Download Communicable Diseases

Communicable Diseases
Types of Pathogens
• A germ that cause disease is a pathogen.
• An illness caused by pathogens that can
spread from one living to another is a
communicable disease, or infectious disease.
• Some pathogens are spread easier than
others.
Bacteria
• Bacteria are singled celled organisms that
exists in many types.
• Most bacteria are beneficial, but some are
known to cause disease by releasing toxins, or
poisonous substances.
– Examples of diseases caused by bacteria:
• Strep throat, tuberculosis, syphilis, gonorrhea, lyme
disease, dephtheria, and tetnus.
Fungi
• Fungi are single-celled or multi-celled parasitic
organisms that obtain their food from organic
materials, such as plant, animal, or human
tissue.
• Fungi can live on the skin, mucous
membranes, and lungs and cause disease in
the process.
• Examples: Athlete’s foot & thrush.
Viruses
• A virus is the smallest known pathogen.
When a virus enters a cell, it takes over the
cell and causes it to make more viruses.
• Types of viruses:
– Common cold
– Mumps
– Chicken Pox
– Hepatitis
– HIV
How Pathogens are Spread
• Direct Contact
– Shaking hands, kissing, sexual intercourse, blood
transfusion.
• Through the Air
– Coughing or sneezing and not covering mouth.
• Contact with Contaminated Objects
– Sharing needles, combs, toothbrushes, razors,
eating utensils, sharing drinks.
Bacterial STDs
• Some STDs are caused by bacteria and can be
cured through the use of antibiotics but will
not prevent re-exposure or life-long
protection.
Chlamydia
The most common bacterial STD in the U.S.
Caused by a bacteria that produces
inflammation of the reproductive organs.
Methods of Transmission: Sexual contact and
from parent to child during delivery.
Symptoms: Although many people show no
symptoms, some include burning during
urination and unusual vaginal discharge.
Chlamydia
• Treatment: Antibiotics are used to treat
chlamydia.
• Complications: A serious infection can cause
pelvic inflammatory disease which can lead to
infertility in women. Men can also become
infertile.
Syphilis
• Syphilis is an STD that is caused by bacteria.
Bacteria enters the body through tiny breaks
in the mucous membranes and then borrows
its way into the bloodstream.
• Transmission: Syphilis is spread by intimate
sexual contact with an infected person. IT can
also be passed from pregnant female to fetus.
Syphilis
Symptoms:
• Primary Syphilis – Painless open chancre sores
(3-10 days of contraction). These will
disappear even if left untreated.
• Secondary Syphilis – Skin rash that begins
anywhere from weeks to months after
chancres appear, fever, tiredness, headache,
loss of weight and hair.
Syphilis
• Treatment: Syphilis is treated with an
antibiotic. Treatment in later stages can not
reverse the damage done to body organs in
earlier stages.
• Complications: If left untreated the bacteria
can irreversibly damage organs and cause
blindness, paralysis, heart disease, liver
disease and death may occur.
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea is a highly contagious STD by a
bacteria. Gonorrhea infects the linings of the
genital and urinary tracts of males and females.
Transmission: Gonorrhea is spread by sexual
contact with an infected person. A baby born to
an infected female can become infected during
childbirth if the bacteria enters the baby’s eyes.
Gonorrhea
Symptoms:
• Males usually have a white milky discharge
from the penis and burning sensation during
urination.
• Females usually have no symptoms. If
symptoms appear they include burning
sensation during urination and a yellow
discharge from the vagina.
Gonorrhea
• Treatment: Antibiotics are used to treat
gonorrhea. Some strains are more resistant to
certain antibiotics.
• Complications: Gonorrhea can spread into the
bloodstream and infect the joints, heart
valves, and the brain. Gonorrhea can cause
sterility in males and females.
Herpes
• Herpes is an STD caused by a simplex virus
that produces cold sores or fever blisters in
the genital area mouth.
• The specific virus that causes genital sores is
Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 (HSV-2).
