Disinfection ::
This is an important aspect in prevention of infectious diseases Disinfection can carried out in three ways
1.Natural 2. Physical and 3.Chemical method of disinfection
1.Natural methods: FLresh air sunlight and cooling are the natural methods of disinfection
2.Physical methods : Burning boiling steaming and blowing dry hot air etc
3.Chemical methods :: Use of solid liquid or gaseous chemical disinfections
Select the method 1,2 or 3 according to the nature of the object to be disinfected Generally liquid chemical disinfectants are used for disinfecting spittoons urinals thermometers floors etc for room furniture etc gaseous disinfection is used The fumes of the burnt disinfectant sterilise the inside space with all that exists there Solid disinfectant is never used as a solid we liquefy that before using it for example soap which is used for disinfecting the hands etc Sometimes for special reasons antiseptics are used which only suppress the growth of germs but do not kill them Cooling in a freeze suppresses the germs but do not destroy them Syringes for injections are best sterilised in autoclave which is vapour sterilisation at high pressure Sometimes deodorants are used They remove the foul odour but do not act as disinfectants
Immunization ::
This occurs naturally when an infective disease occurs The antibodies and leucocytes fight against the infection All this is natural immunity of the body
Many a times dead germs toxins or toxoids are injected to create artificial active immunity This is called vaccination This is an ideal method to check epidemics Locally or even a whole population is inoculated to create a resistance against the invading infectious disease by vaccine smallpox typhoid cholera tuberculosis plague diphtheria tetanus and whooping cough are often prevented from becoming
epidemic by mass inoculations Rarely we can create immunity by giving the vaccine orally as well Russia s sabin s oral vaccine against poliomyelitis which is given by mouth is an example in point
Passive artificial immunity is used to neutralise the toxins of infectious disease That forms immunization for the cure of the disease This type of antisera helps in cure of tetanus diphtheria scarlet fever etc
Susceptibility tests are useful to find out whether one is likely to get a particular disease or not The schick test for diphtheria and Dick test for scarlet fever and BCG sensitization test for tuberculosis are well known examples Thus diagnostic tests and immunization are of immense value in preventing outbreaks of infective diseases because prevention is better than cure
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