Lecture Notes: Chapter 10 - Infectious Diseases

Understanding Disease

• Definition: Disorder of the body or mind affecting optimal function.
  • Example: Lung disease affects lung function; mental disorders like depression affect brain chemistry.
• Examples: Coronary heart disease, cancer, depression.

Infectious Diseases

• Definition: Also known as transmissible or communicable diseases. Involves pathogens.
• Pathogens: Organisms causing diseases.
  • Spread from an infectious person to another.

Non-Infectious Diseases

• Example: Coronary heart disease is not transmissible.

Covid-19

• Infectious disease caused by the Coronavirus.
• Not included in the current syllabus.

Spread of Diseases

• Different pathogens have different transmission methods.
• Examples: Cholera, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis.

Historical Perspective: Miasma Theory

• Pre-germ theory understanding; dead organisms and foul liquids were thought to poison air.
• Miasma considered death in the air.
• Foundation for understanding disease spread though incorrect.

Future Topics to Cover

1. Causative Pathogen: Identity of pathogen causing the disease.
2. Transmission: How the disease spreads between individuals.
3. Symptoms: Indicators of disease in the body.
   • Covid-19: Fever, sore throat, coughing, breathing difficulties.
   • Heart Attack: Chest pain, breathing difficulty, dizziness.
4. Treatment: Methods to treat the disease.
5. Prevention: Strategies to prevent disease spread.
6. Eradication Challenges: Factors preventing complete eradication of diseases like cholera, tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria.

Key Focus

• Diseases to Study: Cholera, tuberculosis, HIV, malaria.
• Understand pathogen, transmission, symptoms, treatment, prevention, and eradication challenges.