RBSE Class 8 Science Notes Chapter 8 Our Health,

Diseases and Prevention

healthy mind lives in a healthy body, our body continuously does digestion of food,
excretion, respiration activities etc. Whenever any discontinuity occurs in these activities we
fall ill or sick.

Diseases are of two types:

Infectious diseases -Those disease which spread due to contact with each other, for
example cholera, typhoid, T.B, cold etc. They spread through air, water, food and
insects.
Non infectious diseases: Those diseases which do not spread from one person to
another for example, cancer, joint pain, etc.

General diseases of human being, their factors, symptoms, prevention and treatment:

T.B: Spread by air caused by bacteria named micro bacterium tuberculosis.

Symptoms: Decrease in weight, weakness, coughing, blood along with sputum,
pain in chest, low fever etc.
Precautions: Patient should kept in separate room. Vaccination in time, not spitting
anywhere, to keep hanky on mouth during coughing.
Treatment: Test of sputum, x-ray of chest, use of M.D.T, according to advice of
doctor, under the control of DOTS.
Cholera: Spread by bacteria vibrio cholerie, transmitted by contaminated water and
food.
Symptoms: Vomitting, dysentry, contraction in muscles, dehydration, fever, severe
thirst, dryness of tongue,sukening of eyes, infection in intestine and stomach.
Precautions: lndividual cleanliness, good habits, well cooked food, boiled water,
vaccination, proper disposal of body waste, remain away from the patient.
Treatment: Intake of ORS and medicines.
Typhoid: Spread by virus Salmonella typhi, Transmitted through water.
Symptoms-lnfection in small intestine, headache every day, fever increases every
week, constipation, slow heartbeat, red scars on upper part of tongue.
Precautions: Keeping food and water clean, disposal of solid and liquid waste of
body at proper place. Vaccination of A and B, protection of food from flies.
Treatment: Complete rest, antibiotics in supervision of doctors.
Polio-Spread by Polio virus. Transmitted through air and water.
Symptoms-Brain, back bone, and legs are affected, muscle contraction, headache,
vomitting, destruction of nervous system causing severe affect on hands and legs.
They stop working. It attacks children of age 6 months to 6 years. *
Treatments-Polio vaccine as a preventive.
Precautions-Operation on the advice of doctor, use of Jaipur foot, Physiotheraphy.

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 Rabies-Caused by virus, spread through infected dog, monkey, fox, wolf. They all
contain virus in their saliva.
Symptoms-High fever, headache, giddiness, phobia from water.
Precautions-Control on street dogs and cats. Vaccination of domestic and street
animals.
Treatment-Killing of infected animals, washing wound with soap and water,
antirabies injection under supervision of doctors.
Small pox/Chicken pox-Virus varicella zoster spread by air and direct contact.
Symptoms: Light or medium fever, backache, red scars on whole body first on neck
then face and legs. After 4-7 days layer is formed.
Precautions: Keeping the patients and his things separate.
Treatment: Applying coconut oil and medicine.
Measles-Virus through air.
Symptoms: Red spots on whole body, itching, burning.
Precautions: Vaccination, keeping the things and patient seperate.
Treatment: Applying antiseptic cream, taking medicine according to doctor.
Cold and cough-Rino virus through air.
Symptoms-Running noses, teary and burning sensation in the eyes.
Precautions-use of clean hankerchief cover the face while sneezing and coughing.
Treatment-Intake of vitamin C and taking medicated steam.
Diarrohea-Virus E-coli spread through contaminated food and water.
Symptoms: Loose motion vomitting, intestinal infection, dehydration, stomach
ache, headache, weakness, severe thirst.
Precautions: Keep the toilets clean, eatable should be covered, used boiled and
filtered water.
Treatment: ORS, electoral, medicines.
Malaria: Plasmodium protozoa, carrier female anopheles mosquito.
Symptoms: Fever with severe cold, fever in fixed interval, pain in body, reddish
face, swelling in liver and spleen, weakness.
Precautions: Do not allow water to collect in surroundings, destroy mosquitoes
fogging by use of mosquito net.
Treatment: Blood test, medicines on the advise of doctor.

Pathogenic Worm:
Harmful effects of worms on children’s health:

Tiredness and giddiness.

Loss of appetite.
Stomach ache, vomiting and dysentery.
Blood in stool, anaemia, malnutrition.
Swelling in stomach, continuous coughing.
Loss of weight.

Precautions from worms:

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 Wash hands before eating and after toilet.
Wash fruits and vegetables before eating.
Drink clean or boiled water, wear shoes.
Keep nails small and clean.
Use toilets, keep cleanliness around toilets.

Advantages of worm controls:

Children can go to Aaganbadi or school daily.

They remain active and their immunity increases.
Their development occur fast.

Some Specific Diseases:

Naru Bala (Guinea Worm)-Spread through water.

