Preventing and controlling disease
Controlling disease
- Stopping a disease is not just about the science of the pathogen.
- Control has biological, social and economic sides.
- The best methods depend on how each disease spreads.
Control measures
- cholera: clean water and proper sewage treatment; good hygiene; vaccines in some areas.
- malaria: sleep under nets; remove still water where mosquitoes breed; spray insecticides; take anti-malarial drugs.
- TB: find and treat patients (long antibiotic course); the BCG vaccine; reduce overcrowding; trace contacts.
- HIV: condoms; clean needles; test donated blood; education. No cure or vaccine yet, but drugs slow the virus.
Practice
The most important way to prevent cholera is to:
Cholera spreads via faeces-contaminated water, so clean water and good sanitation are key.
Practice
Which measure helps control malaria?
Malaria is controlled by attacking the mosquito vector: nets, insecticides, and draining breeding pools.
Practice
Which statement about HIV control is correct?
HIV has no cure or vaccine yet; prevention and drugs that slow the virus are the main tools.
Three sides to every effort
- biological — the supply of drugs and vaccines, the biology of the pathogen.
- social — people's willingness to change behaviour, and education.
- economic — the cost and resources available.
- All three together decide how well a disease can be controlled.
Practice
Why might a good control method still fail to stop a disease?
Control depends on biological, social and economic factors together — cost and behaviour can block even good science.
You've got it
Key idea
- control has biological + social + economic sides
- cholera: clean water & sewage; malaria: nets, remove still water, insecticide
- TB: treat patients (long course) + BCG; HIV: condoms, clean needles, test blood (no cure/vaccine yet)
- cost, behaviour and drug supply all affect success