00498 - Hygiene

Learning outcomes

The course aims to help the students acquire basic knowledge of health defence/promotion and the prevention of diseases

Course contents

BASIC HEALTH DEMOGRAPHY.
Measuring the frequency of health events: birth rate, death rate, incidence and prevalence of diseases, lethality rate.

GENERAL EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INFECTIOUS AND PARASITIC DISEASES.
General epidemiology: general aspects. Reservoirs and sources of infection. Routes of entry and elimination of infective agents. Direct and indirect transmission (through inanimate vehicles and vectors) of infectious diseases. Ways in which diseases may appear in the population (sporadic, endemic, epidemic and pandemic). Natural disinfectants (exsiccation, sun light, temperature, vital competition, bacteriophagia).
epidemiological model of degenerative diseases.

BASIC GENERAL PREVENTION.
Aims and methods of prevention. Primary prevention, secondary prevention, tertiary prevention.

GENERAL PROPHYLAXIS FOR INFECTIOUS AND PARASITIC DISEASES.
Notification of infectious diseases, making diagnosis (direct and indirect); quarantine measures (isolation in hospital or at home, health surveillance).
Disinfection and sterilisation using physical methods (heat, ionised radiation, ultraviolet radiation, plasma gas). Disinfection using chemical methods: acids, alkalines, alcohols, aldehydes (formic and glutaric), halogens (chlorine and iodine), phenolcresolics, oxidants, chlorexidine, quaternary ammonium. Disinfection with chemical media in gaseous state (formic aldehyde, ethylene oxide). Some applications of disinfectants. Antiseptics.
Disinfestation; insecticides (pyretroids, organic chlorurates, phosphoric esters, carbamates); rodenticides.
Vaccine prophylaxis. Constitution, requisites, ways of administering vaccines; precautions and contraindications. Schedule for compulsory vaccines in newborns.
Seroprophylaxis. Immune sera of animals, human immunoglobulins (normal and specific). Chemoprophylaxis.
Principal rules of indirect prophylaxis.

ETIOLOGY, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PROPHYLAXIS OF INFECTIOUS AND PARASITIC DISEASES.
Infectious diseases transmitted mainly by air (influenza, meningococcal meningitis, pertussis, rubella); infectious diseases with oral-fecal transmission (hepatitis A and E); infectious diseases with direct haematic and/or sexual transmission (aids, hepatitis B,C, D); diseases transmitted by vectors (Lyme's disease); zoonosis (tetanus).
Hospital infections.
Oxyuriasis, scabies, pediculosis.

EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PREVENTION OF CERTAIN NON INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Chronic bronchopneumopathies, ischemic cardiopathies, diabetes, malignant tumours.
 
FOOD HYGIENE.  
Foodborne diseases: Clostridium botulinum, salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens.

Readings/Bibliography

BARBUTI S., FARA GM., BELLELLI E., GIAMMANCO G., CARDUCCI A., CONIGLIO M.A., D'ALESSANDRO D., MONTAGNA M.T., TANZI M.L., ZOTTI C.M. 
Igiene - Monduzzi Ed., Bologna (2011).

SIGNORELLI C.
Igiene, Epidemiologia, Sanità pubblica - SEU, Roma (2009).

Teaching methods

Formal lectures

Assessment methods

Oral exam

Teaching tools

Video projector, PC, overhead projector

Office hours

See the website of Franca Zanetti