2. INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Infectious diseases are disorders caused by organisms, such as
bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites
Many organisms live in and on our bodies. They're normally
harmless or even helpful. But under certain conditions, some
organisms may cause disease
Some infectious diseases can be passed from person to person.
Some are transmitted by insects or other animals
And you may get others by consuming contaminated food or water
or being exposed to organisms in the environment
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3. TYPES OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE
Viral infections: Viruses are a piece of information (DNA or RNA)
inside of a protective shell (capsid). Viruses are much smaller than
your cells and have no way to reproduce on their own. They get
inside your cells and use your cells machinery to make copies of
themselves
Bacterial infections: Bacteria are single-celled organisms with
their instructions written on a small piece of DNA. Bacteria are all
around us, including inside of our body and on our skin. Many
bacteria are harmless or even helpful, but certain bacteria release
toxins that can make you sick
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4. Fungal infections: Like bacteria, there are many different
fungi. They live on and in your body. When your fungi get
overgrown or when harmful fungi get into your body through
your mouth, your nose or a cut in your skin, you can get sick
Parasitic infections: Parasites use the bodies of other
organisms to live and reproduce. Parasites include worms
(helminths) and some single-celled organisms (protozoa)
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5. Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs/prion
diseases): TSEs are caused by prions, faulty proteins that cause
other proteins in your body, usually in your brain, to become
faulty as well. Your body is unable to use these proteins or get
rid of them, so they build up and make you sick. Prions are an
extremely rare cause of infectious diseases
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7. GOOD HYGIENE: The Primary Way To
Prevent Infections
■ Wash your hands well. You probably wash
your hands after using the bathroom, before
preparing or eating food, and after gardening
or other dirty tasks
■ You should also wash up after blowing your
nose, coughing or sneezing, feeding or
stroking your pet, visiting or caring for a sick
person
■ Wet your hands thoroughly. Lather up with
soap or cleanser, and rub it into the palms and
backs of your hands and your wrists. Be sure
to clean your fingertips, under your nails and
between your fingers. Rinse under running
water. Dry your hands and wrists thoroughly
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8. ■ Cover a cough. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue
when you sneeze or cough, then dispose of it. If no tissue is
handy, cough or sneeze into your elbow rather than into your
hands
■ Wash and bandage all cuts. Any serious cut or animal or
human bite should be examined by a doctor
■ Do not pick at healing wounds or blemishes, or squeeze
pimples
■ Don't share dishes, glasses, or eating utensils
■ Avoid direct contact with napkins, tissues, handkerchiefs, or
similar items used by others
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9. Practice Good Food-Safety Techniques to
Avoid Getting Sick
■ Rinse all meat, poultry, fish, fruits, and vegetables under running water before
cooking or serving them
■ Wash your hands with soap and water before and after you handle raw meat
■ Separate raw foods and cooked foods. Don't use the same utensils or cutting
boards with cooked meat that were used to prepare the raw meat without
washing between uses
■ Cook foods thoroughly, using a meat thermometer to ensure that whole poultry
is cooked to 180° F, roasts and steaks to 145° F, and ground meats to 160° F.
Cook fish until it is opaque
■ Defrost foods only in the refrigerator or in the microwave
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11. GET VACCINATED
Consult your health care provider regarding your
immunization status. In general:
■ Children should receive the recommended
childhood vaccinations
■ Adults should make sure their vaccinations
are up to date
■ When traveling abroad, check with your
health care provider about additional
immunizations
■ Make sure your pet's vaccinations are up to
date, too. In addition to protecting your pet,
this will also protect you and your family
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12. TAKE TRAVEL PRECAUTIONS
■ If you are traveling to an area where
insect-borne disease is present, take
and use an insect repellent
containing DEET
■ Do not consume ice while traveling.
Freezing does not kill all water-
borne infectious microbes
■ Drink only bottled drinks, such as
soft drinks or bottled water, that
have secure caps. Be aware that
some fruit juices may be made with
impure local water
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13. ■ Boil all tap water before drinking or drink only bottled water; use bottled
or boiled water to brush your teeth
■ Do not eat uncooked vegetables, including lettuce, do not eat fruit you
haven't peeled yourself
■ Do not consume dairy products (milk may not be pasteurized)
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14. AVOIDING BUG-BORNE
PATHOGENS
The following can help prevent infections
from bug bites:
■ Use insect repellents approved by the
Environmental Protection Agency,
including those containing DEET,
picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. If
mosquitoes are biting you, reapply the
repellent
■ Limit outdoor activity during peak
mosquito hours of early morning and
evening
■ Drain any standing water near your
home to prevent mosquitoes from
breeding
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15. ■ Check your neighborhood and pick up trash, discarded cans, bottles, and
other containers that can contain enough water to allow mosquitoes to
breed
■ If you plan to spend time in an area where ticks are common (even your
back yard), wear light-colored clothing so ticks can be spotted and
removed before they attach
■ When hiking on trails, stay in the center of the trail to avoid picking up
ticks from bushes and brush. When you return, check your clothing and
body for ticks
■ If a tick has attached itself to you or your pet, grasp it firmly with
tweezers close to the tick's mouth and pull steadily. Cleanse the area of
the tick bite thoroughly with antiseptic. Watch the area closely for a
couple of weeks for signs of rash or swelling
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16. USING ANIMAL-CONTROL TO
PREVENT INFECTIONS
Controlling the population of mice or rats in and near your home can help
you avoid pathogens spread by rodents and also help control the population
of ticks that spread disease
The following measures can help you avoid getting sick from diseases
transmitted by animals:
Keep food and garbage in covered, rodent-proof containers
Seal holes and cracks in your home to deter rodent access
Clear brush and junk away from the foundation of your home
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17. ■ When outdoors, do not disturb rodent burrows
■ If your rodent problem is severe or persistent, consult a pest
control expert
■ Stay clear of wild animals. Many wild animals, including
raccoons, skunks, bats and foxes can spread rabies to humans
by biting. Keep your pets away from wild animals, too. Dogs,
cats, or any other type of warm-blooded animal can pick up
rabies from wild animals and pass rabies along to people
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19. Antibiotics
■ Antibiotics are grouped into "families" of similar types. Bacteria also are put together in
groups of similar types, such as streptococcus or E. coli
■ Certain types of bacteria are especially susceptible to particular classes of antibiotics.
Treatment can be targeted more precisely if your doctor knows what type of bacteria
you're infected with
■ Antibiotics are usually reserved for bacterial infections, because these types of drugs
have no effect on illnesses caused by viruses. But sometimes it's difficult to tell which
type of germ is at work. For example, pneumonia can be caused by a bacterium, a virus,
a fungus or a parasite
■ The overuse of antibiotics has resulted in several types of bacteria developing resistance
to one or more varieties of antibiotics. This makes these bacteria much more difficult to
treat
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20. Antivirals
Drugs have been developed to treat
some but not all, viruses. Examples
include the viruses that cause.
■ HIV/AIDS
■ Herpes
■ Hepatitis B
■ Hepatitis C
■ Influenza
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21. ANTIFUNGAL
■ Topical antifungal medications can be used to treat skin or nail infections caused
by fungi. Some fungal infections, such as those affecting the lungs or the
mucous membranes, can be treated with an oral antifungal
■ More-severe internal organ fungal infections, especially in people with
weakened immune systems, may require intravenous antifungal medications
ANTI-PARASITICS
■ Some diseases, including malaria, are caused by tiny parasites. While there are
drugs to treat these diseases, some varieties of parasites have developed
resistance to the drugs
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