Chapter: 07. Health And Hygine
7 Health and Hygiene
Learning Outcomes
Children will be able to:
Explain the meaning of terms such as ‘health’, ‘hygiene’ and ‘disease’. Relate the knowledge acquired to the personal experiences of diseases suffered, if any. Relate the types of diseases on the basis of their transmission as infectious and non-infectious. Spread awareness regarding diseases to friends and family.
HEALTH
Definition by World Health Organisation (WHO): Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease. Characteristics of a healthy person: Without any physical or mental disease. Not physically handicapped. Without any social and mental problem. Free from all mental and psychological tensions. Has a good appetite and takes sound sleep. Has a well-proportioned body. Disease: Occurs when normal functioning of the body is disturbed or the body catches any infection. Hygiene: Includes all factors contributing to good health and healthy living. Three important factors for maintaining good health: Personal hygiene (personal cleanliness) Public sanitation (community hygiene) KEY CONCEPTS
How to maintain good health Communicable or infectious diseases Types of communicable diseases Modes of transmission of communicable diseases Ways to prevent communicable diseases Types of noncommunicable diseases Prevention of noncommunicable diseases Ways to keep surroundings clean Collection and segregation of waste Disposal of segregated waste Healthy practices for hygiene
How to Maintain Good Health
To maintain good health, we need to:
Eat a balanced diet with plenty of green vegetables and fruits. Follow an adequate regime of physical exercise, proper recreation, regular and adequate sleep and peace of mind. Take care of personal and domestic hygiene. Drink clean and purified water and eat fresh food. Breathe in fresh and clean air. Keep away from tobacco, alcohol and drugs. Visit a doctor regularly for check-ups. Get regular vaccinations.
DISEASES
Definition: Abnormal functioning of any organ or part of the body. Term “disease” comes from “dis” and “ense”, meaning ‘discomfort’, ‘disorder’, or ‘without comfort’. Nutritional deficiencies: Due to improper or unbalanced diet. Infection with microorganisms or pathogens: Viruses, bacteria, protozoans. Malfunctioning of vital body organs: Heart diseases, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, diabetes, etc. Allergic reactions: To certain substances (allergens) like dust, pollen grains, insecticides, medicines, or food articles. Social factors: Drinking, smoking, and drug addiction.
Fig. 7.1 Components of a balanced diet Factors Responsible for Various Human Diseases (Table 7.1):
Types of Diseases
Broadly, diseases are of two types:
Differences between Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases (Table 7.2):
Communicable or Infectious Diseases
Transmission: Transmitted from an infected person to a healthy person. Causes: Microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and worms. Pathogens/Germs: The disease-causing microorganisms. Types of Communicable Diseases
Communicable diseases are of various types as they are caused by bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and worms.
Vector
Definition: An animal that transmits pathogens from one person to another. Female Anopheles mosquito: Transmits malarial parasite, causing malaria. Aedes mosquito: Causes dengue or yellow fever. Tsetse fly: Causes sleeping sickness. Housefly: Causes cholera, typhoid. Bacterial Diseases
Some common communicable bacterial diseases, their mode of transmission, symptoms, prevention and cure are given in Table 7.3.
Some Common Communicable Bacterial Diseases (Table 7.3):
Viral Diseases
Some common viral diseases, mode of transmission, symptoms and their prevention and cure are given in Table 7.4.
Some Common Viral Diseases (Table 7.4):
Something More: Fatal disease, first identified in 1981, spread worldwide. Does not spread by insect bite, shaking hands or sharing food/toilets with AIDS patients, or playing with infected children. Developed by Pasteur for preventing rabies after a rabid animal bite. Involves injections of weakened rabies virus obtained from infected rabbits. Know Your Scientist:
Sir Ronald Ross (1857-1932): British medical doctor, born in Almora, India. Received the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1902 for his work on malaria transmission. Worked in India for 20 years. Discovered the association between malaria and Anopheles mosquito. Proved that female Anopheles mosquito transmits malarial parasite in humans. Protozoan Diseases
Amoebiasis (Amoebic dysentery): Cause: Entamoeba histolytica, lives in lower small intestine and large intestine. Symptoms: Discharge of blood and mucus with stool. Spread: Through food contaminated by flies or by contaminated water. Cause: Parasitic protozoan Plasmodium, lives in human RBCs. Symptoms: Patient suffers repeated attacks of chill and fever. Infection: Healthy person gets infected by the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito that has sucked the blood of an infected person. Some Common Protozoan Diseases (Table 7.5):
Diseases Caused by Worms
Mechanism: Body hangs freely in the intestine, absorbs food from the host. Infection spread: By eating improperly cooked measly pork or beef. Cause: Roundworm Ascaris. Mechanism: Intestinal parasite, absorbs host’s digested food. Commonality: Common in children worldwide. Transmission: Through food or water contaminated with Ascaris eggs. Elephantiasis (Filariasis): Cause: Filaria worm or Wuchereria bancrofti. Transmission: By the bite of female Culex mosquito. Mechanism: Worms block lymph vessels. Symptoms: Enlargement or swelling of legs, breasts (in females), and scrotum (in males). Legs become large and elephant-like. Some Common Diseases Caused by Worms (Helminths) (Table 7.6):
Modes of Transmission of Communicable Diseases
Communicable diseases are transmitted by direct contact with the patient, droplets in air, through contaminated air, food and water, and by insect or animal bite.
Agents and Modes of Transmission of some Infectious Diseases (Table 7.7):
Ways to Prevent Communicable Diseases
Communicable diseases can be prevented by the following ways:
Not eating stale and spoiled food. Keeping food items covered. Storing food at low temperature. Environmental Cleanliness: Keeping the surroundings clean. Cleaning the floor with disinfectants like phenyl and lysol. Not throwing waste in open places, in rivers and nearby waterbodies. Not allowing garbage and water to accumulate and stagnate in surroundings. Avoiding dirty and crowded areas. Personal Hygiene Practices (preventing spread): Using antiseptics like alcohol, soap or dettol for washing hands and clothes, and drying clothes in the sun. Covering mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing and advising the same to others and to the person suffering from some communicable disease. Avoiding direct contact with a person suffering from some communicable disease. 
Self Study
Fig. 7.1 Components of a balanced diet
