Communicable Basics
A disease that can be spread from one person to another.
What is a communicable disease?
This pathogen causes illness such as the flu and COVID-19.
What is a virus?
This type of transmission involves physical contact with an infected person.
What is direct contact transmission?
The stage where the pathogen enters the body but there are no symptoms yet.
What is the incubation stage?
The cells in the body that attack and destroy pathogens?
What are white blood cells?
The scientific name for a germ/organism that causes disease.
What is a pathogen?
This pathogen can live on its own and causes strep throat.
What is bacteria?
This type of transmission occurs when a person touches contaminated objects or surfaces.
What is indirect contact transmission?
The stage where mild symptoms first begin to appear.
What is the prodromal stage?
What are antibodies?
A disease caused by viruses that requires a host to reproduce.
What is a viral disease?
This pathogen causes athlete's foot and ringworm.
What is fungi?
This type of transmission spread through coughing or sneezing within a few feet.
What is droplet transmission?
The stage when symptoms are the most severe.
What is the acute stage?
What is immune memory?
Name one example of a communicable disease.
Flu, COVID-19, Measles, Common Cold, Strep Throat, Athlete's foot, etc...
This pathogen includes organisms such as malaria and tapeworm.
What is a parasite?
This type of transmission involves insects such as mosquitoes or ticks.
What is vector-borne transmission?
This stage is where your immune system has won against the pathogen, but you are still contagious and need to finish your medication.
What is the recovery stage?
This immune response causes redness, swelling, and warmth and helps bring white blood cells to the infected area, while a fever raises body temperature to slow pathogen growth.
What are inflammation and fever?
Why are communicable diseases considered a PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN, not just an individual issue?
Because they can spread quickly through communities and affect many people.
Which type of pathogen REQUIRES a host in order to reproduce and cannot survive on its own?
A virus
When you are suddenly sick after eating a piece of chicken that was just a little too pink.
What is food-borne transmission/contaminated food?
The stage when the body repairs itself and strength returns, but slowly.
What is the convalescence stage?
Why do vaccines help prevent serious illness even if someone is exposed to a pathogen?
Because vaccines help the immune system create memory cells that respond faster and stronger because they recognize the pathogen and know how to fit it.