Prevention of Diseases: Definition, Principles, Methods

Prevention of Diseases: Anyone can get ill at any time. There are various sorts of symptoms associated with various diseases. There are two basic ways for disease prevention: general and specific. The general methods of prevention are mostly concerned with avoiding exposure.

The specific methods are related to a peculiar property of the immune system that normally fights off microbial infections. One should maintain personal hygiene to prevent falling ill. So let us read more about the Prevention of Diseases in detail in this article.

What is Health?

According to the World Health Organisation, “Health” is defined as “a condition of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, rather than only the absence of disease or infirmity.” To live a healthy life, it is therefore important to keep physically, psychologically, and socially fit. 

What is Disease?

Any type of disorder present in the body is called a disease. Diseases are characterised by interference in the normal functioning of the body leading to impairment of health. These types of diseases show a certain type of changes in functioning or in the appearance of one or more symptoms like headache, coughing, loose motion, wound with pus, etc. 

Prevention of Diseases

Preventing diseases caused by insects and microscopic organisms is one of the most fundamental and vital steps we can take to protect ourselves and our community. There are numerous methods for preventing the occurrence of diseases. These methods are designed to maintain proper hygiene. Disease prevention can be basically divided into two ways: general and specific.

General contraceptive measure of prevention is listed below:

1. We must ensure that there are no open rubbish dumps or stagnant water in our neighbourhood. This will prevent insects from breeding, perhaps saving us from vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and cholera. We also use insecticides to keep them away.
2. We can avoid water-borne diseases by providing safe drinking water or boiling water, or by using a water treatment method to destroy any microbial contamination.
3. Diseases that are very contagious, such as leprosy, measles, and chickenpox, can be prevented by isolating the affected person.
4. Airborne diseases such as influenza, TB, the common cold, and pneumonia can be avoided by avoiding overcrowding and inhaling clean air.
5. We can build an immune system that produces antibodies and fights diseases by consuming a healthy diet.
6. Some other prevention like washing vegetables, fruits, and covering food and water all the time.
7. Washing our hands and cleaning our bodies on a regular basis is essential, as is the usage of a face mask.

The specific prophylactic measure of prevention :

To prevent diseases, there are primarily two methods of treatment listed below.

1. Symptom directed treatment: This type of treatment is mainly done to provide some relief from the symptom and reduce the effects of the diseases which are generally happening due to inflammation of certain body tissue. These are not a cure for the disease; rather, they are temporary, short-term therapy that must be repeated at regular intervals.

2. Pathogen directed treatment: This type of treatment is used to kill microbes by using chemical antibiotic medicine. Antibiotics are used to block the metabolic pathway of bacteria which may not block the pathway of other organisms. This type of treatment process is used to treat the actual diseases from the root cause.

Methods of Diseases Prevention and Control

The various prevention and control measures are discussed below:

1. Personal Hygiene: Maintaining one’s health is what personal hygiene is all about. A person must engage in certain activities that improve his health and keep him from being ill. Some of the personal hygiene habits are mentioned below:

a) We should always wash our hands thoroughly before and after meals, as well as after using the restroom.

b) We should clean and cut our nails in an interval. 

c)  Regular brushing of our teeth after each meal to avoid tooth decay.

d) Clothes must be washed daily, particularly underwear, and wearing very tight garments must be avoided.

e) Taking a regular bath with soap and clean water on a regular basis.

2. Public or Community Hygiene

Its purpose is to protect, maintain, and prevent the spread of infection or sickness in the community. It includes:

1. Garbage disposal, as well as human and animal excreta disposal, should be done systematically.
2.  Food should be kept clean and of pollutants, dust, flies, and cockroaches.
3.  Periodic cleaning and disinfection of water reservoirs to ensure safe and germ-drinking water.
4. Insecticides and disinfectants are sprayed to destroy pathogens, insects, and their carriers.
5. To minimise vectors and their breeding, we should avoid stagnant water around residential areas.
6. To reduce air pollution, we should plant trees and switch to renewable energy sources.

3. Industrial Hygiene

Industrial hygiene is also known as occupational health. Industrial hygiene is important because it can prevent potential illnesses, injuries, and stressors at work, which can have both short- and long-term effects on the health and well-being of those who work there. Employees in a factory, for example, may be exposed to potentially hazardous chemical agents.

4. Mental Hygiene

Mental hygiene is concerned with the development of healthy mental attitudes and the prevention of psychosis, neurosis, and other mental disorders.

5. Healthy Habits

Some of the healthy habits are:

1. Be punctual and disciplined.
2. Get enough rest and sleep. 
3. Timely intake of proper nutritious food.
4. Make physical activity or exercise a regular part of your day.
5. Don’t drink or use drugs of any kind, and don’t smoke either.
6. Avoid TV and social networking addictions, as well as mobile phone game addictions.
7. Always consume freshly cooked foods and avoid stale, junk, and oily foods from outside.
8. Eating at home helps to promote a disease-body.

