CHAPTER – 13

Why do we fall ill?

EXERCISE QUESTIONS
1. How many times did you fall ill in the last one year? What were
the illnesses?
(a) Think of one change you could make in your habits in order to
avoid any of/most of the above illnesses.
(b) Think of one change you would wish for in your surroundings in
order to avoid any of/most of the above illnesses.
Frequency of falling ill varies from person to person. It depends on
personal factors such as the immunity of a person and environmental
factors such as cleanliness in the surrounding in which he/she is living.
Some of the common diseases from which generally children get
affected are cold, cough, fever, stomach infection, dengue, malaria,
typhoid, etc.
(a). I will try to reduce mosquito population use prevent myself from
getting bitten by mosquitoes
(b) Change in my habits: Now I always make conscious efforts to
remain hygienic and eat covered and neat and clean food and
fruits.
(c) Change I would wish for in my surroundings: To prevent
accumulation of garbage and dirty water and to keep the surroundings
neat, clean and hygienic.
2. A doctor/nurse/health-worker is exposed to more sick people than
others in the community. Find out how she/he avoids getting sick
herself/himself.

The following steps are taken by the doctors/nurses to avoid getting sick
themselves:
a. Wearing gloves and masks.
b. Immunization.
c. Taking nutrient rich food to enhance their immunity.
d. Disposing of the blood samples, sputum etc. properly.
 e. Not neglecting cleanliness and personal hygiene.

1. Conduct a survey in your neighborhood to find out what are

the three most common diseases are. Suggest three steps that
could be taken by your local authorities to bring down the
incidence of these diseases.

After conducting a survey, I have found the following three most

common diseases in my neighborhood:
i. Cough and cold
ii. Dengue fever
iii. Loose motions
The preventive measures that can be taken by our local authorities
to bring down the incidence of these diseases are:
a. Follow measures to reduce air pollution
b. By providing fresh, clean and uncontaminated water (Reducing
water pollution).
c. By providing better and hygienic sanitary conditions in the
community.
d. By spreading information about the various preventive measures
or vaccination

4. A baby is not able to tell her/his caretakers that she/he is sick.

What would help us to find out
(a) that the baby is sick?
(b) what is the sickness?

a. High body temperature

b. Watering of eyes
c. Watery stools
d. Redness of eyes
e. Vomiting
f. Improper food intake
g. Constant crying
h. Mood changes frequently
The sickness can be determined with the help of symptoms or
indications shown by the child. As far as the sickness is concerned, we
can report the symptoms which we see in the baby to the doctor and can
make his own diagnosis
5. Under which of the following conditions is a person most likely to
fall sick?
(a) when she is recovering from malaria.
(b) when she has recovered from malaria and is taking care of
someone suffering from chicken-pox.
(c) when she is on a four-day fast after recovering from malaria and
is taking care of someone suffering from chicken-pox. Why?

A person is most likely to fall sick when she is on a four-day fast after
recovering from malaria and is taking care of someone suffering from
chiken-pox.
This is because immediately after suffering from malaria, the body is
still weak, as during malaria a person has loss of appetite, vomiting and
fever.
Moreover, the various organ systems are also most likely not properly
recovered and the immune system is also comparatively weak. So, she is
likely to get infected with chicken-pox herself which can lead to serious
health problems.
6. Under which of the following conditions are you most likely to fall
sick?
(a) when you are taking examinations.
(b) when you have travelled by bus and train for two days.
(c) when your friend is suffering from measles. Why?
You are most likely to fall sick when you will be in the company of your
friend who is suffering from measles.

This is because in this condition, I will visit my friend and will be likely
to get infected with measles.

Measles is an infectious as well as an air-borne disease. When my friend

will cough or sneeze, small droplets from his mouth containing microbes
will mix in the air. These microbes may be present in the air I will
breathe. So, the chance of getting infection will increase.
BETWEEN LESSON
PG NO 178
1. State any two conditions essential for good health.

1. Good economic condition and earnings,

2. Social environment, Personal and -domestic hygiene.

2. State any two conditions essential for being free of disease.

1. Personal and domestic hygiene.

2. Clean environment and surroundings, getting vaccination
against infectious disease whenever required

3. Are the answers to the above questions necessarily the same or

different? Why?
The answer to the above questions is different because a person may be
free of disease but his mental, social or economic health may not be
good.

PAGE NO – 180

1. List any three reasons why you would think that you are sick and
ought to see a doctor. If only one of these symptoms were present,
would you still go to the doctor? Why or why not?
(a). Headache, fever
(b). Muscle pain
(c). Dysentery
Usually, we do not visit a doctor if any one of the symptoms is observed
as it does not affect the general health of the ability to work. But if these
symptoms are seen for a long period of time, then we should consult a
doctor for proper treatment.
But one would still visit the doctor for the treatment and to know the
cause of above, even in case of single symptom when persists for a long
time, then one needs to go to the doctor to get proper treatment.
2. In which of the following case do you think the long-term effects
on your health are likely to be most unpleasant?

• if you get jaundice

• if you get lice
• if you get acne. Why?

Jaundice causes a long-term effect on our health as it affects the most

important organ of our body i.e., liver. This chronic disease lasts for a
long period of time. Jaundice develops slowly and does not spread
rapidly.

In the above cases, lice and acne are acute problems of our health which
can be cured in short duration.

PAGE - 186
1. Why are we normally advised to take bland and nourishing food
when we are sick?
When we are sick the normal body functions get disturbed.
In such situation, food that is easily digestible and contains adequate
nutrients are required for the speedy recovery. Thus, bland and
nourishing food is given during sickness.
2. What are the different means by which infectious diseases are
spread?

