Infections Spread Research Paper
How Are Infections Spread?
Alicia Todd
University of Mobile
How Are Infections Spread?
According to Lynch, Elmore and Morgan (2012), millions of people die each year from infectious diseases such as influenza, malaria, tuberculosis, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (p. 245). Everything we eat, breathe, or touch throughout the day puts us at risk for developing an infection. Knowing how infections are spread will decrease these risks and is crucial for overall health.
No matter how hard one tries to avoid illness, it is impossible to remain infection free throughout adulthood. An infection is defined as “an invasion of body tissues by microorganisms that use the body’s environment to multiply” (Lynch, Elmore, & Morgan, 2012). During
the multiplication process, the body becomes weaker which leads to sickness.
The actual agent that causes the disease is a pathogen. Examples of pathogens include: harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi protozoa, and parasitic worms. When pathogens gather in large numbers in their natural environment it is called a reservoir. A host is a person, plant, or animal where pathogens live and reproduce. The way pathogens move from one place to another is considered the mode of transmission (Lynch, Elmore, & Morgan, 2012).
The two modes of transmission are direct and indirect transmission. Direct transmission is when there is close person-to-person contact with an infected individual. This includes contact with blood and other body fluids. Another example of direct transmission is contact with infected animals. Indirect transmission is when a person who is infected leaves pathogens on an object and the next person touches the object and picks them up. Breathing in airborne pathogens, bites from infected insects, and drinking/eating contaminated water or food, are also examples of indirect transmission (Lynch, Elmore, & Morgan, 2012).
Knowing the best ways to prevent infection will help decrease the spread of it. Staying up to date on immunizations, properly washing hands, and practicing safe sex, are all ways to prevent infections (Lynch, Elmore, & Morgan, 2012). Decreasing the spread of infection starts with you!
Works Cited
Lynch, A., Elmore, B., & Morgan, T. (2012). Choosing Health. San Francisco: Pearson Education as Benjamin Cummings, p, 245.
Alicia Todd
University of Mobile
How Are Infections Spread?
According to Lynch, Elmore and Morgan (2012), millions of people die each year from infectious diseases such as influenza, malaria, tuberculosis, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (p. 245). Everything we eat, breathe, or touch throughout the day puts us at risk for developing an infection. Knowing how infections are spread will decrease these risks and is crucial for overall health.
No matter how hard one tries to avoid illness, it is impossible to remain infection free throughout adulthood. An infection is defined as “an invasion of body tissues by microorganisms that use the body’s environment to multiply” (Lynch, Elmore, & Morgan, 2012). During
the multiplication process, the body becomes weaker which leads to sickness.
The actual agent that causes the disease is a pathogen. Examples of pathogens include: harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi protozoa, and parasitic worms. When pathogens gather in large numbers in their natural environment it is called a reservoir. A host is a person, plant, or animal where pathogens live and reproduce. The way pathogens move from one place to another is considered the mode of transmission (Lynch, Elmore, & Morgan, 2012).
The two modes of transmission are direct and indirect transmission. Direct transmission is when there is close person-to-person contact with an infected individual. This includes contact with blood and other body fluids. Another example of direct transmission is contact with infected animals. Indirect transmission is when a person who is infected leaves pathogens on an object and the next person touches the object and picks them up. Breathing in airborne pathogens, bites from infected insects, and drinking/eating contaminated water or food, are also examples of indirect transmission (Lynch, Elmore, & Morgan, 2012).
Knowing the best ways to prevent infection will help decrease the spread of it. Staying up to date on immunizations, properly washing hands, and practicing safe sex, are all ways to prevent infections (Lynch, Elmore, & Morgan, 2012). Decreasing the spread of infection starts with you!
Works Cited
Lynch, A., Elmore, B., & Morgan, T. (2012). Choosing Health. San Francisco: Pearson Education as Benjamin Cummings, p, 245.