Why Do We Fall Ill?

What you will learn

• Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being.

• The health of an individual is dependent on his/her physical surroundings and his/her economic status.

• Diseases are classified as acute or chronic, depending on their duration.

• Disease may be due to infectious or non-infectious causes.

• Infectious agents belong to different categories of organisms and may be unicellular and microscopic or multicellular.

• The category to which a disease-causing organism belongs decides the type of treatment.

• Infectious agents are spread through air, water, physical contact or vectors.

• Prevention of disease is more desirable than its successful treatment.

• Infectious diseases can be prevented by public health hygiene measures that reduce exposure to infectious agents.

• Infectious diseases can also be prevented by using immunisation.

• Effective prevention of infectious diseases in the community requires that everyone should have access to public hygiene and immunisation.