What are the immediate and contributory causes of diseases? Explain it with the help of a child
suffering from diarrhoea
Answers
Two main causes of disease are Immediate cause and Contributory cause: Immediate cause are the organisms that enter our body and cause disease. For Example, viruses, protozoa, bacteria. Contributory causes: These are the secondary factors which lead these organisms to enter our body. Example, dirty water, unclean surrounding, contaminated food, etc.
Diarrhoea is caused by viral or bacterial infection. So viral infection is immediate cause of disease.
Even though a virus can be the immediate cause of a disease, other associated causes might allow the entry of the virus into the body. These causes are known as contributory causes. Like Unhealthy condition: Infectious agents like virus and bacteria enter the body through contaminated food or water. Thus, the consumption of contaminated food or water can be another cause of disease.