Meaning of Disease
Definition: A disease is any condition that makes the body function badly, causing pain, weakness, or discomfort.
Examples: Malaria, cholera, typhoid, cold, cough, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, asthma.
Key point: Disease is the opposite of good health.
Types of Diseases
Type Meaning Examples Can it spread?
Communicable (Infectious) Diseases that can pass from one person to another Malaria, cholera, COVID-19, cold, HIV/AIDS Yes
Non-communicable Diseases that cannot spread from person to person Diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, cancer N
Causes of Diseases
A. Agents that cause communicable diseases (Germs):
Germ Disease caused
Virus COVID-19, cold, HIV/AIDS
Bacteria Cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis
Protozoa Malaria (spread by mosquito)
Fungus Ringworm, athlete's foot
B. How diseases spread (Transmission):
1. Through air (coughing, sneezing)
2. Through contaminated food or water
3. Through insect bites (mosquito, housefly)
4. Through direct contact (touching an infected person)
5. Through unclean hands
6. Through blood or unsafe sex (HIV)
C. Other causes of disease:
· Poor nutrition (lack of good food)
· Lack of exercise
· Smoking, alcohol, drugs
· Heredity (inherited from parents)
Ways to Prevent Diseases
Personal Hygiene (keeping your body clean):
· Wash hands with soap and water before eating and after toilet
· Bathe daily and brush teeth twice a day
· Cut fingernails short
· Wear clean clothes
· Cover mouth when coughing or sneezing
Environmental Hygiene (keeping surroundings clean):
· Dispose of rubbish properly
· Clear bushes around the home
· Cover food and water
· Ensure good drainage to avoid stagnant water (where mosquitoes breed)
