Communicable Diseases

Those diseases which are mainly caused by virus and bacteria and can be transferred from an unhealthy person to a healthy person is called communicable disease. They are caused by contact with a sick person through the medium of clothes, food, insect, injections, etc.

Some common communicable diseases

Food and water-borne diseases

Communicable diseases consist of food and water borne diseases, air-borne diseases/ droplet infection, diseases transmitted through contaminated needles which are described below.

Round worm (Ascaris Lumbriocoides)

Roundworm is called Ascariasis. Exposure to dirt and germs is the main cause of its transmission. The egg of roundworm enters into our body through dirty water, food and hand. After crossing various stages in its life cycle, a matured roundworm starts suffering us.

Modes of transmission:

1. Faecal-oral route
2. Poor personal hygiene
3. Lack of food hygiene
4. Vector transmission

Symptoms:

1. Children may feel nausea and abdominal pain.
2. Live worms are passed in the stool or vomited.
3. The process of digestion and absorption is disturbed resulting in malnutrition.
4. Physical development, in children, is retarded.

Diarrhoea

Diarrhoea is defined as the passage of loose, liquid or watery stool more than 3 or 4 times a day. It is mainly caused by Gartner Bacillus, Entireties and E.Coli. About 45,000 children die every year due to diarrhoea in Nepal. It may be acute or chronic.

Symptoms:

1. Watery stool is passed.
2. Muscle cramp
3. Intense thirst
4. Dehydration
5. Sunken eyes and hollow cheeks
6. Mucus or blood is seen in the stool.

Prevention and control

1. Oral rehydration therapy
2. Have nutritious liquid diet regularly
3. Using medicine according to the causative agent
4. Maintenance of personal hygiene
5. Proper disposal of human excreta
6. Educating people about the causes and consequences of diarrhoea

Dysentery

This disease also comes under the gastro-intestinal diseases. It is either caused by bacteria called shigella saga and flexneri or an amoeba, namely Entamoeba histolyctica.

Modes of transmission

1. Oral faecal route
2. Vector transmision

A. Amoebiasis or Amoebic dysentery:

Amoebiasis is a protozoal disease caused by Entamoeba histolyctica with or without clinical manifestations. It is a common infection in the human gastro-intestinal tract.

Signs and Symptoms

1. Abdominal pain
2. Mucus is seen in stool
3. Dehydration
4. Sunken eyes and hollow cheeks
5. Weakness and thirst

B. Bacillary dysentery:

This disease is caused by Shigella Shiga and Flexneri. It is also known as blood dysentery because of the presence of blood in the stool.

Symptoms

1. Abdominal pain
2. Frequent passage of stool
3. Mucus and blood are seen in stool
4. Intense thirst
5. Dehydration

Preventive Measures of Dysentery

1. Safe disposal of human excreta.
2. Provision of safe drinking water supply in the community.
3. Maintenance of personal hygiene and food hygiene.
4. Awareness in people.

Cholera

Cholera is acute diarrhoea caused by Vibrio Cholera. It is characterised by the sudden onset of effortless watery diarrhoea followed by vomiting, rapid dehydration, muscular cramps and suppression of urine.

Modes of transmission

1. Faecally contaminated water.
2. Contaminated food and drinks.
3. Direct contact with an infected person.
4. Flies act as a mechanical carrier.

Symptoms

1. Watery diarrhoea followed by vomiting
2. Stool with ' rice water ' appearance.Frequent passage of stool
3. Dehydration, resulting intense thirst, sunken eyes, hollow cheeks, decreased urine output and low blood pressure.

Prevention and Control of Cholera

1. Provision of safe drinking water
2. Proper disposal of human excreta
3. Maintenance of food hygiene.
4. Maintenance of personal and environmental sanitation.
5. Re-hydration therapy.

Prevention of food and water borne diseases

1. Protect food from contamination and flies
2. Use safe drinking water
3. Wash hands after toilet and before eating.Use oral-dehydration mixture
4. Special care in personal hygiene and environmental sanitation

Common cold:

Commoncold is an acute viral disease of the upper respiratory tract caused by a filterable virus which is also known as Rhino virus. It is characterised by the inflammation of mucus membrane of the nose, sinuses and throat. The incubation period of common cold is 12-72 hours.

Modes of transmission

1. Droplet infection.
2. Direct contact with the infected person.

Symptoms

1. Irritation in throat and nose
2. Swollen sinuses which cause difficulty in breathing
3. Changed voice
4. Watery eyes
5. Frequent nasal discharge
6. Slight fever

Preventive measures

1. Patient should take rest and is to be kept in isolation.Use personal handkerchief
2. Proper dispose of nasal discharge and cough
3. Regular physical exercise
4. Adequate Vitamin 'C' to develop resistance against common cold and take adequate liquid