Health glossary

Access to be able to use or benefit from something (eg education or healthcare services) Adult literacy rate The percentage of people aged 15 and above who can, with understanding, both read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. AIDS Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome HIV Human Immuno-deficiency Virus Hygiene Keeping ourselves, environment and food clean by washing Immunisation Protection from diseases by stimulating the body’s own immune system against infection or disease. The most common method of administration is by inoculation but sometimes by mouth or nasal spray. Infant mortality rate The probability of dying between birth and exactly one year of age, expressed per 1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth The average number of years newborn babies can be expected to live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of birth were to stay the same throughout the child’s life. Malaria An infectious parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes and characterised by high fever. It causes 350-500 million infections and approximately 1.3 million deaths annually, mainly in the tropics. Malnutrition ’Badly nourished’ and is characterised by inadequate intake of protein, energy, and micronutrients leading to frequent infections or disease. It is the result of the complex interaction between the food we eat, our overall state of health, and the environment in which we live. Maternal mortality rate The annual number of deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 live births. Morbidity rate The number of people who have a disease compared to the total number of people in a population. Mortality rate The annual number of deaths (from a disease or at general) per 1,000 people. Oral rehydration therapy An inexpensive glucose (sugar) and electrolyte (salt) solution which has substantially reduced the number of deaths from dehydration due to diarrhoea. Pandemic The outbreak of disease occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population. Pneumonia An inflammatory illness of the lungs Polio A serious disease caused by a virus which often results in physical disability Public expenditure on health The recurrent and capital spending on public health activities which aim to prevent illness and injury, control the spread of disease and enhance current and future wellbeing and quality of life of a nation’s population.. Sanitation effective and safe ways of getting rid of human waste in order to protect people’s health Tuberculosis an illness that usually affects the lungs and can be fatal