Infectious diseases, Science

Assignment Help:

Infectious diseases:

Some of you may have heard about the great bubonic plague, a fatal disease of the blood, spread by fleas and respiratory  secretions. It occurred in epidemic proportions throughout most of Europe from thirteenth  to nineteenth century. A major outbreak of plague in India occurred in  1896 and lasted for fifteen years. It swept through villages and towns and killed over eight million people.  It seems that such diseases were common in ancient times. Increased trade and commerce and resultant human traffic made them reach new places all over the world. Similarly, diseases such as small pox, measles, influenza and cholera spread easily from one person  to  another, and from one area to another.

The reason for the spread of these diseases, and many others, was not known till the nineteenth  century. Till then, such diseases always left people struck with terror because their causes were shrouded in mystery. Due to ignorance, demons and evil spirits were blamed  for causing these diseases. In India, it was believed that these diseases weie a punishment from angry deities. A new Goddess was created and held responsible for each disease. For example "Stela Ma"  is said to cause small pox. People worshipped her to get cured from this disease.  It would be interesting to note here that small pox has been eradicated from this planet due to a planned world-wide vaccination campaign. Plague outbreaks do not occur any more. 

The poem given in the margin which children often sing while playing, is  jointly  sung at a memorial service outside the village Eyam in England to pay homage to the townsfolk who gave their lives three centuries ago to save others from  the disease. These people got affected by plague.  In order to stop the spread of disease they confined themselves in their village to save others. The ring of rosies refers to tbe rose-shaped  splotches on a plague victim. Posies were little flowers used to ward off the evil spirit. And Achoo! means sneezing which accompanied the disease. The last line means that they all died. You must have experienced that if somebody in the family is suffering from a cough or cold you often catch it. Do you know why?

Because these diseases are caused by germs or "microbes"  which can go from one person to another. "Microbes"  means minute organisms or germs. They are so small that we cannot see them with the naked eye. Some can be seen with the help of an ordinary microscope while others are smaller still and can be seen only under very special microscopes. Certain infectious diseases are caused by worms. We will also discuss how they spread from one perso-  another.  


Related Discussions:- Infectious diseases

Explain relative location, What is relative location? Relative location...

What is relative location? Relative location is the location of something in relation of another place.

Carbohydrates, define carbohydrates.give a brief account on classification ...

define carbohydrates.give a brief account on classification of carbohydrates.

Define age related changes in respiratory system, Define age related change...

Define age related changes in Respiratory system During ageing, alveoli (present in the lungs) become flatter and shallower, alveolar ducts enlarge, walls become thinner, conta

Define hospital health information system, Question 1 Define Hospital h...

Question 1 Define Hospital health information system. Explain its components. 2 Computerized medical information system allows more time to professionals for patient care. Expl

Explain the muscle layer, Explain the Muscle layer This layer consists ...

Explain the Muscle layer This layer consists of two layers of smooth muscle. The outer layer is a longitudinal muscle layer and the inner layer is a circular muscle layer. But

Medicare operates as vendor payment program, Question 1 Which are the d...

Question 1 Which are the different types of health insurance plans? Explain 2 Define the following terms used in E/M services        a) New and established patient        b) Na

Explain relationship of vitamins and mineral with physiology, Explain Relat...

Explain Relationship of Vitamins and Mineral with physiology They play a major role in the body's functioning. Vitamin A is necessary for night vision in the eyes. Vitamin B co

Psychology, discuss the special conflict that erikson believed marked young...

discuss the special conflict that erikson believed marked young adulthood. Then describe how an individual could best resolve this conflict

Compare and contrast the different types of igneous rocks, 1.) Referring di...

1.) Referring directly to the locations of igneous activity identified on the below diagram (figure 5), and restricting yourself to any of the following terms and rocks (sedimentar

Data miniing, What are the major challenges of mining a huge amount of data...

What are the major challenges of mining a huge amount of data (e.g., billions of tuples) in comparison with mining a small amount of data (e.g., data set of a few hundred tuple)?

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd