Question

Which of the following is a communicable disease?
A. Cancer
B. Malaria
C. Heart attack
D. Diabetes

Answer 1

Communicable diseases are those diseases that can spread from one human being to another human being. Moreover, the diseases that are spread through a vector, contact with an infected person are communicable diseases.

Complete answer:

Communicable diseases are also known as infectious diseases. As the name suggests these diseases can be easily transmitted from one person to another. These diseases are very common. They are transmitted easily when a healthy person comes in contact with an infected person. A communicable disease is mainly caused by pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, fungi.

Let us now look at all the options one by one:
> Cancer: It is caused due to the uncontrolled growth of the cells that results in the tumor. This happens because the cells usually get mutated and they lose their property of contact inhibition, which lets their rapid uncontrolled growth to be stopped. However, cancer cannot spread from one person to another.
> Malaria: Malaria is caused by Plasmodium, which is a member of Protozoa. Its vector is a mosquito, the female Anopheles. An infected mosquito when bites a healthy human to suck blood, it injects the parasites in their body. The parasite of malaria completes its life cycle in the human body. When a normal mosquito bites this infected person, then he also becomes infected and when he bites a healthy person, he further infects the parasites into his blood, making him infected too.
> Heart attack: If the Sino-auricular node fails temporarily then it is unable to send proper signals to the Auricular-ventricular node. Due to this, the Auricular-ventricle node starts contracting the auricles and ventricles. Thus, there is a sudden decrease in the heartbeat. Sweating, breathlessness, and anxiety occur. This is known as a heart attack. However, a heart attack cannot spread from one person to another.
> Diabetes: It is caused due to the deficiency of the Insulin hormone in the blood. In type I diabetes, no insulin is formed in the blood. However, diabetes cannot spread from one person to another.

Thus, based on the above information, we can conclude that Malaria is a communicable disease.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Malaria can be controlled by eliminating the vectors and their breeding grounds. To do this the stagnation of the water in and around the residential areas is prevented. Regular cleaning of the places containing waters. Also, Gambusia fish is introduced into such sources as they can feed on the mosquito larvae.