For a while, I have been writing on disease types that have gone into extinction, aside from that, it has been a long journey writing on infections and diseases, so the aim of this writing is to write on the stages and spread process of infections. Infection happens when an organism which could be in form of a virus, bacteria, parasites, or fungi invades the body impairing the person's health. In so many cases, an infection could be spread from one person to another either directly or indirectly, it also varies across either a simple case to a complex one.
Not every case of infection leads to disease, but some can actually trigger the immune system, therefore creating different symptoms of illnesses, infection is usually in five stages, we have the; incubation phase, the prodromal phase, the illness phase, the decline phase, and the convalescence phase.
Source
Incubation phase: This is the stage of exposure to infection, the replication of bacteria or viruses happens during the incubation stage. There is no exact time for incubation, as it varies based on the infection. For example, the flu virus will incubate for 1-4 days, but symptoms would begin to show right from the second day, and hepatitis B will take between 1.5-6 months for incubation.
Prodromal phase: This is the stage after incubation and before the displayed symptoms of the infection begin to show, it is also possible for infections to be transmitted at this stage. During the prodromal stage, the infectious agent keeps replicating, and it triggers the body's immune response, at this point, mild symptoms like fatigue, and low-grade fever will be noticed and just like the first stage of infection which is the incubation phase, the duration is highly dependent on the infection type.
Illness phase: This is the clinical or the illness phase, this stage comes with apparent symptoms of infectious disease, and the symptoms are highly dependent on the underlying cause. People who have active infections would have common experiences like; muscle aches, headaches, fever, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.
In the case of respiratory infections like the common cold or influenza, experienced symptoms such as; sore throat, runny nose, difficulty breathing, constant cough, and sneezing are common symptoms. Gastrointestinal infections on the other hand can cause symptoms like; nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting, and loss of appetite.
Duration stage: The exact time frame depends on infection types, the number of infectious microbes that have gained access into the body of the infected person, as well as the strength of the person's immune system.
Decline phase: At the decline stage, the immune system successfully mounts a defense against the pathogens as well as the number of other infectious particles decreases, symptoms will gradually improve at this stage, but an infected person could also develop secondary infections during this stage if the primary infection has gotten their immune system, but there is still a possibility of infection transfer at this stage.
Convalescence phase: This is the final stage of the infection, during this phase, the system resolves itself and the individual can get back to their normal function. Depending on how severe the infection is, there is a possibility of getting permanent damage after that cycle.
Speaking of bacteria, did you know that bacteria can survive within the body but outside individual cells, some bacteria that are classified as aerobes, will require oxygen for growth while the other types which are usually found in the small intestines of healthy people, grow only in the absence of oxygen, so they are called anaerobes. A good number of bacterial species give off toxins that in turn get to damage tissues, as they are surrounded by a capsule that plays an important role in their ability to produce diseases.
Viruses, on the other hand, are not basically living organisms, rather, they are nucleic acid fragments that are packaged with protein coats, requiring the machinery of living cells for their replication. Vaccination has proven to be the most successful weapon against viral infections.
So many skin diseases are triggered by fungi, skin diseases like ringworm on the foot of an athlete, there are however other types of fungal infections can affect the lungs or nervous system.
A very good example of a Parasitic infection is a mosquito through a mosquito bite, but parasites can also be transmitted to humans through human feces.
One very good way of getting an infectious disease is through coming in contact with a person or an animal that has the infection, let's analyze some of the scenarios of transmission;
From one person to another, this happens when a person with bacteria or virus kisses, sneezes, touches, or coughs on a person who is not infected. It is possible for the germs to spread through the exchange of body fluid through sexual contact, the person spreading the disease may not even show symptoms but could be a carrier.
From an animal to a person, this is possible after a bite or scratch of an infected animal to a human, even a pet who is a carrier of the infection can make you sick, handling animal waste without appropriate measures can also lead to the spread of the infection.
From mother to an unborn child, is another way an infection can spread, a pregnant woman may pass germs causing infectious diseases to her unborn child, some can pass through to the unborn child through the placenta and others through breast milk whilst the child is growing, others through the vagina can be transmitted to the child during delivery.
Source
While we have listed out the possibilities of having the spread of infection through direct processes, there are transfer processes that are indirect also. Many organisms that cause diseases can also be transferred through indirect contact, several germs can survive on inanimate objects like a tablespoon, door handles, and faucet handles, so germs can be picked up from these surfaces. Some germs depend solely on insect carriers like ticks, fleas, mosquitos, or lice, moving from one host to another, these carriers are what we call vectors. Commonly, we know that mosquitoes carry the malaria parasite and deer ticks could carry Lyme disease.
Contaminated food/water can also cause infection indirectly, this transmission method gives room for germs to spread to a lot of people just from one source.
There is a greater chance of having an infectious disease if your immune system is not very strong, regardless of this, anyone can catch the infection. Having a weak immune system will happen; with the presence of HIV/AIDS, the presence of some cancer types or disorders that affects the immune system, and the intake of medications that suppress the immune system.
Minor complications are common for most infectious diseases, but infections like; pneumonia, meningitis, and AIDS can be really life-threatening.
These tips will help in the decline in the spread of infections if we follow them accordingly;
Wash your hands before preparing food, before eating, and after using the toilet, washing your hands is not just with water only but with soap and water, also try not to touch your eyes, your nose, or your mouth with your hands, as this is a common way to attract germs into your body.
Vaccination can also reduce drastically your chances of contracting so many diseases, ensure to keep the date on recommended vaccination and not miss out.
Try not to go to work while you are vomiting, or having diarrhea, try to take treatments and rest appropriately.
Always make use of protection especially if your partner has a history of sexually transmitted infections.
Kitchen surfaces and cooking areas have to be kept very clean.
Personal items like your toothbrush, your comb, or other personal items should not be shared.
Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, using appropriate antibiotics depends solely on the bacteria that causes the infection. Most viral infections can be managed through over-the-counter medications, fungi infections can be treated with anti-fungal medications. There is also a case of infection that turns out to be highly severe, and that is Antibiotic Resistance, this is when bacteria develop mutations that make it difficult for medicines to destroy them, but that is a different topic on its own.
Conclusion.
The process of infection happens in five (5) stages, the incubation stage is after exposure and before the development of symptoms, this stage ranges from hours to days, weeks, months, and even years. The next stage is the prodromal stage which often comes with mild and nonspecific symptoms. The illness stage is when the infected person begins to show symptoms of infections, the decline stage is when infectious microbes decline and symptoms resolve, while the final stage is convalescence, during this stage, the symptoms would disappear and the body begins to recover.