Common Diseases in Humans 🦠

What “being healthy” really means

Health means complete physical, mental and social well-being—more than just “no disease.” A healthy community works better, lives longer and loses fewer mothers and infants. Balanced meals, good hygiene, regular exercise and a little yoga keep your body on top form 🧘. Vaccination, safe waste disposal, vector control and clean food + water add extra protection. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Meet the pathogens (the tiny troublemakers)

  • Bacteria
  • Viruses
  • Protozoans
  • Helminths (worms)
  • Fungi

They slip in via food, water, air, skin breaks or insect bites, multiply fast and damage organs. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Bacterial trouble 🤒

Typhoid Fever 🍲🚰

  • Culprit : Salmonella typhi
  • Entry route : Contaminated food or water from carriers (famous cook “Typhoid Mary”).
  • Symptoms : Sustained high fever \(39^{\circ}\text{C}-40^{\circ}\text{C}\), weakness, tummy pain, constipation, headache, poor appetite; severe cases may perforate the intestine.
  • Test : Doctors confirm with the Widal test.

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Pneumonia 😮‍💨

  • Culprits : Streptococcus pneumoniae & Haemophilus influenzae
  • What happens : Fluid fills the lung alveoli, making breathing hard.
  • Symptoms : Fever, chills, cough, headache; lips & nails may turn bluish-gray in bad cases.
  • Spread : Inhale infected droplets or share utensils with a sick friend.

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Other bacterial pains : dysentery, plague, diphtheria. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Viral nuisances 🧑‍💻🤧

Common Cold

  • Culprit : Rhino-viruses
  • Target : Nose and upper airways (lungs stay fine).
  • Symptoms : Stuffy nose, runny discharge, sore throat, hoarse voice, cough, headache, tiredness (3–7 days).
  • Spread : Sneezes, coughs, shared objects (pens, cups, keyboards, etc.).

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Protozoan parasites 🦟

Malaria

  • Culprit : Plasmodium vivax, P. malariae, P. falciparum (most dangerous)
  • Vector : Female Anopheles mosquito
  • Life cycle quick tour : Mosquito injects sporozoites → parasites multiply in liver → burst red cells, releasing toxic haemozoin → chills & fever every 3-4 days → another mosquito picks up parasites and the cycle rolls on.

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Amoebiasis (amoebic dysentery)

  • Culprit : Entamoeba histolytica
  • Symptoms : Constipation, abdominal cramps, mucus-laden stools with blood.
  • Spread : Contaminated food & water; houseflies ferry cysts from faeces to meals.

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Helminth infections 🪱

Ascariasis

  • Culprit : Ascaris lumbricoides (the common roundworm)
  • Symptoms : Internal bleeding, muscle pain, fever, anaemia, blocked intestines.
  • Spread : Swallow eggs on dirty veggies, fruits or water.

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Filariasis (Elephantiasis) 🦶

  • Culprits : Wuchereria bancrofti & W. malayi
  • What happens : Worms live in lymph vessels, causing long-term swelling of legs or genital organs.
  • Vector : Female mosquitoes pass the larvae.

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Fungal infection 🍄

Ringworm (dermatophytosis)

  • Culprits : Microsporum, Trichophyton, Epidermophyton
  • Clues : Dry scaly patches on skin, scalp or nails + fierce itching.
  • Likes : Warm, moist skin folds (groin, toes).
  • Spread : Soil, shared towels, clothes or combs.

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Staying safe 💪

  • Personal hygiene : Bathe, wash hands, eat clean food, drink safe water.
  • Public hygiene : Dispose waste safely; clean water bodies and drains; keep food outlets spotless.
  • Beat the vectors : Remove stagnant water, refresh coolers, use nets, fix window screens, add Gambusia fish to ponds, spray insecticide.
  • Vaccines & drugs : Immunisation wiped out smallpox and tamed polio, diphtheria, pneumonia and tetanus. New biotech vaccines are on the horizon; antibiotics tackle many infections.

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High-Yield NEET Nuggets 📝

  1. Typhoid trio : Salmonella typhi, Widal test, food-borne spread.
  2. Malaria life cycle : Human + Anopheles mosquito partnership, fever every 3-4 days.
  3. Pneumonia vs Common Cold : Lung alveoli vs upper airway targets; different bacteria/viruses and symptom sets.
  4. Ringworm basics : Fungal genera, itchy scaly lesions, love for warm moist folds.
  5. Vector control tactics : Water management, nets, larva-eating fish—essential for malaria & filariasis questions.

Good luck, and keep those germs at bay! 😃