Why Do We Fall ill?

Diseases Caused by Bacteria

1. Tuberculosis (T.B.)

• Tuberculosis was first discovered by German scientist Robert Koch in 1882.
• T.B. is an infectious disease which is communicated from one person to another either directly or indirectly.

Symptoms

Following symptoms are observed in the patient:

• Feeling of sickness and weakness.
• Loss of appetite and weight.
• Typical fever pattern and night sweats

Prevention

• Vigorous public health measures are the best method of prevention.
• It is essential to avoid over-crowded places to prevent the disease.
• Provision of good ventilation and better nutrition also helps to reduce the incidence of the disease.
• Immunisation with BCG or Bacillus-Calmette-Guerin vaccination prevents tuberculosis.

Control

• The tuberculosis can be cured by the following – Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Pyrazinamide, Ethambutol and Streptomycin

2. Cholera

• Cholera is an acutely infectious and fatal disease
• It is more common during overcrowded fairs, festivals and after floods.
• Sometimes cholera occurs in epidemic
• It is caused by the bacteria called bacterium vibrio cholera.
• It is usually transmitted by flies, contaminated water and food.

Symptoms

• Watery diarrhea (i.e., rice-water like stools). It is generally painless.
• Vomiting is effortless without nausea.
• Loss of several litres of fluid from patient’s body within hours resulting in dehydration, muscle cramps and weight loss.
• Great loss of mineral salts and body fluid. This leads to kidney failure.
• Eyes of patient become shrunken.

Prevention

• Persons should be immunised by standard cholera vaccine. One dose of immunisation lasts for about six months.
• It is essential to carry boiled water and cooked food in the cholera prone areas.
• Proper care should be taken in personal hygiene and good sanitation in the community.

Control

• To prevent dehydration, therapy with Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) should be done immediately.
• ORS solution contains around 3.5 g sodium chloride, 2.5 g sodium bicarbonate, 1.5 g potassium chloride, 20 g glucose, 40 g sucrose in one litre water. Taking small sips of ORS solution at intervals prevents dehydration of the patient.
• Immediate medical advice is required

3. Typhoid

• Typhoid is the most common communicable disease in India.
• Typhoid fever is common in humans between the age 1 to 15 years.
• It is caused by a rod-shaped and motile bacterium, called Salmonella typhi.

Symptoms

Symptoms of typhoid are the following:

• Headache and typhoid fever which rises maximum during the afternoon. The temperature increases each day during the first week.
• High fever during the second week. The fever gradually declines during 3^rd and 4^th
• In a nutshell typhoid symptoms include continuous fever often with delirium (disorder of the mind), slow pulse, tender and distended abdomen, diarrhea with water-green stools and eruption of rosy spot (rash) on the body of the patient.

Prevention

• Ensure proper sanitation and disposal of faecal matter to prevent the infection.
• TAB- vaccination provides immunity for 3 years. (TAB vaccine contains killed typhoid bacilli and paratyphoid organisms-salmonella paratyphi A and B).
• Oral vaccine named Typhoral also prevents typhoid.

4. Diarrhoea

• Diarrhoeal disease forms a group of intestinal infection, including food poisoning.
• Other symptoms of this disease include decreased appetite, vomiting and nausea.

Symptoms

• Frequent loose motions and vomiting which leads to dehydration.
• Dehydration (loss of water from the body tissue). This makes the patient dangerously ill in a very short time. Most of the infant deaths due to diarrhea can be prevented by ensuring that dehydration does not take place through stools and vomiting.
• In cases of dehydration, the patient becomes irritable, eyes appear sunken, nose is pinched and the tongue and the inner side of cheeks appear dry.
• Sudden weight loss, weak pulse, deep breathing and fever or fits.

Prevention

• Eatables must be covered to prevent their contamination.
• Fruits and vegetables must be washed properly before use.
• Proper personal hygiene is essential. Hands should be washed with soap and water before eating any food.
• Stale food should not be consumed.
• It is also important to maintain community hygiene

Control

• It is necessary to ensure complete bed rest till the illness is fully controlled.
• Anti-microbial drugs and anti-diarrohea agents should be used to treat diarrhoea.
• In case of frequent vomiting, liberal amount of fluids loaded with electrolytes, should be provided orally to the patients.
• Pulp of boiled unripe banana along with required amount of salt, turmeric powder and lime is helpful in controlling the diarrhoea.
• Husk of isabgol seed (plantago ovata) with water or curd provides good relief to patients.
• Saline drip may also be given intravenously to maintain fluid and electrolytes in the body. Alternatively oral rehydration solution (ORS) may be periodically given to the patient.
• Dilute soups and dals, rice-water and butter-milk can also be given to the child in order to compensate for the loss of water.