Learning Aim B – Transmission of Disease

There are two different types of ways that a disease can be transmitted. Those two ways are direct
and indirect contact.

What is direct and indirect contact?

Direct involves direct human to human surface and bodily fluids making contact and physical
transfer of the microorganism between an infected person to another person by physical contact.
For example, through kissing and/or skin to skin contact. It is also through animal to human contact
such as animal waste and droppings being touched by a human. That is a way disease can be
transmitted.

Indirect contact is when person-to-person transmission occurs when the original host share
pathogens into the air, water, food, or objects in the environment, which then infect someone else.
For example, when someone sneezes the water droplets that contain the pathogen are now in the
air which someone could possibly breathe in. Another way is through contamination of food or
water. If someone has not washed their hands before handling foods any pathogens on their hands
would be transferred to the food which would be ingested.

Routes Diseases How it spreads

Foodborne & waterborne
- generally caused by eating
or drinking food or
beverages contaminated
by bacteria, parasites or
viruses.
Air borne
- caused by pathogenic
microbes small enough to
be released from an
infected person via
coughing, sneezing,
laughing and close
personal contact
Vector Borne
- Vector-borne diseases are
human illnesses caused by
parasites, viruses and
bacteria that are
transmitted by
vectors/hosts
Sexually Transmitted
- are generally acquired by
Cholera, Typhoid Fever people can get cholera
by drinking water or
eating food
contaminated with
cholera bacteria.
SARS, Mumps mainly transmitted from
human to human by
breathing in droplets
from the nose or mouth
of an infected person
Yellow Fever transmitted to people
primarily through the
bite of infected Aedes or
Haemagogus species
mosquitoes.
HIV/AID HIV get it through anal
or vaginal sex, or sharing
 sexual contact needles, syringes, or
other drug injection
equipment
Animal Rabies transmitted through
- an infectious disease that is direct contact (such as
transmitted between through broken skin or
species from animals to mucous membranes in
humans the eyes, nose, or
mouth) with saliva or
brain/nervous system
tissue from an infected
animal.

Methods to prevent transmission

Prophylaxis is treatment given or action taken to prevent disease. There are different ways to
prevent transmission which are all under the category of prophylaxis.

Antibiotics are a drug that only affects bacteria and no other pathogens by either killing the bacteria
or making it difficult for the bacteria to grow and multiply. An example of a bacteria that would be
treated with antibiotics is Mycoplasma pneumoniae. This bacterium causes Pneumonia which is an
infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus.
Antibiotics is given to those with this bacterial infection. Antibiotics disrupt essential processes or
structures in the bacterial cell. This either kills the bacterium or slows down bacterial growth. There
are two types of bacteria, gram positive and gram negative. In Gram-positive bacteria such as
pneumonia, the cell wall has a thick peptidoglycan layer which is relatively porous, allowing
substances to pass through it quite easily. Antibiotics aren't effective against viral infections.

Chicken pox is a viral infection causes by the virus Varicella-Zoster virus (vzv). It is contagious but
because it is viral it can be treated with antiviral medication. Viruses have receptors that allow them
to attach to healthy host cells in your body. Antiviral medication works by blocking receptors so
viruses can’t bind to and enter healthy cells. They are only effective to viral disease

Malaria is a serious and can be a fatal disease caused by a parasite that commonly infects a certain
type of mosquito which feeds on humans (female Anopheles mosquito). People who get malaria are
typically very sick with high fevers, shaking chills, and flu-like illness. Antimalarial drugs are used for
the treatment and prevention of malaria infection. Most antimalarial drugs target the erythrocytic
stage of malaria infection which is the stage that the parasite infects the blood. This is the phase
which the infection that causes symptomatic illness. Antimalarial only works on malarial disease

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

PPE is equipment that will protect the user against health and safety risks at work. It can include
items such as gloves, eye protection, biohazard clothing.

COVID-19 is a viral disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Most people infected with the virus will
experience mild to moderate respiratory illness. This virus is very easy to spread and catch. COVID-
19 is spread through close contact with people who have the virus. People with the virus can spread
it even if they do not have symptoms. When someone with the virus breathes, speaks, coughs or
sneezes, they release small droplets containing the virus. This is where Personal Protective
Equipment comes in. By wearing gloves, you are protecting yourself from having the virus on your
hands. It does not mean that you can not spread it but as long as the gloves are disposed of safely
and if the virus is on the glove and not touched onto anything else and not on yourself, then it will
minimize the risk of contracting the disease.