6. Immunisation

Immunisation is the introduction of any kind of dead or weakened pathogens for the artificial development of immunity against specific diseases. Immunity is the immune system’s ability to fight and overcome infection. Immunity can be inherited from one’s parents or acquired when a person’s immune system is activated during infection. Immunisation is the artificial development of immunity against specific diseases through the introduction of any kind of dead or weakened pathogen. The immune system works by producing proteins known as antibodies. Antibodies kill foreign bodies that enter the body, such as microorganisms. To resist and overcome different types of infection, the human body possesses several defence systems. 

Some of them are:

a) The skin serves as a barrier to germ entry.
b) Hair in the nose, as well as mucus generated in the nose, prevents dust and bacteria from entering.
c) Germs that enter the body are first destroyed by stomach acid, but if they survive, white blood cells from our blood collect at the point of attack and feed on them, destroying the microorganisms.
d) Antibodies, which are proteins produced by our body’s immune system, are another technique to deal with pathogens. All foreign substances are destroyed by these antibodies.

7. Vaccination 

A vaccine is a preparation of modified viruses or bacteria that are introduced into a healthy and fit body to induce a specific antibody reaction that produces immunity against a specific disease, and vaccination is the process of administering a vaccine that makes a person resistant to that disease. Vaccination is extremely effective in avoiding a wide range of infectious diseases and has the potential to save countless lives. During vaccination, pathogens that have been weakened or inactivated are introduced into the body. A vaccine usually contains an antigen that resembles a disease-causing microorganism and is frequently made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, toxins produced by the microbes, or proteins found on the surface of microbes.

The primary immune response is triggered by these antigens, and memory cells are produced as a result of the response. When a vaccinated person is attacked by the same pathogen, the existing memory cells quickly recognise the antigen and attack the invaders with a massive influx of antibodies. This is how the body’s immunity develops. Vaccines aid in the development of the body’s immunity. The immunity developed in the body can be temporary, lasting only a few months, or permanent, lasting the rest of one’s life. Each antibody only works against one antigen. A cholera vaccine, for example, does not protect us against whooping cough. As a result, we have different vaccines to protect us against various diseases.

“Vaccination” is derived from the Latin word “Vacca”, which means “cow.” Louis Pasteur coined the term vaccination. Edward Jenner is regarded as the father of vaccinology due to his pioneering contributions to immunisation and the eventual abolition of smallpox.

8. Health education: 

Health education, or health studies, as well as environmental studies, play a vital role in the prevention of many infections and disorders.

Prevention Against Covid-19

Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that was first identified in the year 2020. Covid-19 was initially discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan, causing a worldwide pandemic. This virus can spread in small liquid particles from an infected person’s mouth and nose whenever they cough, sneeze, speak or breathe, causing mild to severe respiratory illness. To prevent the spread of the virus, countries were put on lockdown. The best way to prevent covid-19 is to maintain a minimum of 1 metre of social distance from others, wear a proper face mask to cover the mouth and nose, and wash our hands or use an alcohol-based rub frequently.  To protect ourselves from covid-19, we should get a full vaccination and follow the government’s guidelines.

Summary

Our health is our most important asset. Different types of prevention methods, as well as the procedures for monitoring and controlling them, are now well established. Personal hygiene is essential for not just preventing diseases but also living a healthy lifestyle. We can save our community by learning about public hygiene and putting it into practice. Internal microorganisms are also fought by our bodies’ defence mechanisms. Our immune system also defends us against a variety of unknown foreign microorganisms. Vaccines can also help us build immunity from within our bodies in some cases.

FAQs on Prevention of Diseases

Q.1: What are the different methods of prevention and control?
Ans: Some prevention methods are personal hygiene, public hygiene, immunisation, vaccination, and health education.

Q.2: What are the prevention we must follow to prevent covid-19?
Ans: We must wear a musk to protect our mouth and nose also maintain social distance, avoid any type of gathering, wash our hands properly with soap water or use sanitiser spray.

Q.3: How can we prevent diseases?
Ans: There are two types of processes by which we can prevent diseases
1. General contraceptive measure of prevention.
2. Specific prophylactic measure of prevention.

Q.4: What is vaccination?
Ans: Vaccination is the process of administering a vaccine that makes a person resistant to that disease.

Q.5: What is immunity?
Ans: Immunity is the immune system’s ability to fight and overcome infection.

We hope that this detailed article on the Prevention of Diseases was helpful. If you have any doubts, then do let us know about it in the comment section below. Our team will get try to solve your queries at the earliest.