7.

Strategies to prevent + control disease

QUARANTINE Quarantine: isolation of suspected animals, plants or humans that may transmit an infectious disease.

The role of Quarantine in preventing spread of disease

Protects the health of the human, animal and plant populations of Australia. (animal + plant = native species + Aus agricultural crops from disease + pests) Preventing entry of foreign pests + contagious diseases into Australia. Quarantine laws prevent entry of items considered a risk. -> Imported animals period of isolation = to ensure no disease is present. -> Living plants isolated = ensure they arent carrying pests or suffering from any infectious diseases. -> Plant seeds examined = ensure no weed seeds are present. -> Used vehicles + agricultural machinery - inspected + cleaned = ensure no soil/plant matter enters Aus By ensuring no foreign pests + contagious diseases can enter = effectively prevents spread of exotic disease

(prohibit entry of plant + animal products, live animals + plants, food - unless permitted by authorities, ensuring they dont have any contagious disease or pest => preventing foreign disease + pests from entering + spreading) (Australias geographic isolation has been a natural barrier to many infectious diseases.)

The effectiveness of Quarantine in preventing the spread of plant + animal disease into/across regions of Australia

Australias strict quarantine laws = Australian plants + animals DO NOT have some of the serious disease found in other countries Such as; foot and mouth disease, mad cow disease and rabies.

Examples of diseases that have not entered Australia (prevented by Quarantine): 1) Foot and mouth disease: Highly contagious muscle-wasting disease of clover hoofed animals (cows, sheep, camels) Cause: air born virus. Symptoms: fever, dribbling, blisters in mouth, lips and feet. Carried by live animals + all associated meat + meat products + soil and equipment. Quarantine regulations: prevented the entry of this disease if an outbreak did occur, it would cost billions of dollars in loss.

2) Sorghum downy mildew: Caused: fungus; if released into Aus -> devastate wheat and other crops grown Inhibits plants ability to make chlorophyll -> death Quarantine measures: ban entry of any live plant material + strict examination of any seed

Overall, quarantine practices have been greatly effective. Due to the rigorous implementation of quarantine practices, most diseases and pests have not been brought to Australia.

Evidence of pathogens + insect pests in plant shoots and leaves

Insect pest: Citrus bug small brown/black insect, characterised by strong unpleasant odour (sharp disturbing smell) Infected plants show: young citrus shoots wilt Pathogen: Black Spot fungi produces dark sports on leaves (roses are prone) Infected plants show: dark spots + withering + premature falling of leaves

Changing methods of dealing with plant + animal diseases The shift in emphasis from treatment + control -> management or prevention of disease
The incidence of disease - more commonly been met with an emphasis on treatment + control More recently - emphasis has shifted -> importance + effectiveness of preventing + managing diseases instead

With many diseases there has been a shift from treatment + control -> prevention:

Smallpox: Was widespread disease that killed many in the 18 Century. Treatments: available BUT were ineffective many died. Prevention: Vaccinations => controlled the disease far more successfully than any treatments

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Cancers: Current Treatments: quite successful if detected early - chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgical removals BUT not 100% successful + can cause physical trauma to the body Prevention: Public health campaigns Eg. Slip, Slop, Slap, Me No Fry => help reduce incidence of skin cancer

Plant Diseases: Fungal root infections, pests (Eg. Aphids), disease causing organisms. Treatment: Pesticides BUT may cause environmental problems (accumulation of pesticide in food chain -> destruction of other org) Prevention: + Quarantine measures + Genetic engineering (producing disease resistant) + Biological control (intro species to control pests)

How Strategies control and/or prevented disease

Public Health Programs Help control + prevent disease by strategies directed at: the pathogen + host + environment Skin cancer fatal cancer + particularly in Aus where sun is strong Cancer Council Australia 1981: Slip Slap Slop Aimed to prevent skin cancer -> promoted protective clothing + use of sunscreen = gradual decrease in incidence of skin cancer (hoping more evident decreases in future) = One of the most successful health campaigns launched in Australias history Cholera infectious disease caused by the use of faecally contaminated water for drinking and preparing food Public Health Authorities in South America: -> education campaign aimed at raising awareness of how disease is spread - advertising campaigns show effects of cholera, how it is transmitted, measures to reduce risk of exposure to pathogen -> provide people with access to safe drinking water - building programs effort to provide people with suitable, low-cost water filtration plants = considerable success greatly reduced incidence of cholera in areas where they have been employed Pesticides Pesticides such as DDT, have been used to destroy mosquitoes, which are the vectors of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever

Genetic engineering to produce disease resistant plants and animals Genetically modified plants can now kill their own pests because of the insertion of a gene from Bascillus thuringiensis