Wearing a mask also would help minimize the risk of contracting the disease. Depending on the type
of mask would mean that someone may be able to give the disease to you through the mask, but
you cannot pass the disease to anyone if you’re wearing the mask. If everybody is wearing a mask it
will greatly minimize the risk of contracting the disease.

A biohazard suit is also used in the case of COVID-19. Healthcare professionals used this when
treating patients with COVID-19, not only to protect themselves but to protect patients as the
patient could give them the virus and vice versa. A biohazard suit covers the whole body in a heavy
PVC which prevents the disease from touching the skin and entering the body. Just like the gloves, if
it is not disposed of properly, it can still spread the virus to someone else but if it is disposed of
properly, it will serve its purpose.

Another way to prevent transmission of disease is through our behavior

There are several diseases that can be transmitted through exchange of bodily fluids especially
sexual fluids. STDs are generally acquired by sexual contact. The bacteria, viruses or parasites that
cause sexually transmitted diseases may pass from person to person in blood, semen, or vaginal and
other bodily fluids. An example would be Chlamydia. Not everyone with chlamydia has symptoms.
Common symptoms include unusual discharge from your vagina or penis and pain when peeing. A
way to be able to prevent disease would be abstinence (no sex at all). By not even having sex it has a
100% effectiveness as no sexual fluids will be exchanged. The next way to be able to prevent
transmission is by using a condom. This has a high effectiveness rate which will allow the sexual
fluids to be caught in the rubber or the material that the condom is made from.

Again, as said above malaria is caused by a vector/ host which is the female mosquito. The mosquito
will suck the human’s blood and whilst doing that the parasite/infection transfers onto the human. A
way to prevent malaria is stop any mosquitos from biting you. A way to do that is through a
mosquito net. The net should be
used at dusk and dawn times as that
is the times where it is nice and warm
for the mosquitos and that is when
they thrive. The net will have allowed
you to breathe but not big enough
for a mosquito to get through. It has
a 56% effectiveness as there may be
a hole in the net, it may not be
placed properly, and not all
mosquitos are the same size there
may be a mosquito small enough to
get through the net.
 Handwashing is another behavior method to deal with
the transmission of disease. By washing your hand
with warm water and with soap, the pathogen for
example again, Coronavirus, can be removed and
reduce the risk of transmission. COVID-19 is a virus
with phospholipid bilayer meaning that it has a part of
the membrane which is hydrophilic meaning it is
attracted to water and hydrophobic which means it
repels water. Soap is also the same so when soap is
used when washing hands, the hydrophobic tails will
try to find a space where there is no water and in turn
are able to wedge themselves in between the membrane of the virus breaking it a part rendering it
useless and less harmful. That is why washing your hands is important.

Environmental

Open water is another way disease transmission can occur. Contaminated water and poor sanitation
are linked to transmission of diseases
such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery,
hepatitis A, typhoid and polio. By having
no open water sources and having all
water monitored it allows diseases not
to contaminate the water for it to
spread. coli O157 which may cause
severe gastrointestinal illness and
leptospirosis, which can cause liver and
kidney problems. Practical measures
swimmers can take to reduce the risk of
illness include minimizing the swallowing
of river water, showering soon after
swimming and washing hands before
eating.

Use of chemical Spray

Chemicals are sprayed to control pests and diseases on farms, around the home and in gardens,
parks and reserves. Nasal chemical sprays (which usually contain oxymetazoline and
pseudoephedrine) are used to decrease inflammation in the nose which is rhinitis. Streptococcus
pneumonia is one of the causes of rhinitis. Nasal spray works by constricting blood vessels in the
nasal passages. Overall, nasal sprays are an effective way to relieve nasal congestion from allergies,
colds, or sinus infections

Isolation

Isolation and quarantine help protect the public by preventing exposure to people who have or may
have a contagious disease. Isolation separates sick people with a contagious disease from people
who are not sick. Quarantine can be effective at reducing the transmission of contagious disease and
has the possible additional benefit of reducing the time to diagnosis for infected patients who are
being monitored while under quarantine. With Covid-19 If you have a positive coronavirus test
result, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days after the day you took
your test.

Vaccination

Vaccines teach your

immune system how to
create antibodies that
protect you from diseases.
It's much safer for your
immune system to learn this
through vaccination than by
catching the diseases and
treating them. Having a
vaccine also benefits your
whole community through
"herd immunity". If enough
people are vaccinated, it's
harder for the disease to
spread to those people who cannot have vaccines. For example, people who are ill or have a
weakened immune system.