topic 1 Section 1 Definitions

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  • Created by: sausage
  • Created on: 23-09-21 08:56
Health sciences
A multidisciplinary academic subject area concerned with generating and evaluating the scientific evidence for explanations of human health, disorders, diseases and disabilities, their causes, prevention and treatment.
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Infectious diseases
Diseases caused by infectious agents (pathogens) transmitted from an infected individual to other individuals, who subsequently develop the same disease. Strictly speaking, infectious diseases are typically transmitted from sources in the environment (e.g
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non-communicable diseases
Diseases, disorders and disabilities that are not infectious and cannot be transmitted between individuals, e.g. heart disease, stroke, most cancers and diabetes.
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injuries
Physical damage to the body caused unintentionally by accidents or by intentional violence against the person.
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Symptoms
Subjective sensations of illness in the body that only the person who is unwell can experience, e.g. pain, blurred vision and nausea
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signs of a disease
Objective indicators of illness that others may be able to observe (e.g. a rash, sneezing), but only trained health workers can associate with a particular disease
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diagnosis
Identification of the underlying cause of an illness, based on its symptoms and signs, leading to a definitive disease name.
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acute condition
Short-term illness that develops rapidly and may be mild or severe, resulting in either recovery or death within a few days or weeks.
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chronic condition
Long-term illness that develops slowly over months or years, resulting in progressively worsening symptoms unless treated.
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pathogens
Infectious agents: the parasites, protists, bacteria, fungi, viruses and prions that cause infectious diseases.
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host
An infected individual in whom pathogens are reproducing.
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Contagious infection
Infections resulting from direct person-to-person transmission of pathogens by the touch of an infected individual, e.g. a handshake.
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Sexually transmitted infection
Infections resulting from direct person-to-person transmission of pathogens by genital, anal or oral sexual contact with an infected individual.
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Mother-to-child transmission
Direct transmission of pathogens from an infected mother to her unborn baby in the uterus, or during childbirth or breast feeding.
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airborne infections
Infections resulting from indirect transmission of pathogens in the air, usually in aerosol droplets expelled when an infected person sneezes or coughs.
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Waterborne infections
Infections resulting from indirect transmission of pathogens in contaminated water, or infection with pathogens that occur naturally in environmental water sources (e.g. cholera bacteria).
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Faecal–oral infections
Infections resulting from indirect transmission of faecal pathogens to the mouth on hands, food, objects, soil, etc. contaminated with faeces.
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foodborne infections
Infections resulting from indirect transmission of pathogens in food, or infection with pathogens originating in foodstuffs, such as raw meat and eggs, and unwashed fruits and vegetables.
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fomites
Any inanimate object contaminated with pathogens, e.g. clothing, door handles, cooking utensils, cups, medical equipment, etc.
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bloodborne infections
Infections resulting from indirect transmission of pathogens in blood or blood products, either during medical procedures or when injecting drug-users share equipment.
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Zoonoses
Infections transmitted to humans from other vertebrate animals (e.g. pigs, poultry, dogs), which are the natural hosts of the pathogens. Singular, zoonosis.
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Vector-borne infections
Infections transmitted to humans by biting invertebrates (e.g. mosquitoes, flies) in which the pathogens must complete part of their life-cycle.
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World Health Organization
The branch of the United Nations responsible for coordinating and directing international policy and actions on health. Commonly abbreviated to WHO.
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antibiotics
Biological compounds used as medical drugs to kill bacteria in the body.
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vaccination
Injection or oral/nasal application of a vaccine containing killed or harmless pathogens, or substances derived from them; the aim is to generate a protective immune response in vaccinated individuals if they are later infected with the live pathogens on
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Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs)
Infectious diseases caused by previously unknown pathogens (e.g. HIV), or diseases spreading far beyond their original geographical range (e.g. Ebola), or rapidly resurging diseases due to antibiotic resistance or transmission in immunodeficient populatio
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Card 2

Front

Diseases caused by infectious agents (pathogens) transmitted from an infected individual to other individuals, who subsequently develop the same disease. Strictly speaking, infectious diseases are typically transmitted from sources in the environment (e.g

Back

Infectious diseases

Card 3

Front

Diseases, disorders and disabilities that are not infectious and cannot be transmitted between individuals, e.g. heart disease, stroke, most cancers and diabetes.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

Physical damage to the body caused unintentionally by accidents or by intentional violence against the person.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

Subjective sensations of illness in the body that only the person who is unwell can experience, e.g. pain, blurred vision and nausea

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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