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Prevention and treatment of infectious diseases

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Link to the lesson

Before you start you should know

  • diseases attack all human organs;

  • following prevention principles can reduce the risk of getting sick.

You will learn

  • to discuss infectious disease prevention principles.

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nagranie abstraktu

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Prevention of infectious diseases

The most important elements of preventive healthcare are the avoidance of pathogens, compliance with hygiene principles, the consolidation and promotion of healthy lifestyle principles. Preventive healthcare encompasses all disease prevention activities. It consists of early disease detection, disease treatment and the reduction of complications.

Preventive vaccinations are one of basic preventive healthcare methods. Their main purpose is to mobilise the immune system to produce enough antibodies to defend the body against infections. Vaccinations are used against certain bacterial and viral diseases. It happens that the disease appears despite the use of vaccination, but almost always it is not that severe as it would be in unvaccinated people, and it does not entail dangerous health and life complications.

Treatment of infectious diseases

Some medicines can be bought at a pharmacy without any prescription. They are used in case of minor health problems such as running nose and cold. It should be remembered at the same time that medicines, vitamins and minerals, if overdosed, are ineffective or harmful. For example, overdosed vitamin C is excreted in urine, but vitamins such as A and D accumulate in the body and can disturb its functioning. Salicylic acid, a popular medicine against colds and headaches, thins blood and increases the risk of hemorrhage.

In case of severe cold, taking different medicines containing the same active substance may lead to its build‑up in the body. A medical substance present in the body in a too high concentration can be harmful to, for example, your liver, stomach, nervous system or kidneys. Medicines should always be taken according to instructions contained in their leaflet or provided by a doctor. You also need to be cautious when taking antibioticsantibioticsantibiotics which are used to treat bacterial infections only if so indicated by a doctor. Taking antibiotics to fight viral diseases (running nose, influenza) is not only ineffective, but can also be harmful to the body.

Important!

Only a doctor can select an antibiotic and decide how often and how long a patient should take it. The antibiotic should not be discontinued in the first days after the improvement. This is how drug‑resistant bacteria can be left alive and can multiply under favourable conditions.

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Ilustracja przedstawia butelkę z lekarstwem oraz wskazówki, jak zażywać leki. Opisano: Read the leaflet attached to it before taking the medicine. There are information about: dosage, method of treatment, storage conditions, possible side effects, contraindications . Taking the medicine only in the manner and at the doses recommended by your doctor, You should drink water when you take it. Other liquids (juices, tea or coffee) can slow down the effect of the drug , Do not take antibiotics from previous treatment. Every infection can be caused by other microorganisms that this medicine does not work on; Do not give your medicine to another person. It may harm even if the symptoms of the disease seem the same; Do not take the medicine after the expiry date
How to take medicines?
Source: frolicsomepl, Dariusz Adryan, http://pixabay.com, licencja: CC BY 3.0.

Antibiotics are bactericidal (they kill bacteria) or bacteriostatic (they inhibit bacterial growth). They can have a broad spectrum (range) of activity, i.e. to fight many species of bacteria, or can be species‑specific. The use of antibiotics has its dark side – being taken, they usually destroy intestinal microorganisms beneficial to our body. Their absence causes numerous digestive problems and reduces immunity.

The overuse of antibiotics made many bacteria, e.g. Staphylococcus aureus, resistant to medicines. This means that an infected person can be left without any help.

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Ilustracja interaktywna 1. There are various strains of bacteria usually present in the body of a sick person who never had any contact with antibiotics. Those strains of bacteria cause a given illness, and the bacteria range from very suceptible to antibiotics to resistant ones, which fight against the medicine introduced in the therapy., 2. At the very beginning of the antibiotic treatment, the weakest bacteria are killed., 3. The patient can overlook any signs of improvement or consider it an insignificant one., 4. During the process of killing the stronger bacteria, the symptoms of the disease cease to exist, which can be mistaken for a complete healing., 5. Many people decide to end the therapy earlier, thinking that no symptoms means no bacteria that caused the illness. This is incorrect, as some bacteria of the strongest strains, weakened by the drug used, can cause no symptoms. By finishing the entire treatment, we guarantee the bacteria to be wiped off entirely., 6. However, after stopping the treatment with antibiotics too early, the bacteria start multiplying again., 7. Initially, there's few of them and they cause no symptoms., 8. Soon, however, the disease is back., 9. During the medical consultation, the patient is seriously infected with bacteria from a strain that is resistant to a given antibiotic. Depending on the type of bacteria, it may be necessary to increase the dosage of the antibiotic, to extend the therapy or to change the antibiotic to a different one.
How drug resistance due to too early introduction of antibiotics is created
Source: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Task 1

