Education Journalist | Study Abroad Lead
Endemic Diseases are a type of infectious diseases that are permanently present at a constant level in a society or a country. Every country may have a distinctive endemic disease that can be transmitted to a person outside its boundaries when he/she visits that country. Therefore proper preventive measures should be adopted to curb the spread of these infectious diseases. The people should be made aware as well as responsible enough to make sure that he tries to limit that transmission as much as possible. However, it is important to keep in mind that some diseases are out of control and cannot be prevented by mankind.
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Key Terms: Endemic Diseases, Epidemic, Bacteria, Viruses, Hygiene, Immunity, Microbes, Malaria, Dengue, Infectious Diseases, Hepatitis
What are Endemic Diseases?
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Endemic diseases are communicable diseases that are present within a geographical area, location or region with no external inputs. These occur in a stable pattern and affect a majority of the population in that area. For instance, Malaria is an endemic in tropical regions like in some parts of Africa. Hepatitis B has higher endemicity in Africa and Asia than in Europe and North America.
Read More: Dengue Fever Symptoms
Examples of Endemic Diseases
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A few examples of diseases endemic to a particular region are as follows:
Malaria
Plasmodium, a tiny protozoan is responsible for the spreading of Malaria. Plasmodium enters the human body as sporozoites (present in their salivary glands) through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. The parasites initially feed on liver cells as their host and multiply. After that, they attack the red blood cells (RBCs) resulting in their rupture. When malaria parasites have affected over 5% of the red blood cells, the common symptoms include severe anaemia blood in the urine and impaired consciousness.
Malaria is prevalent in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and the South Pacific.
Malaria
Dengue Fever
Like malaria, dengue is common in tropical and subtropical regions. However, it is transmitted through the Aedes mosquito which carries viruses that cause dengue fever.
Dengue
Chagas Disease
The Chagas disease is caused by a protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi transmitted by insect vectors. This disease is endemic in American regions like Mexico, South, and Central America where poverty is widespread. Chagas disease is divided into the acute
phase, asymptomatic intermediate phase, and chronic phase- the most fatal one.
Chagas Disease
African Sleeping Sickness
Another disease spread by a protozoan parasite is African Sleeping Sickness. Microscopic parasites of the species Trypanosoma brucei are the causes of this disease. The disease is vector-borne and the symptoms include fever, joint pain, sweating, and headaches. As the name suggests it is widespread in Africa only.
Read More: Modes of Transmission of Diseases
Types of Endemic Diseases
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There are two types of endemic diseases namely:
- Hyperendemic Disease
- Hypoendemic Disease
The difference between both types is given below:
| Hyperendemic Diseases | Hypoendemic Diseases |
|---|---|
| The diseases are constantly present at high rates are called Hyperendemic diseases. | A high level of infection that begins in the early years of life is Hypoendemic disease. |
| These affect all the age groups equally. | It mostly affects the children and adult populations don’t show any traces generally. |
| Example: Dengue Fever | Example: Malaria |
Things to Remember
- The diseases that are widespread and restricted only in a certain area, location or region are called endemic diseases.
- Some of the most prevalent endemic diseases in the world are the flu, malaria, HIV, and syphilis.
- Endemic diseases are of two types, Hyperendemic diseases and hypoendemic diseases and affect the population in different ways.
- Awareness, sanitization, and immunization are some of the preventive measures that can be taken to cure endemic diseases.
Read More: Diseases MCQs
Sample Questions
Ques. Suggest three ways to control Endemic diseases. (3 Marks)
Ans. Three ways to control endemic diseases are as follows:
- Improved Sanitization: Contaminated water and the environment can be important factors in the transmission of diseases. So it is necessary that people are provided with pure water, proper methods of solid and liquid waste disposal and a hygienic environment.
- Awareness: People must be educated in terms of what are diseases, their causes, prevention and treatment.
- Immunization: Through the process of immunization the immune system stimulates to generate the needed antibodies. These play a significant role in the prevention of many diseases such as Tuberculosis, Measles, tetanus, and many more.
Ques. State reasons why adolescents get addicted to drugs and alcohol. (3 Marks)
Ans. There can be many reasons why adolescents get addicted to drugs: Some of the reasons are written below
- Curiosity
- Adventure and Experimentation
- Stress or as an escape from tough situations
- Peer Pressure
- Unsupportive family structures or dysfunctional families
- Failures in life
Ques. What are the four types of barriers to innate immunity. (4 Marks)
Ans. Innate immunity is present since birth in any living organism. The four types of Innate immunity are
- Physical Barriers: Skin, Mucus coating of the epithelium lining the respiratory, gastrointestinal and urogenital tracts are the barriers in the human body which prevent the entry of various microorganisms.
- Physiological Barriers: These barriers include acid in the stomach, saliva in the mouth, tears from the eyes, etc.,
- Cellular Barriers: Leukocytes (WBC) of our body like polymorpho-nuclear leukocytes (PMNL-neutrophils), 151 monocytes and natural killer (type of lymphocytes) in the blood are certain types of Celulial Barriers that can destroy microbes from entering our bodies.
- Cytokine Barriers: Virus-infected cells in the body secrete proteins called Interferons to protect the non-infected cells from further viral infection.
Ques. What are Cannabinoids? (3 Marks)
Ans. Cannabinoids are a group of chemicals obtained from the inflorescences of the plant Cannabis Sativa and are used to produce marijuana, hashish, charas and ganja. These interact with cannabinoid receptors present in the brain, thus affecting the cardiovascular system of the body. Acquired from the flower tops, leaves and the resin of the cannabis plant these are generally consumed by inhalation and oral ingestion.
Ques. Write the full form of the following abbreviations: (3 Marks)
(a) MALT
(b) CMI
(c) AIDS
(d) NACO
(e) HIV
Ans. The full form of the following abbreviations is
- MALT- Mucosa Associated Lymphoid Tissue
- CMI- Cell-Mediated Immunity
- AIDS- Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
- NACO- National AIDS Control Organization
- HIV- Human immunodeficiency virus infection
Ques. What is passive immunity? Write an example. (3 Marks)
Ans. The process of giving ready-made antibodies directly to protect the body against foreign agents is called passive immunity. For example, mother’s milk is considered very essential for the newborn infant as the mother secretes yellowish fluid colostrum during the initial days of lactation. It has more than enough antibodies (IgA) to protect the infant.
Ques. Who are the people most likely to get affected by AIDS? (3 Marks)
Ans. The people who are most likely to get affected by AIDS are
- Those who have multiple sexual partners
- Drug addicts who take drugs intravenously
- Individuals who require repeated blood transfusions
- Children born to an HIV infected mother.
Ques. Write the differences Between Endemics And Epidemics. (3 Marks)
Ans. An epidemic is a disease that affects a large number of people within a community, population, or region whereas an Endemic is something that belongs to a particular people or country only. For example, COVID 19 was an epidemic in China and became a pandemic due to its sudden outbreak. However, Malaria is endemic to parts of Africa.
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