthy and disease free

It is possible to be in poor health without actually suffering from a disease When we think about health, we think about societies and communities When we think about disease, we think about individual sufferers To identify a disease, we look for signs and symptoms.Symptoms are Unfavorable change in the functioning or appearance of one or more systems of th e body . Signs things we feel as being wrong .

Symptoms give an indication of the disease.Example: Headache, cough, fever, loos e motions, pus in the wound etc are symptomsLaboratory tests are done to confirm the presence and type of disease.

Types of Diseases (based on Duration) Acute Diseases Eg. Common Cold Chronic Diseases Eg. Elephantiasis An Acute disease does not cause majoreffects ongeneral healthA Chronic disease w ill cause major effects ongeneralhealth(Loss of weight, feeling tired all the ti me,being short of breath)An acute disease may affect a person for afew days or w eeksA chronic disease may affect a person for yearsAn acute disease will not cau se drastic longterm affects on the health of a person.A Chronic disease will cau se drastic long termaffects on the health of a person.(Prolonged general poor he alth) 1

Causes of Diseases (These are just examples and are not to be generalized for ev erydisease.)Immediate CausesContributory Causes ? Infection byMicroorganisms (Pathogens=Disease causingorganisms) ? Lack of nourishment ? Economic Status of the Household ? Genetic Factors First Level CauseSecond Level CauseThird Level Cause Infection by Microorganisms Lack of Good nourishment Poverty and lack of publics ervices Infectious causesNon infectious Causes are external causes Eg. Infectious agents likemicrobes are internal causes Eg. Some cancers are caused by geneticabnormalities Microbes can spread in thecommunity and infect others Cannot infect others Lead to Infectious Diseases Lead to Non-Infectious Diseases Control of the disease depends on the type of Disease the immediate causes are they infectious or non infectiousInfecti ous diseases are caused by Infectious Agents i.e. the microorganisms. Name of the DiseaseCaused by (Infectious Agents) Special BiologicalCharacteristics Common Cold, Influenza, Dengue, AIDS VIRUSES Live inside host cellsMultiply very quickly Typhoid fever, Anthrax, Tuberculosis,Cholera BACTERIA Live inside host cellsMultiply very quickly Common Skin Infections like Ringworm FUNGILive inside host cellsMultiply very quickly

Malaria, ala-azar ProtozoansMultiply very quickly Some intestinal Infections, Elephantiasis DIFFERENTSPECIES OFWORMSMultiply slowly Other Examples: Staphylococci , a bacteria causes acne on skin Trypanosoma , a protozoan causes Sleeping Sickness. Leishmania , a protozoan causes ala-azar. Controlling the Infectious Agents: Closely related groups have similar life processes. Therefore , drugs that block o ne of these life processes in one member of the group islikely to be effective a gainst other members of the group. 2 However , the same drug may not work against a microbe belonging to a differentg roup. What are Antibiotics?Antibiotics (Greek anti, against ; bios, life ) are chemical comp ounds used to kill orinhibit the growth of infectious organisms. Commonly block biochemical pathways important for the growth of bacteria. ExampleAn antibiotic Penicillin blocks the bacterial processes that build cell wall. I f human beings take Penicillin, it will not effect humans as human cells do not have cellwalls. therefore antibiotics will control a number of bacterial infectio ns. Antibiotics do not work against viral infections as viruses do not have the s amebiochemical processes as bacteria. That is why an antibiotic does not control viral infections like common cold. Spread of Infectious Diseases/How they can be communicated?Since the infectious agents(microbes can move from an affected person to a healthyperson, therefore t hese diseases are also called Communicable Diseases. Medium for spreadof the disease Process of spread of the diseaseNames of Diseasesthat can be spreadthis wayAir(A irborneDiseases) When an infected person sneezes orcoughs, little droplets are thrownout by him.C ommon Cold,Pneumonia, Tuberculosis. Water(WaterborneDiseases) When the excreta from someone suffering froman infectious disease of digestive s ystem, suchas Cholera gets mixed with drinking water, andthis water is used by a healthy person. Cholera Sexual Act(SexuallyTransmittedDiseases) Sexually transmitted Disease Not spread by casual physical contactlike handshakes, hugs etc. AIDS, Syphilis Animals(Eg. Mosquitoesand dogs) These animals are called VECTORS orINTERMEDIARIES Carry infecting agent from a sickperson to a potential host. Malaria, Rabies How does the AIDS virus spread from a healthy person to a diseased person?

1.Sexual Contact, 2. Blood to Blood contact with infected people, 3. Infected mo ther to her babyduring pregnancy, 4. Infected mother to her baby through breast feeding. Why do the female mosquitoes of a species, suck blood from warm blooded animals like humanbeings? Because the female mosquitoes need highly nutritious food in the form of blood, in order to lay matureeggs. Manifestation of the Disease(In what ways does the disease affects a person) How does themicrobe enter thebodyOrgan/ tissue likely tobe targeted by themicroo rganismSymptoms of theDiseaseExamples of Diseases Through air via LungsSneezing , coughingTuberculosis 3