Micro: organism-Cyclops enters in a healthy body through water.
Cause : Use of unclean water of well, pond or bavdi, drinking unfiltered water.
Symptoms-Scars on skin of legs or hand, female worms grow in muscles. Fever if
worm is not taken out of the body then it releases the poisonous subtsance which
convert into nodules.
Precautions: Drink filtered water or boiled water.
Leprosy-Spread through bacteria.
Cause : Continuous contact with patient.
Symptoms: Scars on skin, these scars have lack of sensation, no feeling occurs of
injury, burning, pain in these scars.
These organs do not work, fingers become deformed. Precautions – Clothes and
belongings of patient should be kept separate. Clothes should be washed with
dettol.
Treatment: Surgery, vaccine, transplant of organ which damaged.
Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS):
It is a dangerous disease in which immune system of body is destroyed due to which
ability of body to fight against disease is weakened.
Cause: HIV virus infection from unhealthy (infected) person to healthy person Sexual
relation, at the time of blood transfusion, infected needle of injection, infected blade
used by barbers, from infected pregnant mother to foetus and shared needle of drug
addicts.
Symptoms:
Swelling in mucous gland.
Decrease in number of platelets causing fever and bleeding.
Sweating at night.
Loss in body weight.
Loss of memory.
Difficulty in speaking, decrease in thinking power.
Risk of the infection of other diseases due to lack of immunity.

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 Precautions:
Be determined not to share while shaving.
Test of HIV before giving blood to patients.
Needle of injection and syringe should be destroyed after use.
Adopting disciplined life style.
Treatment: Precaution is better cure of AIDS.
Cancer – It is a dangerous disease, cause by rapid cell division
symptoms: place in the body where cell division is uncontrolled, cyst develops in
initial stage, and painless. At advanced stage cyst is very painful. It could be
develop on tongue, neck, bone, blood, lungs, uterus etc.
Precautions: If it is diagnosed at initial stage then patient could be save from
chemotherapy by surgery. Organ affected from disease could be removed if
necessary.
Treatment: Surgery, chemotherapy of cobalt.
Hepatitis: cause virus through water.
Symptoms: Weak liver, watery liver, weak digestion.
Precautions: Drink boiled water, vaccination.
Treatment : antibiotics on the advice of doctor.
Haemophilia -It is a hereditary disease. It’s genes are found in male sex chromosomes
(x) and transfer from generation to generation by females.
Symptoms: In this disease bleeding do not stop even on a small injury, blood do
not clots, death occur due to excess bleeding.
Treatments: providing blood in time.
Food poisoning: Micro organism, through contaminated food
Symptoms: uneasiness, vomiting.
Cause: micro organism produce a poisonous substance in contaminated food
which makes the food poisonous.
Precautions: Avoid contaminated food.
Treatment: Take advice of doctor in time.
Swine flu:
Cause: Coming in contact with infected patients, dirty and infected hand.
Symptoms: difficulty in throat, cold, fever.
Precautions: wash your hand with soap every time. Use of tissue paper or hanky
while sneezing or coughing, avoid going in crowded places use of mask.
Treatment: tablet Temi flu.
Anaemia
Cause – Deficiency of iron element in body, deficiency of haemoglobin.
Symptoms: complexion of face become white, body becomes weak, tiredness,
giddiness, white blisters on tongue.
Precaution: Intake nutritive diet, sprouted grains, cereals, leafy vegetables, figs,
beet root, brinjals, sesame, till etc.
Treatment: iron tablets.
Dengue or dengi (fever) :
It is a viral disease which is caused by one of the four viruses.
Spread: It is spread by Aedes aegypti female mosquito from an infected person.

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 Cause: Breeding of mosquitoes in dirty water, mosquito bites, growth of germs,
decrease in number of platelets, if the water is collected in cooler, dirtiness, deficiency
of blood.
Symptoms: Cold, fever, headache, bodyache, joint pain, loss of appetite, vomiting,
diarrhoea, red scars under skin, in serious condition bleeding occur from eyes and
nose.
Precautions: Not allowing water to collect nearby and inside home, things used for
water collection should be washed with soap and water properly so that eggs of
mosquito would be destroyed, spray insecticide in home.When coolers are not in use
they should be dried, windows and doors would be wire net, body should be covered,
mosquito net should be used in night, use of cream spray etc., Surrounding should be
kept clean, information of any dengue patient should be given to government. Health
department and city coperation, so mosquito control measure could be arranged and
managed.
Treatment: Patient should take rest and take medicines on the advice of doctor,
patient should take proper diet and water, regular check of platelets, juice of papaya
leaves should be taken as it increases the count of platelets.
Vaccination: We fall ill when microorganism enter in our body and antibody present in
our body couldn’t fight and destroy them.
Vaccine: If inactive or dead microorganism are given entrance in healthy body, then
body cells develops antibodies which destroys the disease microbes, then these
antibodies permanently reside in our body and prevent us from disease. Vaccine work
in a same way, cholera, T.B, chicken pox, hepatitis etc disease can be prevented by
vaccine. Edward Jenner discovered vaccine of small pox in 1796.

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