When you catch a cold, or someone in your family has a cough, you think, "Oh, I don't know if I'll catch it from others too," right? Some diseases spread very quickly from one person to another. That's why we call them 'contagious.' So today we're going to talk about this 'contagious' and how we can protect ourselves from such diseases. If we know the right things, we can avoid many diseases.
What exactly does "contagious" mean?
Simply put, "contagious" means that a disease can spread easily from one person to another. Imagine that your friend has a cold. When he coughs or sneezes, tiny germs are released from his mouth and nose. If you are near him at that time, those germs can enter your body and you can also get a cold. That's why we call a cold a contagious disease .
What are these germs? There are mainly two types of them that we often talk about.
1. Bacteria: These are tiny organisms that are invisible to the naked eye. Some bacteria are good for our bodies and even help us. But some types of bacteria can cause disease if they enter our bodies.
2. Viruses: These are much smaller than bacteria. Viruses cannot live on their own; they need to enter a cell in our body to grow. Viruses often cause illnesses like colds, flu, chickenpox, and measles.
So, if a germ (i.e., a bacteria or virus) that causes a disease can be passed from one person to another, we call that disease a "contagious disease."
How does this infectious disease spread?
There are several ways that infectious diseases can spread from person to person. Let's look at them now.
1. Direct Contact
This is a very simple way. The disease can be transmitted when you touch someone who is sick or come into contact with their body fluids.
- Shaking hands: If someone who is sick has germs on their hands, when you shake their hand, those germs can get on your hands. Then, if you touch your mouth, nose, or eyes with that hand, the germs can enter your body.
- Kissing: Some diseases (such as herpes) can be transmitted through kissing.
- Touching a sick person's wound: Fluid from wounds can contain germs.
Imagine, your friend Nimal has a cold. He constantly wipes his nose and covers his mouth with his hand when he coughs. Then he shakes your hand with the same hand. Then the cold virus that was on Nimal's hand gets on your hand too. To be honest, this is a risky thing to do!
2. Through the Air - Droplets and small particles
This is often the main way that diseases like colds and flu spread.
- Droplet Spread: When a sick person coughs or sneezes, they release droplets of saliva and nasal secretions from their mouth and nose. These droplets are full of disease-causing germs. They can usually travel up to a meter or two. If these droplets land in the nose, mouth, or eyes of someone nearby, they can spread the disease.
- When talking, breathing (Airborne Spread - for some diseases): Some germs are very small. They can float in the air for a long time and travel long distances. Diseases like Tuberculosis and Measles can spread this way.
3. Indirect Contact (Fomites)
This means that the disease is transmitted through things that a sick person has touched.
Imagine a sick person touching a doorknob, a table, or a used pen or phone with their germ-laden hand. Then, if a healthy person touches that object and then touches their mouth, nose, or eyes, they can become infected. In medicine, we call these germ-laden objects `fomites` .
- Hold the door, hold the window.
- Tables, chairs
- Toys (especially among young children)
- Towel, handkerchief
- Banknotes, coins
- Telephones, computer keyboards
4. Contaminated Food and Water
Some infectious diseases, especially stomach upsets and diarrhea (gastroenteritis), are caused by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. These diseases can be contracted by eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated with germs.
- Undercooked meat, fish, and eggs
- Unwashed fruits and vegetables
- Dirty water, improperly purified drinks
5. Animals and Insects - Vectors
Some infectious diseases can be spread from animals to humans or through insects. We call the insects that carry these diseases vectors .
- Mosquitoes transmit diseases such as Dengue, Malaria, and Chikungunya.
- Some diseases can also be transmitted from fleas and ticks.
- Some animals can transmit diseases such as rabies (through bites from animals such as dogs and cats) and leptospirosis (through water contaminated with things like rat urine).
Now you probably understand how many ways infectious diseases can spread, right?
What are the most common infectious diseases?
There are several infectious diseases that are common among us.
- Common Cold: This is something that almost everyone has experienced. It can be caused by different types of viruses. It spreads through coughing and sneezing.
- Influenza: This is also caused by a virus. It is a little more severe than the common cold. It causes body aches, high fever, and cough. It is also mainly spread through the air.
- Chickenpox: This is also a viral disease. It causes blisters on the body and is itchy. It can be spread by direct contact with the blisters of an infected person, or when they cough or sneeze.
- Measles: This is also a highly contagious and potentially dangerous viral disease. Symptoms include fever, cough, red eyes, and body aches. It is spread through the air.
- Mumps: A viral disease that causes swelling of the glands on either side of the cheeks. It is spread through droplets of saliva.
- Covid-19 (COVID-19): Everyone knows about this by now. It is caused by a virus called `(SARS-CoV-2)`. It is mainly transmitted through the air, that is, through droplets released when coughing, sneezing, or talking.
- Typhoid Fever: This is a disease caused by bacteria and transmitted through contaminated food and water.
- Conjunctivitis / Pink Eye: A disease that causes the eyes to become red, itchy, and watery. This is also easily transmitted. It can be transmitted if the discharge from the eyes of an infected person gets on the hands and the hands touch the eyes of another person.
There are many other infectious diseases like this. The important thing is to understand that almost all of these diseases are spread by some kind of germ (a bacteria, virus, or other small organism).
Are "Contagious" and "Infectious" the same thing?
Although these two words are often used interchangeably, there is a slight difference.
"Infectious" means that a germ (bacteria, virus, fungus, or parasite) enters the body and causes disease.
"Contagious" means that the infectious disease can spread easily from one person to another .
