It is better to prevent an ailment than to deal with the consequences. The phrase is the best suited to the prevention of diseases, especially of an infectious nature - influenza, SARS. This category includes a set of methods, measures, programs. All of them can be divided into two large categories - specific and non-specific prevention. In the article we will reveal the content, features of these groups, as well as analyze other important issues on the topic.
What is prevention?
Prevention in medicine is a set of measures that are aimed both at preventing the development of the disease and at stopping the spread of pathogenic microorganisms harmful to humans.
Prevention is divided into stages:
- Primary. Its purpose is to prevent the development of pathology. Measures affecting the occurrence and spread of pathogenic viruses.
- Secondary. Eliminate factors that contribute to the recurrence of pathology. It is carried out after diagnosing the symptoms of the disease.
Types of prevention
Medicalprevention is divided into two types:
- Specific. A means of combating infectious diseases, the purpose of which is to create immunity against them.
- Non-specific. General measures that affect the efficiency of the spread of a pathogenic agent.
Regarding specific preventive measures
Starting to study specific and non-specific prophylaxis. What is the first? It involves the introduction of a vaccine to protect the body of a child and an adult. Vaccination helps both to completely protect against infection with a particular disease, and in the course of any disease, to protect a person from serious complications.
Specific prevention is one of the most effective. In most cases, it involves the introduction of proteins of an attenuated virus. This contributes to the development of the body's defense, which will be resistant against a strong strain.
Specific prophylaxis is desirable and often mandatory for the following categories of people:
- Children and teenagers from 0.5 to 15 years old.
- Older people over 65.
- Medical staff, workers who have to contact with a large flow of people during the working day.
According to statistics, in 80% of cases, vaccination helps to completely protect oneself from the disease. Even if the virus enters the body and gains a foothold in it, the course of the disease will not be so severe, dangerous complications will not develop. On average (the specificity of a particular vaccination affects the period) after the introductionvaccines, immune protection is formed in 2 weeks.
Specific Prevention Category: Species
Specific prevention is further divided into three groups:
- Active. Introduction to the body of the vaccine. These are living, killed microorganisms, their parts. The body produces antibodies against them on its own.
- Passive. Serum injection of ready-made antibodies.
- Active-passive. A combination of the first two forms.
Regarding non-specific protection
What is non-specific prophylaxis? This includes other drugs that also help the body fight infection. These are the following groups of funds:
- Immunobiological drugs.
- Antivirals.
- Preparations of a chemical nature.
Doctors recommend purchasing such funds in advance and always keep them at hand - in the first-aid kit. However, only the attending physician should help with the choice of a specific prophylactic drug, its dosage, frequency of use!
Other non-specific prevention measures
Non-specific prophylaxis is not only medicines. This includes he alth, sanitary, hygiene procedures that are accessible to everyone, easy to remember and implement. Surely you know them since childhood:
- Regularly wash your hands with soap and water after the street, toilet procedures, work, play. Anddefinitely - before eating!
- Use only personal hygiene items - toothbrush, washcloth, towels, napkins, combs, etc.
- For hygiene procedures outside the home (say, before eating at a picnic), purchase wet sanitary napkins, antibacterial products in advance.
- Non-specific disease prevention - do not touch your mouth and nose unnecessarily, do not bite your nails, do not keep fingers and foreign objects in your mouth. In this way, you directly deliver viruses to a favorable environment for them.
- Ventilate your living space regularly. In the warm season, it is recommended to keep the windows open all the time - especially during sleep.
- A home humidifier will be an excellent purchase - it will save the latter from dryness, which is typical for the heating season.
- Follow the classic principles of daily routine, wake, sleep, work and rest.
- Your menu should always include fresh fruits and vegetables, freshly squeezed fruit juices, herbal teas and fruit drinks.
- Hardening will also be useful. However, this measure of non-specific prevention of infectious diseases is still worth resorting to in the warm season.
- Refer to folk methods - vitamin fruit drinks from berries, herbal decoctions, infusions, etc.
We have outlined only general non-specific preventive measures. However, for the formation of the body's defense against viruses, individual measures are more good. It is better to develop them together with your doctor.
How does an infection get into the body?
Specific measures of non-specific disease prevention depend on the way in which this or that infection can enter the body. Based on this, doctors recommend the most appropriate method of protection.
Acute and chronic infections can enter the human body in several ways:
- Transmissive. This is how malaria, encephalitis, and typhus are transmitted.
- Contact (household). This is the way of infection with scabies, tetanus, herpes.
- Fecal-oral. This is a way of contracting such dangerous diseases as dysentery, diphtheria, enterocolitis.
- Airborne. Measles, tuberculosis, SARS, influenza, whooping cough, rubella.
We will consider each path in detail.
Prevention of airborne infection
Non-specific prophylaxis of tuberculosis, as we noted above, would fall into this category. Let's look at all the measures to counter infections that are transmitted by airborne droplets:
- Systematic hardening.
- Physically active.
- Regular ventilation, disinfection (for example, periodic wet cleaning) of the living space.
- During epidemics (most of all it concerns the flu) when going out, do not forget to protect yourself with a fresh cotton-gauze bandage.
- Before visiting somewhere, do not forget to treat the mucous membrane of the oropharynx and nose with a special antiseptic agent - especially for children. You can use drugs widely presented in pharmacies -"Miramistin", "Aquamaris" and the like.
- Remember to follow the basic rules of personal hygiene.
- If you are being treated for an acute or chronic form of a respiratory viral infection, try not to visit crowded places - take care of others.
Non-specific prophylaxis of influenza, ARVI - these are separate medical devices:
- Sprays, ointments. "Oxolin", "Viferon", "Nazaval".
- Means to restore the functions of a weakened immune system. "Genferon", "Arbidol", "Aflubin", etc.
Prevention of fecal-oral contamination
To help resist these diseases can be simple measures. Non-specific prevention of infections of this type is as follows:
- After toilet procedures, as well as before eating, do not forget to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
- When buying a product, always pay attention to its expiration date.
- Don't let raw food and cooked food come into contact with each other. Store these products in separate containers, containers.
- Before consumption, a number of products require complete heat treatment. It's meat, fish, eggs.
- Fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs must be thoroughly washed under running water (preferably with baking soda).
- Your food should not be kept in the refrigerator for more than 3 days.
- It is best to prepare meals ina small amount, counting on the fact that you will eat them completely for breakfast, dinner or lunch.
- You should only drink boiled water! A good substitute would be bottled, but only from a reliable supplier.
As for medicines, experts recommend using Enterosgel, Smecta and similar drugs to prevent fecal-oral infections.
Prevention of contact-household infection
Measures of a non-specific type of prevention will also be simple here:
- Get meticulous care of those things, places in the house that are used by several people at once. These are dishes, cutlery, kitchen towels, bathrooms, shower rooms, etc.
- Remove casual sex from your lifestyle.
- Try to visit public baths, saunas, beaches, water parks with caution. According to statistics, most people get infected with various contact-household infections right here.
- Keep some simple personal hygiene practices.
There are no specific preventive medications for this category. As a rule, individual therapy is prescribed by a specialist only when a specific infection has been contracted.
Prevention of vector-borne infections
Again, a number of simple safety rules are proposed:
- The transmission route is most often the transmission of infection through insects. Therefore, walks in nature, in the forest belt and even parks must be carefullyplan - wear protective clothing, regularly inspect yourself and companions, use insect repellent sprays, etc.
- Do not travel to equatorial countries with a small child or immunocompromised person.
- Keep a he althy lifestyle, follow simple rules of hygiene - so as not to weaken the immune defense.
- Separate rules - for pregnant women. If an infectious disease is diagnosed in a future woman in labor, then the birth of a child should be planned using a caesarean section. This will save the baby from possible infection.
Now you know what non-specific prevention of SARS and more serious diseases is. But do not forget about the specific as more effective.
