PREVENTION OF DISEASES

Communicable or infectious diseases are infections which are transmitted from an infected person, animal or reservoir to another person. These infections can spread through direct or indirect contact. Knowledge of how infectious diseases spread can help minimize the risk of infections. Adopting disease prevention measures can reduce illness.

Disease prevention focuses on prevention strategies in reducing the risk of developing diseases and other morbidities. “Prevention is better than cure”. According to this, suitable preventive measure must be taken for the occurrence and spread of diseases. The concept of prevention of diseases includes three levels.

     A.   PRIMARY PREVENTION:

Primary prevention may be defined as” the action taken prior to the onset of disease which removes the possibility of ever occurrence of a disease”. Primary prevention is studied under two sub categories

i.              Health promotion measures

These include:

·         Maintenance of a healthy environment

·         Maintenance of personal hygiene

·         Eating adequate balanced diet

·         Provision for safe water supply

·         Provision of proper disposal of human excreta and domestic wastes

·         Provision of well managed sewer system

·         Isolation of infected persons

·         Immunization

·         Maintenance of healthy and clean sex life

·         Motivating people to avoid the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs.

ii.            Specific protective measures

Specific diseases can be prevented by taking specific measures against these diseases. Ex: tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles etc, can be prevented by immunization at proper age and time. Since children are more susceptible to these diseases. Hence vaccination is necessary. Few diseases like Rickets and scurvy can be prevented by administration of vitamin D and vitamin C respectively.

Similarly industrial accidents can be prevented by using specific protective devises like goggles, gloves, shield against carcinogens, allergens and occupational hazards etc.

Primary prevention also includes prevention of chronic diseases by avoiding smoking, drinking, dietary control and physical exercise etc.

Primary prevention is less expensive, safe and more effective way of preventing diseases in comparison to secondary and tertiary prevention.

B.   SECONDARY  PREVENTION

Secondary prevention aims to detect new cases of infectious disease at the earliest possible stage and intervene in ways that prevent or reduces the risk of infection spreading further in population. Secondary prevention strategies include:

i.              Early treatment

This level of prevention involves infected (or exposed) individuals receiving early treatment to prevent the transmission of pathogens to susceptible hosts. Benefit to the individual may also result from treatment, but the aim of community health is to protect the community as a whole from further infections, rather than to aid the personal recovery of identified patients.

ii.            Education and health-related behavior modification

Secondary prevention relies partly on educating the population about signs of illness that require prompt medical appointment coupled with systematic surveillance to detect and report cases quickly and respond with effective treatment. If the disease has the potential to generate an epidemic, it is necessary to isolate (quarantine) infected individuals by educating about how they can prevent or reduce the risk of transmission to other individual.

iii.           Screening

Infected individuals can also be identified even before symptoms develop in systematic screening programmes, i.e. application of a test or an investigation to large numbers of individuals to identify who are at risk of developing a particular disease, or in case of infectious disease those who are already infected. The screening service can target groups assumed to be at high risk. Ex: TB screening.

C.   TERTIARY PREVENTION

Medical treatment to prevent the worst outcomes of a disease in an individual is known as tertiary prevention. The aim of the tertiary prevention is to reduce further complications or permanent disability in patients which includes

• Permanent disability can be prevented by immunizing the infants against polio, etc. Disability due to industrial accidents can be prevented by wearing goggles, gloves, hood etc. Surgical operations can limit the disability to the extent. Adequate treatment and physiotherapy can reduce the duration of disability.

• Rehabilitation of the handicapped patients is very important which could be brought by
  
  medical(physiotherapy), social, educational and vocational rehabilitation, sheltered workshops, colonies, selective changes in occupation, opening hostels and schools for handicapped children and attachment of artificial limbs to an accident victims etc.

The key goal for tertiary prevention is to enhance quality of life.