Creator's Objectives

Hi, I’m Zhou Yu, a Secondary 4 student from Hwa Chong Institution. This is a website done for Project’s Day 2014. It is a school project targeted at upper primary pupils, entitled Prevention of Infectious Diseases in Singapore. Why upper primary pupils? You might ask. Firstly, pupils are children with less knowledge of infectious diseases than adults, therefore they need to be educated, and children also have weaker immunity.Thus, they are more vulnerable to infectious diseases. Secondly, pupils 
younger than upper primary pupils are not mature enough to understand the information I provide, hence I did not choose them as my target audience and wait for them to be old enough before targeting them. It is also important to educate people at early stage of their life, so that they can benefit greatly for the rest of their life. My objective is to equip pupils at early stage of life with basic knowledge of infectious diseases, particularly those children are vulnerable and susceptible to. With the information provided, pupils are able to prevent the disease by cutting off the route of spread of infectious diseases by practicing preventive methods, and to receive treatment early by identifying the unique symptoms of each disease at early infection. Eventually, all of the efforts will contribute to our society in prevention of epidemic on infectious diseases.  Thus, I would be focusing on the cause, symptom, people affected, target organs, route of spread, prevention, of 4 common infectious diseases in Singapore, which are Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, Dengue Fever, Influenza, Hepatitis A.

Introduction

Infectious diseases are common diseases which can affect anyone. Infectious diseases can be passed from person to person via physical contact, body fluids, contaminated food and water etc. Therefore, infectious diseases often cause epidemic and even threaten human lives.

In Singapore, a total of 14006 dengue cases including 27 deaths were reported in 2005 dengue outbreak, giving an incidence rate of 322.6 per 100,000 and a case fatality rate of 0.19%. Influenza is another severe infectious disease. In influenza pandemic in Singapore during June-August 2009, the population attack rate of influenza is estimated as 14%, with highest proportions seen in school-aged children (31.3% for 5-14 years of age).  Education is a vital part of the battle against the spread of infectious diseases. 

Definition of Infectious Disease

Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi etc. The diseases can be spread, directly or indirectly, from one person to another. Zoonotic diseases that are infectious diseases of animals can cause disease when transmitted to humans.

Three infection elements are contributed to the development and transmission of infection diseases. 

Causes of Infectious Diseases

1. Bacteria

These one-cell organisms are responsible for illnesses such as throat infection, pneumonia and tuberculosis.

2. Viruses

Even smaller than bacteria, viruses cause a multitude of diseases — ranging from the common cold to AIDS.

3. Fungi

Many skin diseases, such as ringworm and athlete's foot, are caused by fungi. Other types of fungi can infect your lungs or nervous system.

4. Parasites

Malaria is caused by a tiny parasite that is transmitted by a mosquito bite. Other parasites may be transmitted to humans from animal feces.

General Symptoms Of Infectious Diseases

Each infectious disease has its own specific signs and symptoms. General signs and symptoms common to many infectious diseases include fever, loss of appetite, fatigue and muscle aches. Having these symptoms shows that you may be infected with an infectious disease.

Route of Spread of Infectious Diseases

1. Direct Contact: contact with a person or animal who has the infection, through:

–        Person to person

This is the most common way for infectious diseases to spread, when there is direct transfer of bacteria, viruses or other germs from one person to another.

–        Animal to person

Pets can carry many germs, therefore being bitten or scratched by an infected animal can make you sick, when you become infected by the germs.

–        Mother to unborn child

A pregnant woman may pass germs that cause infectious diseases to her unborn baby.

2. Indirect Contact: Many germs can linger on an inanimate object, such as a tabletop, doorknob or faucet handle. You can pick up the germs patients left behind. 

–        Insect bites

Some germs rely on insect carriers such as mosquitoes, fleas, lice or ticks to move from host to host, spreading the disease as a result.

–        Food and Water contamination
Another way disease-causing germs can infect a person, is through consumption of contaminated food and water. 

When to See a Doctor

You should seek medical attention if you:

1.    Have been bitten by an animal

2.    Are having trouble breathing

3.    Have been coughing for 
more than a week

4.    Have severe headache with fever 
or seizures with fever

5.    Experience a rash or swelling

6.    Have unexplained fever