Chapter 5
Health and Diseases
Abstract Everyday activities have a significant impact on the spread of diseases.
This is particularly attributed to climate change. Thus, understanding the role played
by climate change in the spread of diseases is crucial to understand the most
viable ways of managing them. With increased negative impacts on climate change
on disease spread, it is crucial also to understand the green ways of not only
managing but also preventing diseases. This chapter discusses the communicable
and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the role of sustainability in managing
them. Disease prevention and control mechanisms, particularly the sustainable
mechanisms, are also deeply explored. To enhance understanding of substance and
drug abuse, the role of sustainability in drug abuse is further examined. Sustainable
methods of preventing drug use are then explored. In this chapter, real-life examples,
case studies, an experiment, and the individual matter of Salome Karwah have been
used for enhancing understanding of the concepts and aspects presented.
Keywords Communicable diseases · Non-communicable diseases · Drug abuse ·
Salome Karwah · Green health
5.1 Diseases
The term disease refers to any condition that prevents the body from functioning
normally. Consequently, diseases impair the health of the body by affecting its
normal homeostatic processes. This term has been used for referring to infectious
diseases that are attributed to pathogenic microbial agents, such as fungi, aberrant
proteins, bacteria, and protozoa. Any infection that may not lead to clinically evident
impairment of the normal functioning of the body is not perceived as a disease. In
this section, the focus will mainly be on diseases brought about by climate change.
Prior to discussing this, it is worth noting that the major types of diseases are
infectious, non-infectious, acquired, chronic, acute, congenital, genetic, hereditary,
idiopathic, primary, terminal, and secondary disease. In this chapter, the discussion
will mainly be limited to diseases spread by climate change.
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
A. A. Akinsemolu, The Principles of Green and Sustainability Science,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2493-6_5
111
Health and Diseases
Abstract Everyday activities have a significant impact on the spread of diseases.
This is particularly attributed to climate change. Thus, understanding the role played
by climate change in the spread of diseases is crucial to understand the most
viable ways of managing them. With increased negative impacts on climate change
on disease spread, it is crucial also to understand the green ways of not only
managing but also preventing diseases. This chapter discusses the communicable
and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the role of sustainability in managing
them. Disease prevention and control mechanisms, particularly the sustainable
mechanisms, are also deeply explored. To enhance understanding of substance and
drug abuse, the role of sustainability in drug abuse is further examined. Sustainable
methods of preventing drug use are then explored. In this chapter, real-life examples,
case studies, an experiment, and the individual matter of Salome Karwah have been
used for enhancing understanding of the concepts and aspects presented.
Keywords Communicable diseases · Non-communicable diseases · Drug abuse ·
Salome Karwah · Green health
5.1 Diseases
The term disease refers to any condition that prevents the body from functioning
normally. Consequently, diseases impair the health of the body by affecting its
normal homeostatic processes. This term has been used for referring to infectious
diseases that are attributed to pathogenic microbial agents, such as fungi, aberrant
proteins, bacteria, and protozoa. Any infection that may not lead to clinically evident
impairment of the normal functioning of the body is not perceived as a disease. In
this section, the focus will mainly be on diseases brought about by climate change.
Prior to discussing this, it is worth noting that the major types of diseases are
infectious, non-infectious, acquired, chronic, acute, congenital, genetic, hereditary,
idiopathic, primary, terminal, and secondary disease. In this chapter, the discussion
will mainly be limited to diseases spread by climate change.
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
A. A. Akinsemolu, The Principles of Green and Sustainability Science,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2493-6_5
111