prevention and treatment of disease

• What is one simple way to reduce the risk of infection?

  Maintain personal hygiene and keep hospitals clean
• Who realized the importance of cleanliness in hospitals in the 19th century?

  Ignaz Semmelweis
• Why were Semmelweis's ideas ignored at the time?

  People did not know diseases were caused by pathogens
• What has been developed since Semmelweis's time to help prevent and treat diseases?

  Many types of medicines and chemicals
• What are chemicals that kill microorganisms outside of the body called?

  Antiseptics
• What do antiseptics do?

  Kill a broad range of pathogens
• Can antiseptics damage human tissue?

  No, they cannot damage human tissue
• How can antiseptics be used?

  To clean open wounds and surfaces
• What is a key challenge in developing antiviral drugs?

  Viruses hijack the host cell's machinery
• What happens when a virus infects a cell?

  It hijacks the cell's machinery to replicate
• How do antivirals block viral infection?

  They block attachment or entry into host cells
• What do antivirals prevent from entering the host cell?

  The virus's genetic material
• What do antivirals prevent from combining with host DNA?

  The viral genetic material
• Are antivirals specific to one type of virus?

  Yes, they are specific
• Why can antivirals become ineffective?

  Viruses mutate regularly
• How does the mutation of viruses affect antiviral effectiveness?

  It can lead to resistance against antivirals
• What are antibiotics?

  Substances that slow down or stop bacteria growth
• How do antibiotics cure bacterial diseases?

  By killing the pathogen causing the disease
• Do antibiotics work against viral diseases?

  No, they only work against bacterial diseases
• What do antibiotics damage in bacterial cells?

  They damage the cell walls or prevent protein synthesis
• Can antibiotics damage host cells?

  No, they do not damage host cells
• Why is a range of antibiotics needed for treatment?

  Different bacteria cause different diseases
• What is antibiotic resistance?

  When bacteria become less responsive to antibiotics
• What has caused the increase in antibiotic use since 1928?

  The discovery of penicillin and its widespread use
• What are some problems with antibiotics today?

  They are becoming less effective due to overuse
• What can lead to reduced effectiveness of antibiotics?

  Overuse and not completing prescribed courses
• How is antibiotic use in farming problematic?

  It contributes to antibiotic resistance in bacteria
• What are bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics commonly called?

  Super bugs
• What are ways to reduce antibiotic resistance?

  • Only take antibiotics when necessary
  • Treat specific bacteria with specific antibiotics
  • Maintain high hospital hygiene levels
  • Isolate patients with antibiotic-resistant strains
• Why is hand washing important in hospitals?

  It helps maintain high hygiene levels
• What should be done with patients infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria?

  They should be isolated from other patients