COMMUNICABLE DISEASES FOR SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTION
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Infectious diseases account for about 17 million of the 52 million deaths per year in the world (WHO, 1996,). From the average yearly total of 11 million deaths among children under age 5 in developing countries, about 9 million are attributed to infectious diseases. Most of these deaths, if not all, can be prevented through immunization programs and health education about the modes of transmission, and methods of prevention and control. I have written this book out of total motivation and challenge, that I had as a Student Nurse on Community rotation in Bamenda, Cameroon. The challenge was that, during a health talk in Bambui community in 1979, the villagers believed firmly that intestinal parasites (worms) were part of the human body and that humans cannot survive without worms. I took this as a personal challenge to pursue education to be a professional health educator and to do something about the prevention of communicable diseases.
This textbook, “Communicable Diseases for School and Community Health Promotion”, is a dream come true, and focuses on both school and community and is intended to provide health students and professionals, especially health educators and epidemiologists the necessary information to be able to educate people about the transmission and control of infectious diseases. The modality for the description of communicable diseases is intended to be easy reading for lay people and non-health professionals and quick revision for students of epidemiology.
As a textbook, it is intended for adoption and use in introductory courses in infectious diseases epidemiology and communicable diseases in colleges, Schools of Public Health, Schools of Nursing, Departments of Health Education and Health Promotion, Schools of Community Health, Health Sciences Centers, and Schools of Tropical Medicine. All Students would find the book very useful for quick and easy revision of terms and concepts and easy description of infectious diseases. The book is also written for easy reading by non-health students and non-health professionals who want to educate themselves about the over 132 communicable diseases discussed. The non copy-righted images and photographs give a pictorial flare to the diseases. My deepest appreciation to the various sources from where I obtained the photographs.
Included also are professional recommendations by other reputed health education professionals such as Dr. Dan R Denson of McNeese State University, a respected health education professional in Louisiana, Dr. Mohammad Torabi of Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana.
Furthermore, the book is organized into sections with related chapters to simplify the study of communicable diseases and the understanding of infectious disease epidemiology terms and concepts. Sections cover basic principles of epidemiology; vital statistics and rates and ratios used in epidemiology; principles and practice of immunization; viruses and viral infections; bacteria and bacterial infections; infectious diseases caused by fungi, protozoa, and metazoa; major sexually transmissible infections. A Chapter covers a cluster of communicable diseases classified according to infectious agent and mode of transmission. An example of the classification approach is, viral diseases transmitted through respiratory tract. There are questions for review for each Chapter and there is a sectional bibliography for further references. Finally there are four links provided for further reading about each disease from other sources. The review questions are recommended for essay examination questions and reading guide for students. Also, each disease discussed has its assigned latest international classification of diseases (ICD)-Clinical modification number.
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About the Book
Get ready to explore the fascinating terrain of infectious diseases that includes The Hot Zone by Richard Preston (best seller on the Ebola outbreak), Strafford-Belmont Hotel in Philadelphia (Legionnaires disease outbreak), Jack-in the Box fast-food restaurants, Lyme Disease, Connecticut (tick-borne infection), Jim Hinson (famous puppeteer killed by streptococcal infection).
About the Author
The author and editor, Martin Ayong Ayim, was born in Ngwenjin village in the Azem Clan of Widikum in Cameroon. He studied at Federal Bilingual Grammar School Yaounde and Nursing School Bamenda. He was admitted into Indiana University Bloomington in 1984 where he graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Public Health Administration in 1987, and a Masters of Public Health with emphasis in Community Health Education in 1989. Thereafter, he was admitted into Texas A & M University for the doctoral program where he graduated in 1993 with a Ph. D. in Health education. He is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) in the USA. Furthermore he is a grant writer and publisher of many scholarly articles in National and International Journals of Health Education. He was employed at Grambling State University of Louisiana where he was promoted to Professor of Health Education. He successfully developed the Bs Kinesiology Health Promotion where he serves as Senior Academic Advisor. He earned the Dr. Eddie Robinson, Snr Endowed Professorship in the Department. He won the Health Educator of the Year in the State of Louisiana by the Louisiana Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (LAHPERD) in 2004. He also won the LAHPERD Ethnic Minority Award in 2005. Ayim is an active member of many professional organizations at local, national, and international levels. He has edited and written books in community health promotion, and published articles in the State and International Journals of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. He developed the INDICATE Model, a culture-based Model for Community health promotion program planning. His career objectives are to: teach health education content and process in an Institution of Higher Learning and write grants for external funding; conduct extensive health education-related research in Cameroon an/or in other developing countries of Africa; work with the World Health Organization Regional Office in Africa or with any International or Regional Health 679 Education Institute for Africa; and to write and publish professional articles and textbooks for the enhancement of health education and the control of infectious diseases in developing countries. Finally, Ayim provides leadership in the health education profession, academia, and society. He served as President of Delta SOPHE Chapter (www.deltasophe.org) of the Tristate-Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama from 2008-2010. He served as Vice-President of the Association for Professional Health Educators of the State of Louisiana (APHELA), Vice President of Health, LAHPERD; and member of Lions Club Ruston, and Rotary Club Ruston. He was Voted Community Service Faculty Member of the Year of Grambling State University in 2007.