Abstract

ROLE OF PHARMACIST IN MANAGEMENT & TREATMENT OF VARIOUS COMMUNICABLE AND NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Dr. Manali Milind Bhide* and Dr. Sachin A. Nitave

ABSTRACT

According to WHO, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), also referred to chronic diseases, are diseases of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors. The menace of Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory diseases. Communicable diseases are illnesses that spread from one person to another or from an animal to a person, or from a surface or a food. Diseases can be transmitted from air, direct contact with a sick person, respiratory droplet spread from a sick person sneezing or coughing. Infectious disease during an emergency condition can raise the death rate 60 times in comparison to other causes including trauma. An epidemic, or outbreak, can occur when several aspects of the agent (pathogen), population (hosts), and the environment create an ideal situation for spread. Overcrowding, poor regional design and hygiene due to poverty, dirty drinking water, rapid climate changes, and natural disasters, can lead to conditions that allow easier transmission of disease. This paper aims to highlight some key areas where pharmacists across the globe can play significant role in combatting NCDs through both preventive measures and pharmacological/ non-pharmacological interventions. The Role of pharmacist in the control of communicable disease consists of an awareness of the natural history of communicable disease in both the individual and the community, referral of patients to proper medical care facilities when so required and public education about disease.

Keywords: Noncommunicable diseases, Chronic diseases, Communicable diseases, Preventive measures, Pharmacological & Non-pharmacological intervention.