• HSV-2 may also produce sores in the mouth.
Herpes
• Transmission: Genital herpes is spread by
sexual contact with an infected person. An
infected pregnant female can infect her baby
during vaginal delivery.
• Symptoms: Symptoms of genital herpes occur
within 2 weeks after contact and include
itching or burning sensation, pain in the legs
or genital area, vaginal discharge, clusters of
small painful blisters in the genital area.
Herpes
• Treatment: Antiviral drugs have been used to
relieve symptoms but there is no cure.
• Complications: People with genital herpes
fear recurrences and are at greater risk of HIV
infection
HPV
• The most common type of viral STD is the
human papillomavirus (HPV). There are more
than 70 known types of HPV.
• Transmission: Genital warts are contagious
and are spread during sexual contact. It can
also be spread from pregnant female to baby
during vaginal delivery.
HPV
• Symptoms: Painless, flesh-colored genital
warts may appear after a few weeks or even
years after infection.
• Treatment: No treatment completely cures
HPV but there are methods to get rid of
genital warts that may appear. Freezing,
burning, or cutting off warts sill rid your body
of them but they may come back.
HPV
• Complications: Some of these types have
been known to cause genital warts and some
have been known to cause cervical cancer.
Viral Hepatitis
• A viral infection of the liver is viral hepatitis.
Several different viruses cause hepatitis,
including hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis B (HBV),
hepatitis C (HCV), delta hepatitis (HDV), and
hepatitis E (HEV). Many cases of hepatitis are
not a serious threat to health.
Viral Hepatitis
• Transmission: Viral Hepatitis, except infection
by HEV is known to be spread through sexual
contact. HBV, HCV, and HDV are also spread
through the sharing of contaminated needles.
HAV is most commonly spread fecal-orally by
contaminated food and water. HEV is spread
mainly through contaminated water. HBV,
HCV can be spread from pregnant mother to
baby.
Viral Hepatitis
• Symptoms: Many infected people have no
symptoms. The most common early
symptoms are flu-like. Later symptoms may
include dark urine, abdominal pain, and
jaundice which is the yellowing of the skin and
eyes.
Viral Hepatitis
• Treatment: Treatment consists of bed rest, a
healthy diet, and avoidance of alcoholic
beverages. Drugs may be prescribed to
improve liver function. Vaccines are available
for life long immunity to HAV and HBV.
• Complications: Viral can lead to liver failure,
liver cancer, and death.
Trichomoniasis
• Trichomonas vaginalis is a parasite that causes
the STD trichomoniasis.
• Transmission: The parasite is spread through
intimate sexual contact.
• Symptoms: Most males do not experience
symptoms. If they do symptoms include thin
whitish discharge from the penis and pinful or
difficult urination.
Trichomoniasis
• Symptoms: About half of infected females
have no symptoms. Those that do may
experience yellow-green or gray vaginal
discharge that has an unpleasant odor, painful
urination, or irritation and itching in the
genital area.
• Treatment: Drug treatment is used to treat
both males and females.
HIV/AIDS
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a
virus that destroys the helper T-cells in your
immune system. Helper T-cells are important
because they fight infections in the body.
• Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
(AIDS) is a condition that results after HIV has
destroyed enough of the body’s cells.
HIV
• Transmission: HIV is spread several different
ways.
– Sexual Contact
– Open-mouth kissing
– Sharing needles or syringes
– Contact with bodily fluid or blood
– Blood transfusion
– Organ transplant
– Being born to an infected mother
HIV
• Symptoms: Flu-like symptoms, such as fever,
sore throat, skin rash, diarrhea, swollen
glands, loss of appetite, and night sweats.
Many people will not develop sever symptoms
for years however they become susceptible to
other infections because of the drop of t-cells
in the body.
HIV
• Treatment: There is no known treat to cure
HIV from the body. There are however
antiretroviral drugs that can decrease the
amount of the virus being produced in the
body and increase the amount of t-cells.