Human Health and Diseases

What Is Health? In simple terms, Health can be defined as being free from all diseases and infections. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is not only the absence of disease or illness. It is a state of an active and energetic condition, including physical, mental, and social well-being. A balanced diet and regular exercise play an important role in maintaining the good health of an individual. There are many factors which affect health, such as: Poorly balanced diet Genetic disorders Stress and anxiety Infection from pathogens Intake of unhealthy and unhygienic food Lack of exercise and other physical activities To maintain good health, an individual should include a healthy and balanced diet and maintain personal hygiene along with regular exercise and other physical activities. Everyone should be aware of the different types of diseases and their effects. What Are Diseases? A disease is an abnormal condition affecting a healthy living organism. It is broadly divided into infectious and non-infectious. Infectious diseases- These diseases are caused by the pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites and can be easily transmitted from one person to another; hence it is also known as a contagious or communicable disease. Common Cold, Tuberculosis, flu, ringworm, and malaria are some examples of infectious diseases. Non-infectious diseases- Diseases which cannot be transmitted from one person to another are called non-infectious disease, it is also known as non-communicable disease. These diseases can be either caused by genetic disorders, unhealthy diets, lack of physical activity and a few environmental factors. Some Common Diseases in Humans A pathogenic bacterium known as Salmonella typhi is known to cause typhoid in humans. This fever can be confirmed by the Widal test. Pneumonia is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and Hemophilus influenza. Rhinovirus, a group of viruses, is known to cause one of the most infectious ailments in humans, cold. Plasmodium, a small protozoan, causes malaria. Another protozoan, Entamoeba histolytica, causes amoebiasis (amoebic dysentery). Ascaris(an intestinal parasite) causes ascariasis. Wuchererta, the filarial worm, causes filariasis or elephantiasis. And many more discussed in podcast