THE FLU

Influenza is a virus that can cause “the flu.” Does it belong to us as humans or to a larger parasite we are hosting? It is easily transmitted from person to person and in less than a year can spread across the planet. Some flu examples are Influenza A, B, C and Swine flu. However, much that is called “flu” is actually caused by a bacterium, either Salmonella or Shigella. If someone in your family is “catching” a flu, test their saliva for the presence of dairy products, implicating the Salmonellas and Shigellas. Also test for influenza A, B, and C. Children's “flus”, especially when there is a fever, are usually due to Salmonellas. Even after zapping it can take an hour for the symptoms and fever to go away.

COMMUNICABLE DISEASE

A communicable disease is one that is spread from one person to another                                     through a variety of ways that include: contact with blood and bodily fluids;

breathing in an airborne virus; or by having contact with a little bug called lice.

For the most part, communicable diseases are spread through viruses and

bacteria that live in blood and body fluids. For instance, hepatitis and Human

Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) are examples of infections that can be carried in

blood and bodily fluids. On the other hand, tuberculosis is an airborne disease.

A person with Tuberculosis (TB) can spread tiny germs that float in the air if they

cough or sneeze without covering their nose or mouth. And, there are some

communicable diseases like head lice that are caused by a live lice bug that is

spread by using an infected comb or wearing a hat that is infested with lice. For

more information about how to reduce potential exposure to communicable

diseases, see Chapter 12 on Safety. Let’s take a closer look at some

communicable diseases.

ABOUT DISEASE

A disease is a particular abnormal condition, a disorder of a structure or function, that affects part or all of an organism. The causal study of disease is called pathology. Disease is often construed as a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by factors originally from an external source, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such asautoimmune diseases. In humans, "disease" is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes pain, dysfunction, distress,social problems, or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes includes injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes, infections, isolated symptoms, deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories. Diseases usually affect people not only physically, but also emotionally, as contracting and living with a disease can alter one's perspective on life, and one's personality.