Introduction
Over the years human beings have suffered from various illnesses and diseases affecting their health. These infections acquired by humans have led to loss of life, poor health of people, and thus low production when it comes to human labour. Reductions of labour have eventually resulted to the current economic crisis that the world is experiencing at the moment. Infections can be of great influence to our day to day society. If the infection is fatal it can even cause death leading to loss of loved ones.
The harmful colonization of a body by alien species can be described as an infection as suggested by Sammy (1989) and Xhinna (1989). The foreign species consume the host’s resources for their survival. The multiplication and reproduction is at the expense of the body under attack. They hinder the normal functioning of the body which can lead to loss of body parts for instance limbs, wounds occurrences, or even death. Pathogenic organisms causing infection can be of different types. The could be, bacteria, viruses fungi and many more.
Brian (1986) argues that Infections or diseases can be transmitted from one person to another. Transmission of the diseases can be through body contact, air borne, and water borne or even hereditary. If these transmissions are not detected and controlled early enough they could lead to a pandemic which could further lead to loss of many more lives, for instance in two thousand and eight the world was hit with H1N1 flu which led to loss of thousands of lives and infections of many more. It is the duty of every human being to learn infection control in order to handle the situation should one arise.
Causes of Infections
According to my observations made from various patients’ tests results, infections are mainly caused by pathogenic organisms. These organisms alienate the body of their host, the patients that is, in search for resources for their survival. They invade a body part depriving it of it resources; hence affecting it normal functionality. Most of the organisms I observed to be mainly microscopic, though others are big enough to be viewed by naked eyes. Some infections can be overcome by human immune system while others can not, developing into chronic diseases.
Infection transmission can be due to human error that can be avoided. In most cases that I have witnessed, some the hospitals propose measures to both successfully improve reduce these infections and the monitoring of these infections. There are some situations that are however, above human control such as the antibiotic resistant bacteria which knows no borders or boundaries and is one of the three major threats to human life as identified by WHO. Certain infections such as the waterborne, airborne and body contact transmissions can be easily contained unlike hereditary infections.
Cycle of an infection
The control and prevention of an infection is of great importance to both the patient and the health staff. In most cases staff treats patients with communicable diseases with the understanding of the type of infection being dealt with. It is important for the health worker to understand the components of the disease and the ways of controlling its cycle. Most infections have a logical sequence in which they develop and many at times the chain is usually broken which in turn helps in salvaging the situation. Generally there are about six asserted links in the development of an infection, which are the disease organism, reservoir otherwise known as the host, mode of entry, mode of exit, mode of transfer and susceptible host.
If the patient or the health personnel can identify and understand the cycle of the disease that he/she is dealing with, he/she can interfere with the current stage of the diseases by eliminating the link; thus preventing the infection transmission.
Infection control
Depending on the type of infection, control methods can be different varying from one disease to another argues Brian (1986) and Johnson (1982). However, some diseases have the same characteristics; hence making their control methods also the same. Infection control deals with factors that are associated with the spread of the infection or disease within vicinity which could be either from one patient to another, a patient to a medical staff, staff to patient or even staff to staff. Most infections are due to hygiene irregularities. I have witnessed several situations where education for children and young people to learn about antibiotics and their effective use, is used as a preventive measure to avoid spread of infections from infected patients to staff. Learning about microbes and hygiene, prevention being better than cure is a key theme in most programs used in prevention of these infections. According to Catty, (1985) personal hygiene is a key factor to the prevention and control of infection transmissions. Effective hand hygiene is one element for personal hygiene, in most clinical environments the staff use warm water for hand wash, sterilization of instruments and equipments and the use of new gloves during operations. This is because hands are a used in many instances that involve ingestion. Most infections are fatal if they occur in the human body. The food eaten is held using hands, if ones hands are contaminated then definitely pathogens will be ingested and eventually cause deadly infections like cholera. I have seen many medical personnel use their fore limbs to handle their patients. In our daily lives our fore limbs come into contact with many objects including pathogenic organisms. If not well cleaned they could cause other infection during the treatment of the patient. Yuvinnah, (1989) and Hilary (1989) claim that hand cleaning should be done by use of right cleaning agents. For example use of medicated soaps and treating them with antiseptic. By this deadly pathogenic organisms are killed thus making them ineffective in the body, thus preventing infections..According to Gable (1980) wearing of protective clothing during treatment is also a way of controlling infection transmission. Body fluids provide a perfect habitat for the pathogenic organisms. If the medic comes to direct contact with the fluids, he/she has a higher probability of being infected. Wearing of gloves during medical operation protects the medical staff from infection by body masks. Air borne transmissions can be controlled by use of face mask which are also forms of protective clothing as witnessed in doctors conducting operations on infected patients.
I have witnessed a lot of patients getting infected by fellow patients; this type of transmission can also be controlled. Some infections like Ebola and H1N1 flu are air borne diseases. If a patient suffering from such kind of infections could easily transmit the infections to other patients and even the medical workers. In such scenarios the infected patients are isolated from the rest. They are quarantined in isolated places where they are locked from the outside world. Hillary says that, this case they can be treated in their quarantines and thus protecting the rest of the world from the infections as explained by Catty (1985).
Conclusion
Human infections are a major threat to the well being of many lives. The infection could be of great disadvantage to the society should it not be contained in time. It could cause deaths and permanent damage of human body parts for example loss of limbs, eyes, ears and other essential parts that would hinder ones normal functionality. Proper handling of the infection could help stop its spread and its fatal effects on the already infected. It is everyone’s obligation to observe personal hygiene and the hygiene of his/her environment in order to prevent rise and spread of infections. Protective clothing is also necessary when dealing with a patient suffering from communicable disease. In this way infection causes and transmission can easily be controlled; hence saving a lot of time, and money used in the treatment. A lot of lives can also be saved.
List of References
Brian, H. 1986, Infections and attacks to humans: before and after. Westport: Greenwood press.
Catty, S. 1985, Human infections around the world, New York: Oxford University press.
Gable, J. 1980, The Infections and the Infected for the people around you, Nairobi: Macmillan.
Hilary, K. And Geoff 1989, Tibballs Box of delights London, New York: Oxford university press.
Johnson, K. (1982). Viral infections of Humans, 1880-1940: Epidemiology and control, translated by John, G. Williamson, Westport, CT, Greenwood Press.
Dr. Maire, 1989, Humans and Infections, London: University of London press.
Xhinna, K. 1989, Humans and Infections, New York: Plenum Medical Book Company.
Yuvinnah, K. And Geoff (1989), Infections and Diseases, New York: Oxford University press.