Communicable Diseases

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communicable diseases, 

illnesses caused by
microorganisms and transmitted from an
infected person or animal to another person
or animal. Some diseases are passed on by
direct or indirect contact with infected
persons or with their excretions. Most
diseases are spread through contact or close
proximity because the causative bacteria or
viruses are airborne; i.e., they can be
expelled from the nose and mouth of the
infected person and inhaled by anyone in the
vicinity. Such diseases include diphtheria,
scarlet fever, measles, mumps, whooping
cough, influenza, and smallpox. Some
infectious diseases can be spread only
indirectly, usually through contaminated food
or water, e.g., typhoid, cholera, dysentery.
Still other infections are introduced into the
body by animal or insect carriers, e.g.,
rabies, malaria, encephalitis, Rocky Mountain
spotted fever. The human disease carriers,
i.e., the healthy persons who may be immune
to the organisms they harbor, are also a
source of transmission. Some infective
organisms require specific circumstances for
their transmission, e.g., sexual contact in
syphilis and gonorrhea, injury in the presence
of infected soil or dirt in tetanus, infected
tranfusion blood or medical instruments in
serum hepatitis and sometimes in malaria. In
the case of AIDS, while a number of different
circumstances will transmit the disease, each
requires the introduction of a contaminant
into the bloodstream. A disease such as
tuberculosis may be transmitted in several
ways-by contact (human or animal), through
food or eating utensils, and by the air.
Control of communicable disease depends
upon recognition of the many ways
transmission takes place. It must include
isolation or even quarantine of persons with
certain diseases. Proper antisepsis
(see  antiseptic ) should be observed in illness
and in health. Immunologic measures
(see  immunity ) should be utilized fully. Some
sexually transmitted infections are associated
with cancer (cervical or penile). Education of
the population in rules of public health is of
great importance both in the matter of
personal responsibility (disposal of
secretions, preventing contact with the blood
of others, proper handling and preparation of
food, personal hygiene) and community
responsibility (safe water and food supply,
sterile blood supply, garbage and waste
disposal). Animal and insect carriers must be
controlled, and the activities of human
carriers must be limited.

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