Protect Yourself

Learn these healthy habits to protect yourself from disease and prevent germs and infectious diseases from spreading.
1. Handle & Prepare Food Safely
Food can carry germs. Wash hands, utensils, and surfaces often when preparing any food, especially raw meat. Always wash
fruits and vegetables. Cook and keep foods at proper temperatures. Don't leave food out - refrigerate promptly.
2. Wash Hands Often
3. Clean & Disinfect Commonly Used Surfaces
Germs can live on surfaces. Cleaning with soap and water is usually enough. However, you should disinfect your bathroom and
kitchen regularly. Disinfect other areas if someone in the house is ill. You can use an EPA certified disinfectant (look for the EPA
registration number on the label), bleach solution, or rubbing alcohol.
4. Cough & Sneeze Into Your Sleeve
5. Don't Share Personal Items
Avoid sharing personal items that can't be disinfected, like toothbrushes and razors, or sharing towels between washes. Needles
should never be shared, should only be used once, and then thrown away properly.
6. Get Vaccinated
Vaccines can prevent many infectious diseases. There are vaccines for children and adults designed to provide protection
against many communicable diseases. There are also vaccines that are recommended or required for travel to certain parts of
the world. Our Immunization Program can advise you on immunizations and clinics where you to get needed shots.
7. Avoid Touching Wild Animals
Be cautious around wild animals as they can spread infectious diseases to you and your pets.
8. Stay Home When Sick
I Whack Germs
Try this fun way of remembering the most important steps to staying well.

I Immunizations are important to protect you from diseases

W Wash your hands often with soap and water.
H Home is where you stay when you are sick.
A Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth –especially when you are sick.
C Cover your coughs and sneezes so you do not spread germs to others.
K Keep your distance from sick people so you don’t get sick too.
What is a communicable disease?
A communicable disease is one that is spread from one person to another through a variety of ways that include: contact with
blood and bodily fluids; breathing in an airborne virus; or by being bitten by an insect.
Reporting of cases of communicable disease is important in the planning and evaluation of disease prevention and control
programs, in the assurance of appropriate medical therapy, and in the detection of common-source outbreaks. California law
mandates healthcare providers and laboratories to report over 80 diseases or conditions to their local health department. Some
examples of the reportable communicable diseases include Hepatitis A, B & C, influenza, measles, and salmonella and other
food borne illnesses.

How do these communicable diseases spread?

How these diseases spread depends on the specific disease or infectious agent. Some ways in which communicable diseases
spread are by:
physical contact with an infected person, such as through touch (staphylococcus), sexual intercourse (gonorrhea, HIV),
fecal/oral transmission (hepatitis A), or droplets (influenza, TB)
contact with a contaminated surface or object (Norwalk virus), food (salmonella, E. coli), blood (HIV, hepatitis B), or water
(cholera);
bites from insects or animals capable of transmitting the disease (mosquito: malaria and yellow fever; flea: plague); and
travel through the air, such as tuberculosis or measles.
Overview

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 insects or other animals. And you may get others by
consuming contaminated food or water or being exposed to organisms in the environment.

Signs and symptoms vary depending on the organism causing the infection, but often include fever and fatigue. Mild infections may respond to rest and
home remedies, while some life-threatening infections may need hospitalization.

Many infectious diseases, such as measles and chickenpox, can be prevented by vaccines. Frequent and thorough hand-washing also helps protect you
from most infectious diseases.

Symptoms

Each infectious disease has its own specific signs and symptoms. General signs and symptoms common to a number of infectious

diseases include:

 Fever
 Diarrhea
 Fatigue
 Muscle aches
 Coughing
Causes
Infectious diseases can be caused by:

 Bacteria. These one-cell organisms are responsible for illnesses such as strep throat, urinary tract infections and tuberculosis.
 Viruses. Even smaller than bacteria, viruses cause a multitude of diseases ranging from the common cold to AIDS.
 Fungi. Many skin diseases, such as ringworm and athlete's foot, are caused by fungi. Other types of fungi can infect your
lungs or nervous system.
 Parasites. Malaria is caused by a tiny parasite that is transmitted by a mosquito bite. Other parasites may be transmitted to
humans from animal feces.

Complications

Most infectious diseases have only minor complications. But some infections — such as pneumonia, AIDS and meningitis — can
become life-threatening. A few types of infections have been linked to a long-term increased risk of cancer:

 Human papillomavirus is linked to cervical cancer

 Helicobacter pylori is linked to stomach cancer and peptic ulcers
 Hepatitis B and C have been linked to liver cancer
In addition, some infectious diseases may become silent, only to appear again in the future — sometimes even decades later. For
example, someone who's had chickenpox may develop shingles much later in life.