Communicable

Disease
 Diseases that are spread from one person to the other.
 Diseases that are “catching” they progress quickly and contagious
 Diseases that are caused by germs or pathogens.

Modes of Transmission

 Direct Contact: Exposure to infected body fluids such as blood or saliva.

 Vectors/Reservoirs: Germs are spread by animal or insect, usually through a bite.
 Food and Water: Food and water can become contaminated with germs and
people can get sick when they eat or drink them.
 Airborne: Germs are spread through the air. (coughs or sneezes)
 Indirect Contact: Pathogens remain on surfaces that were in contact with an
infected person.

Examples: (Chicken pox, Diphtheria,

Filariasis, AIDS, Poliomyelitis, Malaria,
Tuberculosis, Tetanus, Rabies, Sexually Transmitted Diseases)

FILARIASIS – name for a group of tropical diseases (infectious diseases) and caused by
various “Parasitic-round worms” (Nematodes) and their Larvae. And still NO VACCINE but
MULTI DRUG THERAPY IS EFFECTIVE.
The Larvae transmit the disease to humans through a mosquito bite or flies. Once within
the body, the worm larvae migrate to a particular part of the body and mature to adult worm.
Symptoms: Filarial fever, Lymphangitis, Lymphadenitis, Elephantiasis of genitals/legs/arm,
Filarial arthritis,.

Lymphangitis- infection in lymph vessel

Lymphadenitis- is a medical term for enlargement in one or more lymph nodes due to infection.
Elephantiasis- is the enlargement of the limbs (legs, arms) and the genital area.

Mode of transmission: Transmitted by the bite of infected mosquito responsible for

considerable sufferings. (Vectors/Reservoirs)

Prevention
 Treating the infection by Cooling the leg, drying, exercise.
 Treatment and prevention of Lymphoedema.
 Drugs effective against filarial parasites
 Use citronella lotion
 Avoid wearing dark colored clothes

Treatment
1. Diethyl Carbamazine citrate DEC
2. Invermectin
3. Albendazole
4. Coumarins compound
AIDS
 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
 HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS
 Disease limits the body’s ability to fight infection due to markedly reduced helper
T cells.
 Patients have a very weak immune system (defense mechanism)
 No cure
 Life expectancy after diagnosis is about three years but this maybe shorter if the
person develops a severe opportunistic illness (pheumonia, tubercolosis, oral
trash, herpes, cancer, brain infection)

Symptoms: Fever, Headace, Sores, Neuropathy, Rashes, Nausea, Vomiting.

Mode of Transmission: Blood, Sharing Needles, Unsterilized blades, Unprotected Intercourse

(semen) , Mother to Baby (breast feeding, pregnancy, delivery)

Prevention
Some ways to protect yourself
 Protected Sex
 Sterile Needles
 New shaving/cutting blades
 Know your partner

Treatment (temporarily)

- Anti-retroviral drugs- is used to lessen the development or progressiveness of the

AIDS
- AZT (Zidovudine)
- Viramune (Nevirapine)
- Norvir (Ritonavir)

 Healthy adults have a CD4 counts of 500-1500 per cubic millimeter but a person living
with HIV has below 200 CD4 counts per cubic millimeter.