I really hate the cold. I don't even know how I got it.
I can help you understand that Aaron.
Oh, hi Sammy. I feel really miserable.
The flu has been very bad recently. Many children are sick. I guess you have an infectious disease.
What do you mean by an infectious disease?
Why don't we go to see my friend in the safety planet? She'll explain everything to you.
Yes, I love going to the safety planet.
Here we are.
Sammy, what are you doing here? Who have you got with you?
Hi Indy. This is my friend Aaron. He's a human. I brought him here to learn more about infections.
Infections? Like on this safety screen?
Achoo!
Hello Indy. Achoo!
Are you unwell Aaron?
Yes, I think I have a cold.
OK. To prevent contamination of other subjects, I'm going to have to go through ways of stopping the spread of disease.
What do you mean contamination? How do you know so much about diseases?
Indy is an immunologist, Aaron. She specialises in learning about diseases that affect our body. Let her explain.
You have a cold, which is very easy to pass on to us. I'm going to help you with some steps to try to prevent the continued spread.
So, what do I do?
I should say I'm very impressed, Aaron. You've been coughing and sneezing into the tissue the whole time you've been together.
If you don't have a tissue available, you should cough or sneeze into your elbow, or cover your mouth with your hands.
This decreases the risk of you spreading germs to other people.
Achoo!
Do germs get onto our hands easily?
They do. Easier than you think. If you're sick, you should be washing your hands frequently.
You're lowering the number of germs on your person, which is also limiting the infection spreading to other people.
You can wear a mask when going out, which can also help reduce the infection spread.
When else should we be washing our hands?
We should be washing our hands after using the bathroom, before and after preparing food, touching animals or, an obvious one,
if you can see your hands are visibly dirty.
This little girl has already started eating. Not a good idea.
That seems straightforward.
It really is. If you do that, you'll prevent transmitting diseases to anyone.
Indy, would you mind explaining more about diseases?
Not at all, but I was about to go into our simulator. Would you like to come with me?
I'll teach you as we go.
Yes!
This helps us learn how to fight infection and diseases.
So what exactly is an infectious disease?
An infectious disease is caused by a pathogen or germs, like a virus, bacteria, parasite or fungus.
That's really interesting. I think I know what a pathogen is.
Speaking of pathogens, there's one in front of us now. What do you think a pathogen is, Sammy?
I know that pathogen is a scientific name for bad germs and that infectious diseases are caused by pathogens.
Yes, Sammy, you're right. Pathogens are tiny organisms that cause different kinds of diseases.
As I said earlier, they're either viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi.
Wow, that's a lot! What types of diseases are caused by bacteria?
Well, things like tuberculosis, cholera, hyphoid fever and tetanus all exist as bacteria.
There are actually different types of infectious diseases. We can use Category A, B and C to describe these.
Category A is the most severe type and Category C is the least.
The plague and cholera are examples of Category A.
Cholera normally occurs when the water resource is quite limited or when it is very hard to clean water through a proper channel.
Category B infectious diseases include viruses like hepatitis and hydrophobic.
Category C infectious diseases include flu, mumps, hand, feet and mouth disease and other common infectious diseases.
You mentioned parasites. What are they?
Parasites make my skin curl and some of them actually crawl on skin. They are organisms that live off their coasts.
Parasites are things like malaria and scabies.
Yuck! How can we get these infections down?
There are multiple ways. One example is food and water contamination.
Food that is undercooked or when sewage gets into the water supply. These can both cause diseases.
Diseases like E. coli, cholera and salmonella are caused this way.
Yikes! We better cook our food then. How else can this happen?
Insects like fleas, mosquitoes and ticks carry diseases like malaria, Lyme disease and bubonic plague.
You need to take precautions to try to avoid them.
We can pass diseases to others too?
Yes, this is called direct contact. This is everything from shaking hands, sneezing and kissing.
Things like the flu, cold and chicken pox are passed like this.
If there is a direct contact, does that mean there is indirect contact as well?
Yes, some pathogens can survive outside the host. They may live on objects such as doorknobs and telephones.
Many diseases, but not all, that can spread through direct contact can also spread through indirect contact too.
That is very interesting. How do we prevent this then?
Let's leave the simulation and I'll explain.
That was so fun!
It was, but I've still some things to explain. Prevention is an important thing.
I've emphasised one already, washing your hands.
This is especially important if you are preparing food, before you eat and after using the bathroom.
Is there anything else?
Yes, if you can, get vaccinated.
Immunisation drastically reduces the chances of contracting many diseases, such as varicella vaccine.
If we are sick, do we continue on with work and school as normal?
When possible.
If you see the signs of an infection, stay at home.
Don't go to school if you are vomiting, have diarrhoea or are running a fever.
Also, here are some tips.
Avoid going to crowded places.
Open your doors and windows frequently and let the fresh air in.
Also disinfect your mobile devices and toys when required.
If you have a fever or upper respiratory tract infection, go to see the doctor.
Exercise more and eat properly, which can help improve your immune system.
These are great tips, I feel confident. I know more about infectious diseases now.
Shall we do a quiz to see what you have learnt then, Aaron?
Yes, please!
A. Wash your hands.
B. Use a tissue.
C. Cough quietly.
Correct! A and B.
Question 2.
What is a pathogen?
Excellent!
Pathogens are tiny organisms that cause different kinds of diseases.
Question 3.
Category A diseases are the most severe.
True or false?
Brilliant!
This is true.
You've learnt a lot today, Aaron.
Let's recap.
If you're sick, you should be washing your hands frequently.
You're lowering the number of germs on your person.
You can wear a mask when going out, which will help to reduce the infection spread.
Open your doors and windows and let the fresh air in frequently.
Also, disinfect mobile devices and toys when required.
Bye Aaron!
Bye Sammy!
I hope you learnt a lot today.
See you soon!
