HEALTH AND IMMUNITY

HEALTH AND IMMUNITY

HEALTH AND IMMUNITY


Health - Is a state of physical, mental and social well being. Health can be affected by factors such as diet, Physical fitness, hygiene, stress, heredity, environment, medicine and immunity.

Immunity – Is the ability of the body to resist infections and disease. Immunity builds the body’s defense against infectious diseases. Through this, it helps us to remain healthy.

        TYPES OF IMMUNITY

Basically there are two types of immunity namely:

1. Natural immunity
2. Artificial immunity

(a) NATURAL IMMUNITY

This is also referred to as immunity that  an individual is born with. Natural immunity is divided into two types;

1. Natural Active Immunity

The body makes it’s own antibodies especially after an attack by disease causing micro-organism, adults have this kind of immunity.

2. Natural Passive Immunity

The body develops an immune system during development of the foetus (unborn baby) i.e. the antibodies from the mother pass to the foetus. After the baby is born the antibodies from the mother pass to the baby through sucking of the first milk (colostrum). This immunity last only for a few month.

(b) ARTIFICIAL IMMUNITY

This is the type of immunity an individual acquires in course of life time. This type of immunity is also referred to as acquired immunity.

Artificial immunity is of two parts;

1. Artificial Active Immunity

This immunity is acquired through immunization or vaccination using vaccine. A vaccine is a preparation containing dead or weaken disease cause organism, some vaccines are injected in the body while other are taken orally.

2. Artificial Passive Immunity

Artificial passive immunity is acquired when antibodies produced by individual are injected into a second individual.

This immunity provides an instant response but it is short term because the antibodies used are not the body’s own, so no more cells are created. Such immunity is used for potentially fatal diseases such as rabies and tetanus.

The immune system enables the study to recognize foreign materials, in response to antigens in the bodies. Immune system produce chemical substance called antibodies, Antibodies fight against invade micro organism.

              Factors that can lead to lowering of body body Immunity

1. Lack of a proper balanced diet (poor nutrition)
2. Inhibitory effects of drug and chemical to the white blood cells.
3. In ability of the body to produce antibodies and the white blood cells
4. Lack of vaccination/immunization
5. Incomplete treatment
6. Genetic disorders
7. Extreme stress
8. Damage to the skin.
9. Destruction of immune system by pathogen e.g. HIV (Human immunodeficiency Virus.)

PERSONAL HYGIENE AND GOOD MANNER

Personal hygiene is the practice of keeping one self clean all the time by maintaining a clean body from head to toe. Personal hygiene also includes good grooming e.g. wearing well fitting clothes good for you. To be able to maintain high standards of personal hygiene you must be having good manners.

GOOD MANNER

Is a kind of behavior that is socially accepted it includes honesty, respect for others, politeness and helpfulness.

PRINCIPAL OF PERSONAL HYGIENE

1. Wash your body every day
2. Always wear clean clothes
3. Wash hands with soap and clean water after visiting the toilet and before eating.
4. Brush your teeth at least twice a day in the morning and before you sleep. Wash your mouth with clean water after eating.
5. Keep the environment clean. The environment include your bedroom, home, village, desk, classroom and school
6. Cover your mouth and nose with a clean handkerchief or tissue when you sneeze or cough
7. Keep your nails short and clean
8. Do not share handkerchief, towel and clothes especially underwear.
9. Wash your hair at least once a week comb it every day or keep it well plaited

     10. Change your bedding regularly

     11. Wear comfortable and well fitting clothes

     12. Do not spit on the ground spit on handkerchief

     13. Avoiding picking your nose and biting your nails.

     14. Avoid touching other people’s hand fluids

     15. Relieve yourself in a clean toilet

REQUIREMENT OF PERSONAL HYGIENE AND GOOD MANNER

1. Listen to advice from people who have good personal hygiene and good manners and learn from them , good advice help us to improve ourselves.
2. Acquire the items needed to keep yourself and learn how to use your environment and those things include soap, towels, combs, brushes, basins and teeth brushes.

IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL HYGIENE AND GOOD MANNER

• Personal hygiene is important for good health. Ring worms and lice are spread because people do not practice personal hygiene.
• Personal hygiene and good manners make a person acceptable and respectable in the society.
• Personal hygiene and good manners are also important for personal appearance. A well groomed and well mannered person is more attractive than a dirty and ill mannered one.
• Maintaining personal hygiene and good manner make us good role models for other people in the society.

MAINTAINING PROPER PERSONAL HYGIENE DURING PUBERTY STAGE

PUBERTY

Is the stage when children begin to mature biologically and psychologically and their bodies become capable of reproduction. It usually occurs between ages 10 and 14 in girls and ages between 12 and 16 in boys .

