Disease Flashcards
All 21 cards in this deck
How does the World Health Organization (WHO) define health?
A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
True or false? Beriberi, caused by a lack of vitamin B1, is a communicable disease.
False. It is non-communicable: it is not spread from person to person and is not caused by a pathogen.
Why can having one disease make a person more likely to catch another?
The first disease can damage or weaken the immune system, so the body is less able to defend against other pathogens.
e.g. people with HIV are more likely to develop TB.State the meaning of the term pathogen.
An organism that causes disease.
What are the four types of pathogen?
Viruses, bacteria, fungi and protists.
True or false? Malaria is caused by a bacterium.
False. Malaria is caused by a protist.
Which cells does HIV destroy, and what does this lead to?
White blood cells; as more are destroyed the body cannot fight infection, leading to the onset of AIDS.
Which type of pathogen causes cholera, and what symptom does it cause?
A bacterium; it causes diarrhoea.
Which type of pathogen causes tuberculosis (TB), and what damage does it cause?
A bacterium; it causes lung damage.
Which type of pathogen causes Chalara ash dieback, and what damage does it cause?
A fungus; it causes leaf loss and bark lesions.
What damage does the malaria pathogen cause in the body?
Damage to the blood and the liver.
Give two ways the transmission of chlamydia can be prevented.
Use a condom/femidom (barrier contraception) and avoid sexual contact; also screening people and treating infections with antibiotics.
How is HIV spread from person to person?
By exchange of body fluids — sexual contact, sharing contaminated needles, blood, and from mother to child.
How is cholera spread, and how can this spread be reduced?
Spread in contaminated water; reduced by treating/sterilising drinking water and improving sanitation.
How is tuberculosis (TB) spread, and give two ways its spread can be reduced.
Airborne — breathed out in droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes; reduced by vaccination and by isolating infected people/treating them with antibiotics.
True or false? Chalara ash dieback is spread through the soil.
False. It is airborne — spores are carried in the wind (and it also spreads by moving infected ash trees).
How is the pathogen that causes malaria spread, and how can this spread be reduced?
By a vector — the mosquito; reduced by mosquito nets, insecticides and draining stagnant water.
True or false? Chlamydia is caused by a bacterium.
True. Chlamydia is a communicable disease caused by a bacterial pathogen, spread by sexual contact.
What is the difference between a communicable and a non-communicable disease?
A communicable disease is caused by a pathogen and can be spread between individuals; a non-communicable disease cannot be passed from one person to another.
Give two ways the spread of HIV can be reduced.
Any two: using condoms during sex, not sharing needles, screening people for HIV, and drug treatment (which lowers the chance of passing the virus on).
Give two ways the spread of Chalara ash dieback can be reduced.
Any two: cut down and remove young infected ash trees, replant with species other than ash, and limit the import or movement of ash trees.