Spread Of Disease

Diseases spread in a myriad of ways from one person to another, from animals to humans, from a part of the body to other part in the same person etc.

The infections originating from the patient or self infection are called as Autogenous infection. This usually occurs from the skin, the nasopharynx, the bowels etc.

The infection from outside sources are called as exogenous infections and they are transmitted from another person who may be suffering from the same disease or from a carrier who is just carrying the micro organisms in his body, but is not actually suffering from it.

Micro organisms can be spread through a variety of ways.

Through contact of person to person and the route of transmission is through the skin or mucous membrane. This includes variety of methods like shaking hands, hugging, kissing, sharing towels, sharing combs, sharing utensils etc. The usual diseases spread in this way are the respiratory, skin and the meningeal infections.

Impetigo, scabies, wound infections, infectious mononucleosis, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, hepatitis B etc are some of the infections spread in this way.

Contact with infected soil and water can also cause infections, via wounds and abrasions and penetration of the skin. Tetanus, buruli ulcer, hookworm, mycetoma, Schistosomiasis and Leptospirosis are some of the diseases spread in this way.

Airborne diseases spread through respiratotry droplets or through dust. Measles, rubella, whooping cough, Scarlet fever, Mumps, meningococcal infection, upper respiratory tract infection, influenza and Legionellosis.

Faeco-oral spread of diseases occurs when there is fecal contamination of food or drink. Salmonella infection, bacillary and amebic infections, entero viral infections, cholera, giardiasis,Hepatitis A, campylobacter infections are all examples.

Transplacental spread of disease occurs through the placenta from mother to the unborn child. Rubella, Malaria, CMV infection, toxoplasmosis, syphilis, HIV infection are examples of diseases spread in this way.

Medical and nursing procedures also spread diseases through needles, ventilators and infusion fluids. Hepatitis B, staphylocoocal infections, pseudomonas infections are all diseases spread in this way.

Zoonoses is a term used to describe the spread of infection from animals, birds or fish to humans. Beef, pork, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, rat urine, dog urine, dog feces, dog's saliva through dog bite, birds, fish can all spread disease to humans. Tapeworms, toxoplasmosis, trichinella infection, Salmonellosis, tuberculosis, campylobacter infection, brucellosis, Listerosis, Leptospirosis, lassa fever, toxocara infection, hydatid disease, rabies, Psittacosis and Tapeworms are good examples of Zoonoses.

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