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Geography

Grade 5

Health and well-being

Module 33

Diseases: malaria, tuberculosis, cholera

We shall now take a look at a few serious diseases that are found all over the world. These terrible diseases are often the cause of many deaths.

Malaria

  • Origin and nature:Malaria is a disease that is found in the tropical and subtropical climactic zones (mostly in the northern parts of South Africa). It is caused by a tiny parasite that enters the bloodstream when one is bitten by a certain female mosquito. The parasite spends part of its life cycle in the human body. It multiplies rapidly. It attacks the red blood corpuscles and this makes one very weak indeed. It can also cause death. Many patients suffer from recurrent malaria attacks for years after the first attack.
  • Typical symptoms:
  • severe headaches;
  • bouts of shivering;
  • reddish-brown urine;
  • a high fever and heavy sweating.
  • Treatment:

The patient is taken to hospital immediately, and the area is very carefully inspected for more cases of the disease. If there are many other cases in the same area, one has to look for the mosquitoes’ breeding-place and once it has been found, it must be sprayed with insecticide. The patients’ homes are also fumigated.

  • Prevention:

Activity 1:

To find out more about preventative measures in the prevention of malaria

[lo 1.6]

Tuberculosis (TB)

  • Origin and nature: Tuberculosis (TB) is a very serious, contagious disease that occurs particularly in mines and in areas where people live very close together and where the standard of hygiene is low. It can also be connected to poverty, and it is much more prevalent where people who are vulnerable to this disease do not have enough money to buy sufficient nourishing food.

Are people in your immediate environment exposed to such hazards? Have a group discussion on this issue.

The human body weakens and becomes highly susceptible to diseases such as TB. Often many people from the same area have the same disease, and then we say there is an epidemic of that particular disease. TB germs can spread very swiftly. For example, if someone who is incubating the disease coughs near other people, he or she could infect them quite easily.

  • Typical symptoms:A TB patient:
  • coughs a lot;
  • often complains of a tight chest;
  • has a very poor appetite and eats very little;
  • regularly has a high temperature and perspires a lot at night;
  • loses a lot of weight;
  • has swollen glands.
  • Treatment:

TB patients take tablets as medication. The disease can be cured on condition that the patient takes the tablets regularly as prescribed and continues to do so even when the symptoms have already disappeared.

  • Prevention:

A healthy, nourishing daily diet and good sanitary habits are necessary. Babies should be vaccinated against TB so that their bodies can develop resistance to the disease.

Cholera

  • Origin and nature:This extremely serious disease usually occurs in hot, humid conditions, such as those that are found in the subtropical areas along the east coast of our country. It occurs in areas where there is no fresh running water, tap water or proper sewerage systems (in densely-populated areas and where there are poor sanitary conditions). In such an area human sewage often lands up in streams and dams, and causes contamination of the water.

Questions & Answers

the diagram of the digestive system
Assiatu Reply
allimentary cannel
Ogenrwot
How does twins formed
William Reply
They formed in two ways first when one sperm and one egg are splited by mitosis or two sperm and two eggs join together
Oluwatobi
what is genetics
Josephine Reply
Genetics is the study of heredity
Misack
how does twins formed?
Misack
What is manual
Hassan Reply
discuss biological phenomenon and provide pieces of evidence to show that it was responsible for the formation of eukaryotic organelles
Joseph Reply
what is biology
Yousuf Reply
the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments
AI-Robot
the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environment.
Wine
discuss the biological phenomenon and provide pieces of evidence to show that it was responsible for the formation of eukaryotic organelles in an essay form
Joseph Reply
what is the blood cells
Shaker Reply
list any five characteristics of the blood cells
Shaker
lack electricity and its more savely than electronic microscope because its naturally by using of light
Abdullahi Reply
advantage of electronic microscope is easily and clearly while disadvantage is dangerous because its electronic. advantage of light microscope is savely and naturally by sun while disadvantage is not easily,means its not sharp and not clear
Abdullahi
cell theory state that every organisms composed of one or more cell,cell is the basic unit of life
Abdullahi
is like gone fail us
DENG
cells is the basic structure and functions of all living things
Ramadan
What is classification
ISCONT Reply
is organisms that are similar into groups called tara
Yamosa
in what situation (s) would be the use of a scanning electron microscope be ideal and why?
Kenna Reply
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is ideal for situations requiring high-resolution imaging of surfaces. It is commonly used in materials science, biology, and geology to examine the topography and composition of samples at a nanoscale level. SEM is particularly useful for studying fine details,
Hilary
cell is the building block of life.
Condoleezza Reply
what is cell divisoin?
Aron Reply
Diversity of living thing
ISCONT
what is cell division
Aron Reply
Cell division is the process by which a single cell divides into two or more daughter cells. It is a fundamental process in all living organisms and is essential for growth, development, and reproduction. Cell division can occur through either mitosis or meiosis.
AI-Robot
What is life?
Allison Reply
life is defined as any system capable of performing functions such as eating, metabolizing,excreting,breathing,moving,Growing,reproducing,and responding to external stimuli.
Mohamed
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Source:  OpenStax, Social sciences: geography grade 5. OpenStax CNX. Sep 23, 2009 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col10986/1.2
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