Health and Hygiene PDF

# Health and Hygiene ## Introduction Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as the balance of physical, mental, and social health, also known as the health triangle. ### Components of the Health Triangle - **Physical healt...

# Health and Hygiene ## Introduction Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as the balance of physical, mental, and social health, also known as the health triangle. ### Components of the Health Triangle - **Physical health** can be maintained with nutritious diet, exercise, adequate rest and sleep. - **Mental health** requires the right attitude towards handling stress and emotional setbacks. Focus on things that are within your control and work towards realistic goals. Find ways to stay happy. - **Social health** is determined by the way you communicate and interact with family, friends, relatives or any people you meet. Good relationships make you a happy person, and this contributes to your good health. The health triangle is a measure of the different aspects of health. It consists of physical, mental and social health. ## Importance of a Healthy Lifestyle Having a good balance in all three areas is essential to living a healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle involves everything, from avoiding disease to being fit. Health is affected by many factors such as stress, inherited defects, infections, lifestyle which includes our intake of food and water, and the amount of exercise, rest and sleep we get. ## Disease A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism or part, especially as a result of infection, inherent weakness or environmental stress, that disturbs the normal physiological functioning of the organism. ### Types of Diseases - **Infectious diseases** are caused by living organisms such as virus, bacteria, protozoans, worms or fungi into the body tissue. These diseases are transmissible from person to person. Examples include the common cold caused by a virus and rickets caused due to deficiency of vitamin D. - **Non-infectious diseases** cannot be transmitted from person to person. Examples include Coronary heart disease, cancer, allergy, deficiency diseases, jaundice. ### Infectious Disease Caused by Different Pathogens | Pathogen | Diseases | |---|---| | Virus | COVID-19, AIDS, chickenpox, common cold, German measles, influenza, rabies, jaundice, measles, mumps, poliomyelitis | | Bacteria | Cholera, whooping cough, diphtheria, pneumonia, tetanus, typhoid, tuberculosis | | Fungi | Ringworm, athletes' foot, thrush | | Protozoan | Malaria, amoebic dysentery, sleeping sickness | | Worms | Filaria, tapeworm, pin worm | ## Hygiene Hygiene is the science of health and the prevention of disease. ## 20th Century Improvements Since the twentieth century great improvements have been made in health care in the poorer parts of the world. Immunisation programs spearheaded by international organisations like the World Health Organisation (WHO) have eradicated dreaded diseases like smallpox and energetic measures against flies, mosquitoes and ticks have brought diseases like malaria, yellow fever and typhus under control. ## Viral Infection A virus reproduces only within a host cell. Immunization is a process by which a person becomes protected against a disease through vaccination. Immunization introduces the body to an antigen in a way that enables the body to make antibodies that will protect the person from future attack by the germ. Immunization currently prevents 3.5-5 million deaths every year from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza and measles.