Which of the following pairs of a disease and a measure for its prevention and control is correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Pneumonia – Avoiding close contact with infected persons or their belongings
The measure that works best depends on how the disease spreads. For food- and water-borne diseases (typhoid, amoebiasis, ascariasis), personal and public hygiene matter most. For air-borne diseases (pneumonia, common cold), close contact with infected persons or their belongings should also be avoided. For vector-borne diseases (malaria, filariasis), the vectors and their breeding places must be controlled.
Option (1) Common cold – Control of vectors and their breeding places — Incorrectly matched. Common cold is an air-borne viral disease. It does not spread through insect vectors, so vector control does not apply.
Option (2) Malaria – Avoiding close contact with infected persons or their belongings — Incorrectly matched. Malaria spreads through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. Its most important control measure is to control or eliminate the vectors and their breeding places.
Option (3) Typhoid – Use of mosquito nets and wire mesh on doors and windows — Incorrectly matched. Typhoid spreads through food and water contaminated with Salmonella typhi. Mosquito nets and wire mesh keep out mosquitoes, not this pathogen; clean water and food and public hygiene are the measures.
Option (4) Pneumonia – Avoiding close contact with infected persons or their belongings — Correctly matched. Pneumonia is an air-borne disease, so besides hygiene, close contact with infected persons or their belongings should be avoided.
NCERT Extract:
Common Diseases in Humans – “… These measures are particularly essential where the infectious agents are transmitted through food and water such as typhoid, amoebiasis and ascariasis. In cases of air-borne diseases such as pneumonia and common cold, in addition to the above measures, close contact with the infected persons or their belongings should be avoided. For diseases such as malaria and filariasis that are transmitted through insect vectors, the most important measure is to control or eliminate the vectors and their breeding places.”