Communicable Disease 1 - Introduction

This lesson covers:

  1. What 'pathogens' are
  2. How communicable diseases can spread 
  3. How to reduce the spread of communicable disease 

Which of the following are considered microorganisms?

(Select all that apply)

Viruses 

Fungi

Protists (also known as protoctists)

Plants 

Bacteria 

Ants

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Illustration showing different types of pathogens including a virus and a bacterium.

What is a pathogen?

Any organism that causes disease

Any factor that increases the risk of disease 

A microorganism that can cause disease 

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Pathogens are microorganisms that can cause disease.


Are these diseases classed as communicable or non-communicable diseases? 

Communicable diseases

Non-communicable diseases

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Illustration showing a lion representing animals and a plant representing plants, indicating that pathogens can infect both.

Can pathogens can infect both animals and plants?

Yes

No

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Four main ways that pathogens can spread


water / air / sneeze / contact / contaminated


  1. Through the - Diseases such as influenza and measles can spread via tiny droplets of saliva that we expel when we cough or .
  2. Contaminated - Diseases such as cholera can spread through water sources contaminated by the diarrhoea of infected people. 
  3. food - Diseases such as salmonella are spread by eating food which has been infected with salmonella, and then not cooked properly.
  4. Direct - Athlete's foot is spread by walking barefoot on surfaces contaminated with the fungi. 
air
sneeze
water
Contaminated
contact

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Give three ways we can reduce the spread of infectious disease. 

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