Simply put, every infectious disease is an infectious disease. However, not every infectious disease is necessarily contagious.
For example, tetanus is an infectious disease caused by bacteria. But it is not spread from person to person. It is caused when bacteria from the environment (soil, dust) enter the body through a wound.
But the common cold is an infectious disease, and it is easily transmitted from one person to another. Today we are mainly talking about contagious diseases.
What should we do to protect ourselves from infectious diseases?
There is a saying that "prevention is better than cure." That is also true for these infectious diseases. If we are a little more careful, we can avoid a lot of these diseases. These are very simple things, but very important.
1. Wash Your Hands Often
This is the most important and simplest way . Our hands can contain millions of invisible germs. That's why washing your hands properly is so important.
- When should you wash your hands?
- Before eating and before preparing food.
- After going to the bathroom.
- If you cover your mouth with your hand when coughing or sneezing, then...
- After visiting a sick person, or after touching a sick person.
- After touching the animals.
- After going out and coming home.
- Before and after cleaning a wound.
- After cleaning the nose.
- How do you wash your hands properly?
- First, wet your hands with clean water.
- Then, add enough soap and rub until it lathers well.
- Rub the back of your hand, between your fingers, under your nails, and around your big toe. You should rub for at least 20 seconds (you can mentally sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice).
- Then wash it well with soap and water.
- Dry your hands with a clean cloth or tissue. In public places, it is best to use a hand dryer, or bring your own tissue.
If soap and water are not available, you can use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. But remember, when your hands are dirty, sanitizer alone is not enough. Washing your hands with soap is best.
2. Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.
If you have a cold or cough, when you cough or sneeze, germs are released into the air. This can infect others.
- Always use a tissue to cover your mouth and nose. Immediately throw the used tissue in a closed trash can.
- If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow (the side where your elbow bends). Never use your bare hands. Because once your hands get germs, they spread to everything you touch.
3. Stay Home When You're Sick
If you have symptoms of a contagious illness (such as fever, cough, runny nose, body aches, diarrhea, vomiting), stay home as much as possible. Avoid going to the office, school, or public places. This will help prevent you from spreading the illness to others. It will also give you time to recover quickly.
4. Get Vaccinated
Vaccines are a powerful weapon against a wide range of infectious diseases. There are vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, influenza, COVID-19, tuberculosis, polio, and hepatitis B. These vaccines train our immune system to fight against those diseases.
- Give all vaccines given under the National Immunization Programme to children on time.
- Adults may also need some vaccines (e.g., influenza, pneumonia, tetanus booster). Ask a doctor about these.
5. Clean and Disinfect Frequently Touched Surfaces
Commonly touched surfaces such as doorknobs, tables, light switches, telephones, computer keyboards, and toilets can harbor germs. Therefore, it is important to clean these surfaces regularly and wipe them down with a suitable disinfectant, especially if someone in the home is sick.
6. Don't Share Personal Items
Do not share towels, razors, toothbrushes, eating utensils, and water bottles with others. These can spread diseases.
7. Healthy Lifestyle
Eating a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep (at least 7-8 hours a day), and exercising can help keep your body's immunity at a good level. This will increase your ability to resist illness.
A small example: Imagine that someone in your office has a cold. If they don't cover their mouth with their hands when they cough or sneeze, those germs can get on the desks and doorknobs in the office. If you touch those surfaces and then eat food without washing your hands, you are more likely to get sick. But if everyone is careful like this, if they wash their hands, and if they are sick, they can greatly reduce the spread of this kind of disease, right?
What should you do if you think you have a contagious disease?
Sometimes, no matter how careful we are, we can still get sick. If that happens, do these things.
1. Seek medical advice: If you have symptoms such as fever, severe cough, difficulty breathing, severe body aches, uncontrollable diarrhea or vomiting, or if your illness does not improve within a few days, be sure to see a doctor. Then you can find out exactly what is wrong and get the necessary treatment. Especially if you are in a risk group (a small child, an elderly person, a pregnant woman, a person with a weakened immune system), seek medical advice immediately.
2. Rest: Resting your body helps it heal faster.
3. Drink plenty of fluids: When you have a fever or diarrhea, your body loses a lot of water. So drink plenty of water, broth, porridge, soup, and fruit juice.
4. Prevent spreading the virus to others: Stay home as much as possible. Keep a distance from others (social distancing). It is better if you can stay in a separate room. Cover your mouth when coughing and sneezing. Wash your hands often. Wash the dishes you use separately.
5. Follow the doctor's instructions: Take the medicine as prescribed, on time, for the full duration. Do what he tells you to do.
Things we should remember from this story (Take-Home Message)
So, we've talked a lot about contagious diseases today, haven't we? Keeping these things in mind will be very beneficial for you, your family, and others in society.
- "Contagious" means that the germs that cause a disease are passed from one person to another.
- This disease can spread in many ways, including through the air, through contact, through contaminated food and water, and through contaminated objects (fomites).
- Hand washing is the best and simplest way to protect yourself from infectious diseases. That's right, wash your hands often.
- It is also very important to cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
- If you have symptoms of a contagious illness, stay home to avoid infecting others.
- Vaccines are a powerful protection against many infectious diseases. Get the right vaccines.
- If in doubt, if you develop an illness, seek medical advice . Don't do what you feel, listen to what a doctor says.
Remember, by following these small health habits, we can avoid a lot of major diseases and stay healthy. If we all take care of this, we can make our entire society healthy. Your safety is as important as the safety of others!
` Infectious diseases, health habits, hand washing, vaccination, protection from viruses, bacteria, diseases
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