During this time the body develops secondary sexual characteristics which create difference between males and female. Puberty leads to adolescence.

Adolescence is transitional period between childhood and adulthood

CHANGES IN GIRLS AT PUBERTY STAGE

1. Body size increase rapidly
2. Breasts develops
3. Hair grows in the armpits and pubic area
4. Waist narrows and hips broaden.
5. Menstruation begins
6. Pimples may develop on the face
7. Sweat and oil glands become more active leading change in body
8. High pitched voice

CHANGES IN BOYS AT PUBERTY STAGE

1. Body size increase rapidly
2. Reproductive organs enlarge
3. Muscles grow
4. Hair grows on the face (beards) and in the armpits and pubic areas
5. Shoulder and chest broaden and voice deepens
6. Wet dreams begin and sperm production begins
7. Pimples may grow/develop on the face
8. Sweat and oil glands become more active leading to change the body odour.

- So it’s very important to maintain personal hygiene so as to prevent oduor and disease during puberty

- Also aim at being well behaved all the time by taking the following measures

• Resist negative peer pressure
• Get counseling from a reliable person
• Apologize if you hurt other people’s feelings
• Do not engage in sexual activities before marriage.
• Strive to be respectful to your elders even when you disagree with them.
• Get involved in positive extracurricular activities e.g. sports, debating and drama.
• Avoid engage on:

- Taking drug (drug abuse)

- Sexual affair

- Being rude to elders

INFECTION AND DISEASE

Disease is a condition that interferes with the normal functioning of the body. It can affect the whole body or only part of it.

When disease is caused by microorganisms they are known as infection disease or communicable disease.

Communicable disease is disease which can be spread from one person to another. They are caused by pathogen such us virus, bacteria, protozoan and fungi. Example of communicable diseases is AIDS, Malaria, Cholera, Tuberculosis, Typhoid, Ring worms.

Vectors are organisms which carry pathogens e.g. fleas, mosquitoes, bee, tsetse fly. Communicable diseases are classified according to their occurrence.

1. EPIDEMIC DISEASES

These are outbreaks of communicable disease which affect a large number of people in a short period of time, e.g. Cholera, Typhoid, Meningitis and plague.

2. PANDEMIC DISEASES

These are communicable diseases which affect a whole country, continent or the whole words e.g. HIV/ AIDS

3. ENDEMIC DISEASES

These are communicable diseases which regularly occur in a particular area and is difficult to get rid of e.g. Malaria, gonorrhea, Syphilis, Bilharzia.

                  Disease can be grouped also depending on the cause e.g.

SN	CAUSE	DISEASE e.g.
1	Bacterial disease	Typhoid, Cholera, TB, Gonorrhea
2	Viral diseases	AIDS, Polio, measles, small pox, chicken pox.
3	Protozoan diseases	Amoeba dysentery, Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), malaria
4	Fungal diseases	Ring worms, candidiasis, athletes
5	Genetic disease ( inherited diseases)	Hemophiliac, sickle cell, anemia, down syndrome, albinism
6	Worm diseases	Elephantiasis, bilharzia (schistosomiasis)
7	Hormonal diseases	Diabetes mellitus, diabetes inspidus
8	Malnutrition diseases	Kwashiorkor, obesity, marasmus, Goitre, Anaemia, Rickets

           Diseases also can be grouped according made of transmission e.g.

	Air borne disease	Tuberculosis, common cold, influenza, whooping cough
	Weather bone disease	Cholera, Typhoid fever, Schistosomiasis
	Contaminated blood	HIV/AIDS, Malaria
	Physical contract(contagious disease)	Ring worms, Scabies

Routes through which disease causing agents enters our bodies are mouth, nose, penis, vagina, anus, skin, open wounds.

Non infections (non communicable) diseases. These are diseases which can’t be transmitted from one person another e.g. sickle cell, anemia, Albinism, kwashiorkor, arthritis, skin cancer, diabetes.

Diseases can broadly divide in to two categories: -

1. Communicable diseases (infection diseases)
2. Non communicable disease(non infection diseases)

COMMON INFECTION DISEASES

SN	DISEASE	CAUSAL AGENT	CLINICAL FEATURES	MODE OF TRANSMISSION	METHODS OF PREVENTION AND CONTROL
1	Measles	Virus	Inflammation of respiratory track, fever, contact rash	Inhalation and contact	vaccination
2	Cholera	Bacteria called Vibrio cholera through contaminated food and water	Diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss, muscle cramps, wrinkled skin	Contaminated food and water	Wash hand after toilet and before and after eating, boil drinking water, wash fruit before eat, eat hot food vaccine, medical treatment

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