What are the most common means of Transmission of Infectious Diseases?

Did you know that the most common means of transmission of an infectious disease is through direct person to person contact? Short of avoiding people, we are rarely going to eliminate this risk. So our main focus with infection control should be on breaking the chain of transmission while doing our best to educate ourselves and others on how best to prevent spread.

Infectious diseases are caused by pathogens. If you know what a pathogen is and how it spreads, then you know the most common means of transmission for an infectious disease.

Infectious Diseases

Infectious diseases are disorders caused by organisms — such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. Many organisms live in and on our bodies. They’re normally harmless or even helpful. But under certain conditions, some organisms may cause disease.

Some infectious diseases can be passed from person to person. Some are transmitted by bites from insects or animals. And others are acquired by ingesting contaminated food or water or being exposed to organisms in the environment.

What causes infectious diseases?

There are four main types of infectious agents that cause infectious diseases: viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Each of these types of infectious agents has specific characteristics that determine how they cause disease. They are:

  1. Viruses:

A virus is a small particle made up of a protein coat called a capsid and genetic material (DNA or RNA) inside the capsid. Many viruses can infect only certain types of cells in specific hosts (this is known as host specificity).

For example, HIV can only infect human cells and causes disease only in humans; rabies virus can infect the nerve cells only in mammals; hepatitis A virus can infect only liver cells; measles virus can infect only the respiratory system. The Ebola virus, for example, has infected monkeys as well as people.

2. Bacteria:

Bacteria are single-celled organisms that have no nucleus or other membrane-bound organelles. Bacteria have both a cell wall and a cell membrane surrounding their genetic material. These one-cell organisms are responsible for illnesses such as strep throat, urinary tract infections and tuberculosis. Anti-biotics can cure many bacterial infections.

3. Fungi:

Yeast infections and ringworm are examples of fungal infections that may affect the skin or nails. Some fungi enter via fungal spores that become inhaled into the lungs. Others gain entry through broken skin.

4. Parasites:

Parasites that cause infection enter the body either from food, water or an insect bite. Infection also occurs when contaminated hands touch a break in the skin (for example when changing a nappy). They cause illnesses such as malaria, tapeworm infection and trichomoniasis.

Transmission of infectious diseases?

The most common means of transmission of infectious diseases are:

  • Contact: i.e., direct touching or coming in close contact with someone infected. This is the most common means by which infectious agents pass from person to person. This could also be from contact with an infected object such as a doorknob or telephone.
  • Droplets: Germs that can remain in the air for some time when someone coughs or sneezes, or when a baby cries, for example.
  • Airborne: Germs carried in the air over long distances and time. Agents like TB, chickenpox and measles are air-borne diseases.
  • Fecal-oral Route: Fecal-oral transmission occurs if faeces from an infected person are ingested by another person directly or via contaminated food or water sources.
  • Vector-borne Diseases: These are diseases transmitted by insects (mosquitoes), animals (rats), etc., that transmit infectious agents through their bites, salivae, urine, etc., such as malaria, dengue fever, plague and yellow fever.
  • Indirect contact: with contaminated surfaces: Infectious agents can survive on environmental surfaces such as toilet seats, door handles and telephones. If you touch the contaminated surface and then rub your eyes or nose, you run the risk of contracting an infection.

How do avoid transmitting?

To avoid transmitting infectious diseases:

  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
  • If you are sick, stay home from work and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
  • Practice other good health habits like cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe

In summary, you can follow the simple guidelines provided here to avoid transmitting infectious diseases in your dental office, and hopefully you won’t have to worry about them.