Chapter 12: Lesson 12.3 Preventing Diseases

Preventing Communicable Diseases

As you learned, called cause diseases. Bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens can travel among living things and objects (Figure 12.21). How can you protect yourself from something you cannot even see? The task may seem impossible, but you can use a few simple actions to ensure do not make you sick. You can prevent communicable diseases by washing your hands frequently, using etiquette, practicing food sanitation, and getting regular vaccines.

Hand Washing

What have you touched today? Nearly everything you touch, from doorknobs to your pet, contains that transfer to your hands. Now think about everything you do with your hands. When you eat with dirty hands, pathogens you pick up from other objects enter your body with the food. on a regular basis, and in certain situations, can eliminate pathogens and prevent . Figure 12.22 lists occasions to wash your hands.

is the most important method of preventing many communicable diseases. Washing your hands is a simple action you can take to prevent germs on your hands from making you sick. Always use running water and soap to wash your hands. Rub your hands together, scrubbing every surface, for . To make sure you are washing your hands for at , hum or sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice. After 20 seconds of scrubbing, rinse your hands under warm running water. Then air-dry your hands or pat them dry with a clean towel.

Respiratory Etiquette

In Lesson 12.1, you learned that communicable diseases, such as the and , can infect people through droplet spread. spread occurs when pathogens travel in droplets of fluid created by coughing, sneezing, and talking. Doctors recommend that people practice to prevent spreading diseases through droplet spread. Respiratory etiquette is the practice of covering your with a tissue while coughing or sneezing, or sneezing into your sleeve (Figure 12.23). Use respiratory etiquette when you are sick to help the people around you avoid getting sick.

Food Sanitation

The of pathogens through contaminated food, water, and surfaces can cause some dangerous communicable diseases. You can adopt certain food safety practices, known as , to maintain the safety of the food you handle and eat. Food sanitation practices include refrigerating and freezing certain foods, cooking meat thoroughly, and and fruits (Figure 12.24).

Vaccines

is the only proven method of successfully getting rid of a communicable disease. For example, the highly contagious, smallpox was eliminated by vaccination. In the next few years, vaccines will probably conquer polio, which has caused in many people throughout history.

A vaccine is a substance that contains a dead or nontoxic part of a that is injected into a person to train the immune system to eliminate the live pathogen. A doctor or another will administer a vaccine through an injection. When injected into a person, the causes an immune response in the body. This means the person’s body produces , , and that fight infections. The vaccine is the body’s first encounter with the pathogen. The body’s immune response to the vaccine is like a rehearsal for when the body encounters the real pathogen.

The dead or part of a pathogen in the vaccine cannot cause an illness, but it makes the person’s body familiar with the illness. After getting a vaccine, a person’s body will recognize the pathogen included in the . If a person encounters the real, disease-causing pathogen, the immune system will respond strongly and quickly. When exposed to a pathogen after , the body knows how to react to the pathogen.

Preventing Noncommunicable Diseases

Pathogens do not cause . Instead, family history, environment, and lifestyle choices contribute to the development of noncommunicable diseases. People cannot avoid chronic conditions such as , , , and through hand washing or food sanitation. Making healthy lifestyle choices early in life can help you prevent noncommunicable diseases (Figure 12.26).

Heart Disease

occurs as a result of damage to structures such as the . The best method of prevention is making that protect your blood vessels and heart. One important lifestyle choice is eating a . Including more and and fewer processed foods in your diet can improve heart health. Engaging in regular moderate can also help you avoid heart disease. Getting regular physical activity will keep your and your system working properly.

Maintaining a healthy weight also reduces the risk of heart disease. Eating a healthy diet and being physically active can help you manage your weight. In addition, avoiding tobacco and alcohol increases heart health. Making these healthy lifestyle choices can reduce your risk of developing heart disease.

Cancer

Maintaining a is also important for . To reduce your risk for cancer, be sure to maintain a and eat a . Physical activity is also important. In addition, each of the common types of cancer can be prevented using strategies (Figure 12.27).

Chronic Respiratory Diseases

diseases include , , and . The main causes of bronchitis and emphysema include and in the home or workplace. You can reduce your risk of developing bronchitis or emphysema by avoiding these substances. In addition, early detection of bronchitis and emphysema can prevent these diseases from getting worse and leading to COPD. Once a is detected, a person who smokes or vapes should stop immediately and reduce exposure to substances that cause COPD.

People cannot prevent the development of asthma. People can manage the symptoms of asthma, however, by taking care of their respiratory system. For example, people can manage asthma by or situations that asthma attacks. In addition, medicine can reduce asthma attacks and improve a person’s breathing.

Diabetes

Risk factors for include having a physically inactive lifestyle and being or obese. The best way to prevent type 2 diabetes is to avoid these risk factors. Maintaining a can help reduce your risk of this disease. Eating a healthy diet and getting regular moderate physical activity can help you manage your weight.

Since is an autoimmune disease, it cannot be prevented through lifestyle choices. People with this disease can manage it, however, by following doctor recommendations.