Infectious diseases spread by the following means:

i. Through air: When an infected person coughs or sneezes, the microbes
spread into the air and enter the body of a healthy man. Example -
common cold, T.B. (tuberculosis) pneumonia etc.
ii. Through water: The microbes from the excreta of a person suffering
from a gut (alimentary canal) disease enter the body of a healthy person
when he drinks polluted and contaminated water. Example - cholera.
iii. Through sexual contact: Microbial diseases like AIDS and syphilis
are transmitted by sexual contact with an infected person.
iv. By vectors: Some organisms act as disease carrying agent and spread
diseases. Example: female Anopheles mosquito (which spread malaria)

3. What precautions can you take in your school to reduce the

incidence of infectious diseases?
Precautions to reduce the incidence of infectious diseases in our school:

(i) By making available fresh and hygienic drinking water.

(ii) By preventing accumulation of water, anywhere in the school.
(iii) By keeping the toilet neat and clean.
(iv) By avoiding the consumption of uncovered food and other eatables.
(v) By using a handkerchief to cover the mouth while sneezing or
coughing.
(vi) By using vaccines and immunization.
(vii) By spraying insecticides after every few months.
4. What is immunization?
The process when the body attains immunity against any disease, due to
vaccination is called immunization
5. What are the immunisation programmes available at the nearest
health centre in your locality? Which of these diseases are the major
health problems in your area?
Immunization programmes available at the health centre near our school
are:
i. Vaccination against chicken pox.
ii. Vaccination against small pox.
iii. Vaccination against Hepatitis.
iv. Vaccination against tuberculosis (BCG vaccine).
v. Polio drops against polio disease.
vi. DPT (vaccination against diphtheria, pertusis and tetanus).
Out of these, the major health problems in our area are: Chicken pox,
tuberculosis and hepatitis

EXTRA QUESTIONS
1. What are the factors that cause diseases?
Disease causing factors are broadly classified into two groups-
1. Internal
2. External

Internal factors:

• Malfunctioning or improper functioning of various body parts such

as heart, kidney, liver, etc.
• Genetic disorders
• Hormonal imbalances
• Malfunctioning of immune system of body, e.g., allergy.
• The diseases caused by intrinsic sources are called organic or
metabolic diseases.
• For example: diabetes mellitus is caused by failure of proper
insulin production and cataract is caused by opacity of lens.

External factors:

• Unbalanced diet or inadequate diet.

• Disease causing microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, fungi,
protozoans etc.
• Environmental pollutants.
• Tobacco, alcohol and narcotic drugs.

2. What are the types of diseases?

The human diseases are broadly classified into following four
categories:

1. Acute diseases
2. Chronic diseases
3. Congenital diseases
4. Acquired diseases
Acute diseases:
Diseases such as influenza are described as acute because their
effects are come on suddenly and affect the body quickly, e.g.,
common cold.
Chronic diseases:
Other diseases are more long-term, with the symptoms lasting for
months or years. Such diseases are called chronic diseases, e.g.,
tuberculosis.
Effect of acute and chronic disease on health
Acute and chronic diseases have different effects on health. An
acute disease, which lasts for only very short periods of time, will
not have time to cause major effects on general health, but a
chronic disease will affect health drastically.
For example, cough and cold is an acute disease and has no bad
effect on our health but if we have tuberculosis of the lungs, then
being ill over the years causes weight loss and persistent feeling of
tiredness.
Congenital diseases:
These diseases are present since birth. They are caused due to
genetic abnormality or due to metabolic disorders or
malfunctioning of any organ. They are permanent, generally not
easily curable and may be inherited to the children. For example,
colour blindness.
Acquired diseases:
These diseases are those which develop after birth. Acquired
diseases can be classified into two types:
1. Infectious or communicable diseases.
 2. Non-infectious or non-communicable diseases.
Infectious diseases:
Diseases which can be transmitted from one individual to
another directly or indirectly are called communicable or
infectious diseases. These diseases are caused by some
biological agents or pathogens such as virus, bacteria, fungi
etc.
For example, tuberculosis, cholera etc.
Non-infectious diseases:
Diseases which cannot be transmitted from one individual to
another directly or indirectly are called non-communicable or
non-infectious diseases.
These diseases are restricted only to those persons who are
suffering from them.
For example, scurvy, cancer etc.
Diseases based on the mode of spreading
Air-borne diseases: for example, common cold, influenza and
tuberculosis. Some infectious diseases like tuberculosis can spread
through air. An individual acquires the infection of tuberculosis by
inhalation of droplets expelled through cough and sputum of the infected
person
 1. Through contaminated food and water: for example, cholera,
Hepatitis A.
A large number of infectious diseases can also spread through
contaminated food and water. Disease causing organisms and
harmful pollutants in the form of chemicals can easily enter the
body through food and drinks.
Sexually-transmitted diseases: for example, AIDS, Syphilis.
Both of these pathogens are transmitted by sexual contact from one
partner to the other
2. Through vectors: for example, malaria, dengue.
any animals which live with us may carry diseases. Such animals
or insects that carry infectious agents from sick person to another
potential host and spread a disease are called vectors.
So, means of transmission of infectious diseases may be of two main
types:
Direct transmission:
 • Contact with infected person (e.g., AIDS)
• Contact with soil (e.g., Tetanus)
• Animal bites (e.g., Rabies)
• Sexual contact 3(e.g., Syphilis, AIDS)
Indirect transmission:

• Through vectors (e.g., Malaria)

• Through contaminated food and water (e.g., Hepatitis)
• Air transmitted diseases (e.g., common cold, pneumonia)

4. Complete the given below statement:

Jaundice is the yellowing of ’X’, ‘Y’, and darkening of urine.

A. X = skin, Y = Sclera
B. X = skin, Y = Mouth
C. X = Mouth, Y = Sclera
D. X = Intestine, Y = Sclera