COMMUNICABLE AND NON

COMMUNICABLE DISEASE
PRESENTED BY
K. KANJIRAWAYA
Communicable diseases
 These are diseases caused by micro-
organism
 Can be passed on from one person to another
 They can cause epidemics by their

contagiousness hence may be referred to as

contagious diseases.
 At times known as infectious diseases
 An infectious disease may or may not be easy
to catch and is thus not a great threat to
others.
 A communicable (or contagious) disease is an

infectious disease that is readily transmitted

from one individual to another, either directly
or indirectly.
 Communicable diseases are the common
causes of illness, disability and death in
African region, including Malawi.
 While these diseases present a large threat to

the well being of our communities, there are

well known interventions that are available
for controlling and preventing them
 CDs are important in Malawi because:
 Many of them are very common
 Some of them are very serious & cause death

& disability
 Some come as outbreaks (epidemics)
 Most of them are preventable with simple

means
 Many are serious & common in infants &

children
 Classifications of micro-organisms
(4main categories of infectious agents)
 Parasites-malaria
 Bacteria :Tuberculosis.
 Viruses :HIV, HPV, Ebola
 Fungi: :Candidiasis
Characteristics of an infectious
agents
 Infectivity: ability to enter &multiply in host
 Pathogenicity: ability to produce a specific

clinical reaction after infection occur

 Virulence: ability to produce severe

pathological reaction
 Toxicity: ability to produce poisonous

reaction
 Invasiveness: ability to penetrate & spread

throughout tissue
Transmission process
 Direct contact (skin, membrane, sexual
contacts.
 Vector
 Faecal contamination of food & water
 Contact with animals & their products (biting)
 Airborne (inhalation)
 Transplacental (during pregnancy)
 Blood contact (injection, surgery, transfusion
CHAIN OF CAUSATION OF DISEASE
RESERVOIR
 Animals, human or vectors that harbour

disease causing organism

PORTAL OF EXIT
 The organism has to come out of/from the

reservoir
 MODE OF TRANSMISSION
 Examples are; water, food, sexual intercourse

AGENT
 Parasites
 Should have a portal of entry into the

organism
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TRIAD (MODEL)

ENVI
RON
MEN
T

AGE
HOST
NT
The Epidemiologic Triad
 The traditional model of infectious disease
causation.
 It has three components
 An external agent
 A susceptible host
 An environment that brings the host and the agent
together
 In the model the environment influences the agent,
the host and the route of transmission of the agent
from the source to the host.
 For the disease to occur, there must be an
interaction of the three factors above
ENVIRONMENT
 An external surrounding of the host that
might influence vulnerability or resistance
 Biological = Bacteria
 Physical = Weather, water
 Socio-economic = Family status, country
 Political = War
AGENT
 This is a disease causing organism, e.g.
bacteria, pestcides
 A factors that causes or contributes to a

health problem or condition

 Biological = bacteria, virus, fungi
 Chemical = poison, metal, cides
 Physical = mechanical accidents
heavy winds
HOST
 A person who harbours & nourishes a disease
– causing organism
 Race = eat pork or not
 Immunity = low immunity = susceptible
 Nutrition = poor nutrition = susceptible
 Age = children, elderly
 Sex = ladies more anaemic
 Body weight = hypertension
 Genetic = inheritance e.g. Sickle cell
PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICABLE
DISEASE PREVENTION &CONTROL
 Attacking the source (treat case & carriers)
 Interrupting the route of transmission

(sanitation, sterilization, vector control)

 Protecting the host (Immunization

chemoprophylaxis, better nutrition)

NON COMMUNICABLE
(NONINFECTIOUS )DISEASES
Those diseases or illnesses that cannot
be transmitted from an infected person to
a susceptible, healthy one
Several, or even many, factors may
contribute to the development of a given
non-communicable health condition
The contributing factors may be genetic,
environmental, or behavioral in nature
EXAMPLES OF NON COMMUNICABLE
DISEASES
 Cancer
 Diabetes
 Chronic lung diseases
 stroke
Risk factors
 Tobacco use
 Physical inactivity
 Unhealthy diets
 Harmful use of alcohol
Prevention and controlling NCDs
 Reduce major modifiable risk factors eg
tobacco use
 Health education
The end