10.2 - Preventing the Spread of Disease

Reducing disease spread through hygiene, food and water

• Communicable (infectious) diseases are caused by pathogens that pass from one person to another.
• They can be reduced - and sometimes stopped altogether - by breaking the routes along which they spread.
• One group of measures works by keeping people, their food, and their water free of pathogens.

Key measures

• Good hygiene - Simple measures stop pathogens passing between people, e.g. washing hands thoroughly before preparing food and after sneezing or using the toilet. Cleaning a wound kills microorganisms near it and stops them entering the blood.
• Hygienic food preparation - Preparing food in clean conditions stops pathogens spreading from work surfaces, chopping boards, and hands onto food. Cooking food thoroughly kills bacteria such as those that cause food poisoning.
• A clean water supply - Access to clean, fresh water for drinking and cooking reduces the spread of water-borne pathogens, otherwise picked up by drinking or bathing in dirty water.
• Safe waste disposal and sewage treatment - Not letting rubbish build up, safely disposing of items such as soiled bandages and used needles, and treating sewage so it can't contaminate drinking water all cut the spread of pathogens carried in human waste.