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The document outlines the three levels of prevention for communicable diseases: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary prevention focuses on preventing disease before it occurs through vaccinations, health education, and risk reduction strategies. Secondary prevention involves early detection of diseases through screenings, while tertiary prevention aims to reduce the severity of established diseases through rehabilitation and management strategies.

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3 views4 pages

Reporting

The document outlines the three levels of prevention for communicable diseases: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary prevention focuses on preventing disease before it occurs through vaccinations, health education, and risk reduction strategies. Secondary prevention involves early detection of diseases through screenings, while tertiary prevention aims to reduce the severity of established diseases through rehabilitation and management strategies.

Uploaded by

janelfaith.trogani
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PRIMARY, SECONDARY, & TERTIARY PREVENTION OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE

Primary Prevention

- refers to actions aimed at avoiding the manifestation of a disease


- aimed at a susceptible population or individual
- commonly institutes activities that limit risk exposure or increase the immunity of individuals
at risk
- purpose: to prevent a disease from ever occurring
- target population: healthy individuals.

Primary prevention services and activities include:

1. Vaccination and post-exposure prophylaxis (preventive treatment) of children, adults and the
elderly;
Example: varicella (chickenpox)

2. Provision of information on behavioural and medical health risks, and measures to reduce
risks at the individual and population levels;
Example:

3. Inclusion of disease prevention programmes at primary and specialized health care levels,
such as access to preventive services (ex. counselling); and

4. Nutritional and food supplementation; and

5. Dental hygiene education and oral health services

A. Primary Prevention
1. handwashing
2. hand sanitizer
3. immunization
4. Tobacco cessation programs
5. Micronutrient supplementation programs
WHY SHOULD YOU WASH YOUR HANDS?

Handwashing with soap removes germs from hands. This helps prevent infections because:

 People frequently touch their eyes, nose, and mouth without even realizing it. Germs can get
into the body through the eyes, nose and mouth and make us sick.
 Germs from unwashed hands can get into foods and drinks while people prepare or consume
them. Germs can multiply in some types of foods or drinks, under certain conditions, and
make people sick.
 Germs from unwashed hands can be transferred to other objects, like handrails, table tops, or
toys, and then transferred to another person’s hands.
 Removing germs through handwashing therefore helps prevent diarrhea and respiratory
infections and may even help prevent skin and eye infections.

WHEN SHOULD YOU WASH YOUR HANDS?

 After using the bathroom


 After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
 Before, during, and after preparing food
 Before eating food
 Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
 After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
 After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
 After handling pet food or pet treats
 After touching garbage

Secondary Prevention

Secondary prevention emphasizes early disease detection, and its target is healthy-appearing
individuals with subclinical forms of the disease. The subclinical disease consists of pathologic changes
but no overt symptoms that are diagnosable in a doctor's visit. Secondary prevention often occurs in
the form of screenings. For example, a Papanicolaou (Pap) smear is a form of secondary prevention
aimed to diagnose cervical cancer in its subclinical state before progression.

Tertiary Prevention

Tertiary prevention targets both the clinical and outcome stages of a disease. It is implemented in
symptomatic patients and aims to reduce the severity of the disease as well as any associated
sequelae. While secondary prevention seeks to prevent the onset of illness, tertiary prevention aims
to reduce the effects of the disease once established in an individual. Forms of tertiary prevention are
commonly rehabilitation efforts.
Secondary

Papanicolaou (Pap) smear for early detection of cervical cancer[8]

Mammography for early detection of breast cancer

Colonoscopies for early detection of colon cancer

Blood Pressure Screening

Tertiary

Occupational and physical therapy in burn patients

Cardiac rehab in post-myocardial infarction patients

Diabetic foot care

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537222/#:~:text=Secondary%20prevention%20emphasizes
%20early%20disease,diagnosable%20in%20a%20doctor's%20visit.

Secondary prevention deals with early detection when this improves the chances for positive health
outcomes (this comprises activities such as evidence-based screening programs for early detection of
diseases or for prevention of congenital malformations; and preventive drug therapies of proven
effectiveness when administered at an early stage of the disease).

It should be noted that while primary prevention activities may be implemented independently of
capacity-building in other health care services, this is not the case for secondary prevention. Screening
and early detection is of limited value (and may even be detrimental to the patient) if abnormalities
cannot be promptly corrected or treated through services from other parts of the health care system.
Moreover, a good system of primary health care with a registered population facilitates the optimal
organization and delivery of accessible population based screening programs and should be vigorously
promoted.

Secondary prevention includes activities such as:

Population-based screening programmes for early detection of diseases;

Provision of maternal and child health programmes, including screening and prevention of congenital
malformations; and
Provision of chemo-prophylactic agents to control risk factors (e.g., hypertension)

https://www.emro.who.int/about-who/public-health-functions/health-promotion-disease-
prevention.html#:~:text=Primary%20prevention%20refers%20to%20actions,alongside
%20consultation%20and%20measures%20to

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