Infectious Diseases 8 th grade science Sept. 18, 2012

What are Infectious Diseases?  Infectious diseases are diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi; the diseases can be spread, directly or indirectly, from one person to another.

Infectious Disease Transmission  Physical contact  Contaminated food  Body fluids  Objects  Airborne inhalation  Vector organisms

Routes of transmission Direct  Skin-skin  Herpes type 1  Mucous-mucous  STI  Across placenta  toxoplasmosis  Through breast milk  HIV  Sneeze-cough  Influenza Indirect  Food-borne  Salmonella  Water-borne  Hepatitis A  Vector-borne  Malaria  Air-borne  Chickenpox Exposure  A relevant contact – depends on the agent  Skin, sexual intercourse, water contact, etc

Infection in one person can be transmitted to others Think about the simulation from a few weeks ago!!

Factors influencing disease transmission:

Epidemic vs. Pandemic  Epidemic is where an infectious disease spreads over a wide geographical area.  Pandemic is where an infectious disease spreads across multiple continents, or even worldwide.

Here are a few… Caused by BacteriaCaused by VirusesCaused by Protozoa AnthraxAIDS/HIVDysentery Lyme Disease *Chicken PoxMalaria * LeprosySmall Pox Bacterial MeningitisYellow Fever * Strep ThroatEbola TuberculosisSARS Rabies Influenza West Nile Virus * Viral Meningitis Polio Common Cold * Denotes diseases that are vector based.

AIDS

AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome)  Caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)  progressively reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and leaves individuals susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors.  transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, and breast milk.  has not been found to be transmitted through saliva unless there is a cut in your mouth.

Malaria

 a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans caused by eukaryotic protists  It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, including much of Subsaharan Africa, Asia and the Americas.  results from the multiplication of malaria parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases progressing to coma, and death.

Tuberculosis (TB)

Tuberculosis  caused by various strains of mycobacteria  usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body.  spread through the air when people who have active MTB infection cough, sneeze, or spit  classic symptoms are a chronic cough with blood-tinged sputum, fever, night sweats, and weight loss

Your Project!!  You will be randomly assigned an infectious disease.  You may choose to complete either:  A Wanted Poster  A microbe story in 1 st person  You will have a rubric to guide your project and must accompany the final product.  Final product along with rubric is DUE Friday, September 28, 2012!!