Think when a doctor recommends an antibiotic with a wide range of activity and when - with a narrow range. Compare the effects of taking antibiotics from both groups.

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Exercise 1
What is the purpose of preventive vaccinations? Select the correct answer. Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. combating a disease faster if an infection has already occurred, 2. preventing microorganisms from entering the body, 3. creating enough antibodies to fight any future infection, 4. providing the body with energy resources to fight microorganisms

What is the purpose of preventive vaccinations? Select the correct answer.

  • combating a disease faster if an infection has already occurred
  • preventing microorganisms from entering the body
  • creating enough antibodies to fight any future infection
  • providing the body with energy resources to fight microorganisms
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Exercise 2
What effects should be taken into account when taking antibiotics? Select all the correct answers. Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. destroying beneficial intestinal microorganisms, 2. no improvement or harmfulness in case of viral diseases, 3. creating antibodies in the body to protect against bacteria, 4. making respiratory and circulatory systems more efficient, 5. risk of creating strains of microorganisms immunised to a specific drug, 6. rapid health improvement in case of bacterial infections

What effects should be taken into account when taking antibiotics? Select all the correct answers.

  • destroying beneficial intestinal microorganisms
  • no improvement or harmfulness in case of viral diseases
  • creating antibodies in the body to protect against bacteria
  • making respiratory and circulatory systems more efficient
  • risk of creating strains of microorganisms immunised to a specific drug
  • rapid health improvement in case of bacterial infections
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Exercise 3
Group the activities below appropriately. prevention of infectious diseases: Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. healthy lifestyle, 2. avoidance of pathogens, 3. use of medicines that support general well-being, 4. use of medicines prescribed by a doctor, 5. undergoing protective vaccinations, 6. application of measures to mitigate cold effects, 7. following personal hygiene principles treatment of infectious diseases: Możliwe odpowiedzi: 1. healthy lifestyle, 2. avoidance of pathogens, 3. use of medicines that support general well-being, 4. use of medicines prescribed by a doctor, 5. undergoing protective vaccinations, 6. application of measures to mitigate cold effects, 7. following personal hygiene principles

Group the activities below appropriately.

healthy lifestyle, use of medicines that support general well-being, use of medicines prescribed by a doctor, following personal hygiene principles, avoidance of pathogens, undergoing protective vaccinations, application of measures to mitigate cold effects

prevention of infectious diseases:  
treatment of infectious diseases:  

Summary

  • Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic organisms and spread through direct contact with a sick person, by droplet, food and sex.

  • Follow healthy lifestyle principles to prevent diseases.

  • Medicines, in particular antibiotics, should be taken under the supervision of a doctor.

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Wersja alternatywna tablicy interaktywnej. Odpowiedz na następujące pytania: Czy podobała ci się dzisiejsza lekcja? Czego dowiedziałeś lub dowiedziałaś się podczas tych zajęć? Co cię zainteresowało? Które zagadnienia okazały się łatwe, a które trudne? Jakie zagadnienia musisz powtórzyć?

Keywords

prevention, treatment, infectious diseases

Glossary

antibiotics
antibiotics
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Nagranie słówka: antibiotics

Nagranie dostępne na portalu epodreczniki.pl

Nagranie słówka: antibiotics

antybiotyki – środki uszkadzające komórki bakteryjne lub zaburzające ich funkcjonowanie, stosowane w przypadku zakażeń bakteryjnych

Lesson plan (Polish)