Essay On Communicable Diseases

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Infection and Response: Communicable Diseases Infectious diseases are defined as being disorders caused by four different microorganisms – bacteria, viruses, protists and fungi. Bacteria are prokaryotic microorganisms which can multiply themselves; viruses are also prokaryotic and can replicate themselves within living cells; protists are prokaryotes in the Protista kingdom, fungi are eukaryotic organisms that can produce spores. Communicable diseases refer to an infectious disease that is contagious. These diseases can be transmitted by droplet contact, physical contact, sexual contact, oral transmission, and fecal-oral transmission. One example of a communicable disease is measles (or ‘rubeola’). It is caused by an airborne virus that is transmitted through droplets (e.g. coughing and sneezing). Air that is contaminated with measles can infect a person who breathes this air in and then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth. The symptoms of this disease include a high temperature, a fever, red rashes across the body and inflamed eyes. Although this can be prevented by the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. The MMR vaccine is over 90 percent effective and works by infecting the body with a…show more content…
It is caused by three different viruses (Type A, B and C) and can be transmitted by direct physical contact with infected people, indirect physical contact with contaminated objects or by inhalation of contaminated aerosols that are produced by speaking, singing or breathing. Some symptoms of influenza are a fever, a sore throat, headaches and fatigue. It is prevented best by flu vaccines, which make antibodies within the body that kill the viruses. Furthermore, influenza is also prevented by people hand washing often with soap and water, covering their mouth and nose when they sneeze, and by the infected limiting contact with

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