Question

whats an epidemic and what are the ways infectious diseases are spread?

Answer 1

EPIDEMIC is the rapid spread of an infectious disease to a large number of people in a given population within a short period of time, which is two weeks or less.

Epidemics can occur due infected food supplies such as contaminated drinking water, or through rats or mosquitoes which become the vectors spread the disease. It can also occur through airborne diseases mostly during winters.

epidemics occur due to contagious diseases or diseases that can spread from one person to the other.

SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE

Infectious disease can spread to a variety of ways, through air, direct or indirect contact with another person, blood and body secretions, through contaminated food and water.

The most common way of transmission of infectious disease is due air, food and water.

Airborne disease are spread when an infected person sneezes or coughs, tiny droplets are released and when these droplets are breathe by a healthy individual, he may develop the disease.

Example- common cold , measles, mumps, tuberculosis

Food and water borne diease are caused by ingestion of contaminated water and food containing infectious micro organisms which are then spread through the faecel- oral route.

Example- cholera, botulism

Sexually transmitted infection are transmitted through sexual contact by means of genital, oral contact.

Example- gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis.