Contagious and non-contagious diseases

Dr. Joel Akande

At the time of writing this article, several thousands of people have died and may indeed yet die from a very contagious (communicable) and extremely infectious illness occasioned by corona virus (COVID-19).

A disease can be contagious or non-contagious (non-communicable). Most often, a contagious disease is infectious such as viral diseases, yeast and bacterial illnesses. Except through direct blood transfusion or laying of such parasite on a person, parasite such as malaria may not be directly contagious. Yeasts or fungus can be contagious.

In some of these communicable illnesses, you don’t have to be in direct contact with the carrier before you get it. Examples are air-borne diseases. Most viruses and parasites fall into this category. In some cases, the carrier may spew the bacteria into the air as we know in tuberculosis and coronavirus or influenza virus.  The next person only need to inhale the spewed agents to get ill.

Parasites may require a carrier such as mosquitoes or you may get the parasite from source such as in food, in water and soil. Yet, in some occasions, a direct contact to the body or skin, body fluid, blood or sex with the victim may be required: Ebola, Lassa fever, cholera, gonorrhea, syphilis, leprosy, and indeed all sexually transmitted diseases as examples of such direct contact.

In this category also are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B and C Viruses. Typhoid is very common in our environment. Yet, typhoid can be spewed into our food, spread by food handler. Typhoid may be transmitted through our water but you may not get typhoid merely by hugging a typhoid diseases sufferer.

A non-contagious illness though is one that does not require that one be in contact with the carrier victim before the disease develops. Example is hypertension, diabetes, arthritis and say heart failure.

Another important example is cancer. Merely touching a cancer patient does not imply that you will get it. Alcohol related diseases or substance misuse illnesses do not require that the illness jump from one person to the other upon contact with the victim. Mental health illness is not communicable. It’s not infectious.

Meanwhile, accidents at home and on the road and work places are non-contagious. If you accidently fell while at work, you cannot blame it on a virus or bacteria. What does it mean then to contract a disease?  Anyone at any time may contract either or both contagious or non-contagious diseases. To “contract” means to develop a disease regardless of the class of the illness.

Prevention: This explanation has been put forward as the approach to dealing with contagious illness is different from non-contagious one. Considering that contagious illness are often infectious, unless you get into the proximity of sufferer such as tuberculosis, influenza or coronavirus, you may not get it.

Also, as some contagious diseases require direct contact as in say sexually transmitted diseases or contact with body fluid and blood of sufferers, you may not get these diseases if you stay out of their way. If you also stay out of the air, water and soil that contains these agents of diseases, you may also avoid getting ill.

In some occasions, a thoroughly cooked food is all you need. Clean water could also prevent the illnesses. Wash your fruits before eating them may prevent relevant infectious diseases. For non-contagious illnesses, it may be important that you pay close attention to how you acquire your daily energy and how you expend your energy.

Once you get your energy which is contained in your food, you should endeavour to expend the said energy to prevent heart, kidney diseases and high blood pressures. Thus, your intake, storage and energy output should balance if you are to avoid non-communicable, non-contagious metabolic diseases. Travel Advice and more information are available in World Health Organisation offices or their websites, respective state and federal ministries of health.

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