SUBJECT- SCIENCE
CLASS - IX
CHAPTER -13
WHY DO WE FALL ILL ?
Module 3/3
PRINCIPLES OF TREATMENT
The treatment of infectious diseases consists of two steps. They
are to reduce the effects of the disease (symptoms) and to kill the
microbes which caused the disease.
i) To reduce the effects of the disease :- This can be done by
taking medicines to bring down the effects of the disease like
fever, pain or loose motions etc. and by taking bed rest to
conserve our energy.
ii) To kill the microbes :- This can be done by taking suitable
antibiotics and drugs which kills the microbes and the disease
is cured.
Antibiotics –
They are chemical substances produced by
living organism such as bacteria and fungi,etc.,
which can kill or stop the growth of some
pathogenic microrganisms.
Ex- Penicillin, Tetracycline, Streptomycin, etc.
Vaccine –
It is suspension of disease-producing microbes
which does not cause disease but on entering,
body initiates immune system to produce
antibodies against particular disease and
killing microbes.
How do we kill microbes? - Antibiotics
Microbes can be classified into different categories- viruses, bacteria,
fungi or protozoa. Each of these groups of organisms will have some
essential biochemical life process which is peculiar to that group and
not shared with the other groups. These processes may be pathways for
the synthesis of new substances or respiration.
These pathways will not be used by us either. For example, our cells
may make new substances by a mechanism different from that used by
bacteria. We have to find a drug that blocks the bacterial synthesis
pathway without affecting our own.
This is what is achieved by the antibiotics that we are all familiar with.
Similarly, there are drugs that kill protozoa such as the malarial parasite.
One reason why making anti-viral medicines is harder than making
anti- bacterial medicines is that viruses have few biochemical
mechanisms of their own. They enter our cells and use our machinery
for their life processes
PRINCIPLES OF PREVENTION
There are two ways of prevention of infectious diseases. They are general ways and specific
ways.
i) General ways of prevention :- Public hygiene is most important for prevention of
infectious diseases. Proper and sufficient food for every one will make people healthy to
resist infection.
Air borne diseases can be prevented by living in conditions that are not crowded. Water
borne diseases can be prevented by providing safe drinking water. Vector borne diseases
can be prevented by providing clean environment.
ii) Specific ways of prevention :- The specific ways to prevent infectious disease is
immunisation by taking vaccines. Vaccines provide immunity from infectious diseases like
tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, measles, polio etc. Our body has an immune system
which fights microbial infection. When this system first sees an infectious microbe, it kills
the microbe and remembers it. So if the microbe enters the body the next time, it responds
more vigorously. Vaccines mimic the infectious microbe and strengthens our immune
system and protects the body from infectious diseases.
NEED OF PREVENTION OF DISEASE
1) once someone has a disease, their body functions are
damaged and may never recover completely.
2) Treatment will take time, which means that someone
suffering from a disease is likely to be bedridden for some
time even if we can give proper treatment.
3) The person suffering from an infectious disease can
serve as the source from where the infection may spread
to other people. This leads to the multiplication of the
above difficulties. It is because of such reasons that
prevention of diseases is better than their cure.
IMMUNISATION
Immunization gives a very good level of protection against many serious diseases.
It uses your body's natural defence mechanism, the immune response, to build resistance to
specific infection.
There are three reasons why we immunise children.
First, immunisation prevents children from becoming ill with unpleasant and serious
infectious diseases, which have a risk of complications and long-term side effects.
Second, we immunise to try and help protect all children in the population. The more
people who are immunised, the less of the infectious disease there is around so the less
chance there is of anyone catching it. When levels of immunisation against an infectious
disease are really, really high - then something happens called 'herd immunity' where the
risk of the disease occurring is so low that even those who cannot be immunised are
unlikely to be affected.
Third, we immunise to try and wipe out as many infectious diseases as we can
everywhere in the world.
Principle of Immunisation.
when the immune system first sees an infectious
microbe, it responds against it and then remembers it
specifically.
So the next time that particular microbe, or its close
relatives enter the body, the immune system
responds with even greater vigour.
This eliminates the infection even more quickly than
the first time around.
This is the basis of the principle of immunisation.
Immunisation by vaccine
Traditional Indian and Chinese medicinal systems sometimes
deliberately rubbed the skin crusts from smallpox victims into the skin of
healthy people.
They thus hoped to induce a mild form of smallpox that would create
resistance against the disease.
Famously, two centuries ago, an English physician named Edward
Jenner, realised that milkmaids who had cowpox did not catch smallpox
even during epidemics .
Cowpox is a very mild disease. Jenner tried deliberately giving cowpox to
people , and found that they were now resistant to smallpox.
This was because the smallpox virus is closely related to the cowpox
virus. ‘Cow’ is ‘vacca’ in Latin, and cowpox is ‘vaccinia’. From these roots,
the word ‘vaccination’ has come into our usage
There are vaccines against tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough,
measles, polio and many others. These form the public health
programme of childhood immunisation for preventing infectious
diseases.
Age of Route of
S.N Vaccine Dose Protect against
administration administration
BCG (Bacillus Calmette
1. At birth 1 Intradermal Tuberculosis
Guerin)
Pentavalent Vaccine
Diphtheria, pertussis,Tetanus,
(Diphtheria, Pertussis,
2. 6, 10 and 14 weeks 3 Intramuscular Hepatitis B and Haemophilus
Tetanus, Hepatitis B and
Influenza B
Hemophilus influenza B)
3. OPV ( Oral Polio Vaccine) 6, 10 and 14 weeks 3 Oral Polio
Pneumococcal diseases
PCV (Pneumococcal Conjugate 6, 10 weeks and 9
4. 3 Intramuscular (Meninges, ear and chest
Vaccine) months
infections)
5. Rotavirus vaccine 6, 10 weeks 2 Oral Rota virus diarrhea
fIPV (Fractional Injectable
5. 6, 14 weeks 2 Intramuscular Polio
polio vaccine)
6. MR (Measles – Rubella) 9 and 15 months 2 Subcutaneous Measles and Rubella
7. JE (Japanese Encephalitis) 12 months 1 Subcutaneous Japanese Encephalitis
Reducing your risk of viral diseases
Avoiding contact of your hands with your eyes, nose and mouth, which can transmit a
virus into the body.
Avoiding contact with a person who has a viral disease.
Covering your mouth and nose with your elbow (not your hand) or a tissue when
sneezing or coughing.
Eating a well-balanced diet that includes sufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables.
Vaccination as recommended by your health care provider for viral diseases, such as
chickenpox, shingles, influenza, HPV, hepatitis B, hepatitis A, measles, and mumps.
Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after contact with a
person who has a viral disease, before eating, or after using the restroom or touching
body fluids, surfaces, or foods that are potentially contaminated with viruses.
QUESTIONS
1. What precautions can you take in your school to reduce the incidence of
infectious diseases?
2. What is immunisation?
3. What is antigen?
4. What are antibodies?
5. Why is it not necessary to give Hepatitis A vaccine to children in some
cases?
6. What are the basic principles involved in medical treatment for
diseases?
7. Describe the principle behind vaccination.
8. Name some diseases for which vaccines are available.
9. Who were awarded Nobel prize for discovery of treatment of peptic
ulcer?
10. List some general principles of prevention of disease.
