The geography and spread of disease
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Flip to reveal answersDefine diffusion (disease).
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Question
Define diffusion (disease).
Answer
The way a disease **spreads outward across space and through a population** over time.
Question
Expansion vs relocation diffusion?
Answer
**Expansion** = the disease stays and ripples outward from its source. **Relocation** = an infected person moves and carries it to a new area.
Question
Define a vector-borne disease + example.
Answer
A disease spread by an organism such as a mosquito — e.g. **malaria** or **dengue**.
Question
Define a water-borne disease + example.
Answer
A disease spread through contaminated water — e.g. **cholera** or typhoid.
Question
What is a barrier to diffusion?
Answer
Anything that **slows or blocks** a disease's spread — mountains, dry seasons, clean water, nets, vaccination, quarantine.
Question
One physical factor in disease spread?
Answer
A **warm, wet climate** (vectors breed) or **rainfall/flooding** (contaminates water supplies).
Question
One human factor in disease spread?
Answer
**Air travel/migration** (relocation diffusion) or **overcrowding with poor sanitation** (fast person-to-person spread).
Question
One economic factor in disease spread?
Answer
**Poverty and weak healthcare** — no money for nets, drugs, clean water or clinics, so the disease is not stopped.
Question
Case study — cholera in Haiti (2010)?
Answer
After the 2010 earthquake, cholera was **relocated** in, then spread by **expansion diffusion** through camps with no clean water; tens of thousands died.
Question
Case study — malaria in sub-Saharan Africa?
Answer
Vector-borne by the **Anopheles** mosquito; a warm wet climate gives year-round breeding while **poverty** limits nets and drugs.
Question
Why do cholera outbreaks resurge in the rainy season?
Answer
**Heavy rain and flooding** mix sewage into wells and rivers, contaminating drinking water again.
Question
What does a top [10] disease essay need?
Answer
A **named disease + place** of the right type, **two+ developed factors**, a **weighing** of relative importance (often over time), and a clear **judgement**.
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Topic 12.2 hub
Food systems and the spread of disease
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