Health: The Ultimate Treasure
Two kinds of disease
Learn the two main kinds of disease, and how they differ.
A disease is a condition that affects the normal working of the body or mind. It can happen when one or more organs or organ systems stop working properly. (In a test, write that, not just one word!)
Some diseases are caused by germs: bacteria, viruses, fungi, worms or protozoa (single-celled organisms). Germs that cause disease are called pathogens: they are what is behind the illness. Other diseases come from poor nutrition or an unhealthy lifestyle.
Some diseases last a short time; others go on for a long time and need regular treatment or care.
Diseases fall into two big groups, by what causes them and whether they spread:
| Communicable | Non-communicable | |
|---|---|---|
| caused by pathogens? | yes | no |
| spreads from person to person? | yes | no |
| usually linked to | germs | lifestyle, diet and/or environment |
| examples | typhoid, dengue, flu, chickenpox, COVID-19 | cancer, diabetes, asthma |
An easy way to remember: a communicable disease can commute, it travels from one person to the next. That's why your mother says keep away, or you'll catch my cold. You can't catch cancer or diabetes by sitting next to someone who has it.
In recent years non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer have become more common in India, because people eat more processed food, exercise less and live longer. Most deaths in India today are caused by NCDs.
Knowing which kind a disease is tells us how it spreads, and how to prevent it.
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