English

Key unit competence: To use language learnt in the context of health.

9.1 Speaking and listening: Health

Discuss common diseases in Rwanda. Name the illnesses and describe their symptoms. 

Guidelines:
• What are the most common illnesses?
• The most common illnesses in Rwanda are malaria, HIV and tuberculosis.
• Many people get malaria.

9.1.2 Reading and writing activity
1. Read the text:

Types of diseases in Rwanda
There are different types of diseases in Rwanda. Some diseases affect the majority of Rwandans. Others affect only a small number of the population.
The most common diseases in Rwanda today are malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, typhoid or typhoid fever. Many Rwandans also suffer from amoebic dysentery, Hepatitis B and C and the common cold.

Some communicable diseases, like typhoid and amoebic dysentery, are waterborne. This means you get these diseases when you drink water that is not clean and boiled. Diseases like tuberculosis and the common cold are airborne. The bacteria or viruses are ejected into the air via coughs or sneezes.

When you breathe in this air, you become infected.
Hepatitis B and C and HIV/AIDS are transmitted through body fluids.

Infections and diseases, such as hepatitis are most often carried through the semen and blood of infected persons. Malaria is transmitted through the bite of a female anopheles mosquito. It injects infected blood into your body when it bites you.

Communicable diseases are caused by causative agents. Typhoid, amoebic dysentery and tuberculosis are caused by bacteria. Hepatitis B and C, HIV/AIDS and the common cold are caused by viruses. Malaria is caused by a parasite called plasmodia.
Other diseases are sometimes referred to as lifestyle diseases. These are steadily increasing in Rwanda. The best examples are coronary disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and mental illnesses.
Coronary diseases, diabetes, obesity and mental illnesses can be caused by a combination of genetics and lifestyle. Cancer results from the malfunctioning of body cells.

2. Answer the questions.
a) List three of the most common diseases in Rwanda.
b) What are communicable diseases?
c) What is a ‘causative agent’?
d) What causes malaria?
e) How can you avoid getting typhoid fever or amoebic dysentery?
f) How can you avoid getting Hepatitis B or C and HIV/AIDS?
g) Which diseases are steadily increasing in Rwanda?
h) Name two lifestyle diseases.
i) What is meant by ‘lifestyle diseases’?
j) What disease is caused by body cells that malfunction?

9.2 Vocabulary

1. Use a dictionary and look up the missing meanings and pronunciation of the words. Copy the table into your book and fill in the blank spaces.

2. Use a dictionary and thesaurus to look up the meaning and pronunciation of these words/phrases.

3. Write one sentence for each word/phrase to illustrate how they are used.

Homework
You have learnt a lot of vocabulary in the past two lessons. At home,
test your family to find out how many of the words they know. Teach
them those that they do not know. It is important for everyone to know these words.

1. Pre-reading activity:
a) Do you know someone who has had malaria?
b) What symptoms do people with malaria have?
c) What symptoms do people with typhoid fever have?
2. Read the text about disease symptoms.

Disease symptoms

Disease symptoms are important to medical practitioners and ordinary people. They provide an indication of what disease a patient may be suffering from. The first thing doctors look for when they are consulted by patients, are symptoms.
Some diseases have symptoms which are similar. However a well-trained medical practitioner employs his knowledge and experience to distinguish between different diseases.

In many diseases, symptoms present differently. A person suffering from malaria will have a high temperature and a headache. They will be sweating and shivery and at times have no appetite.
A person suffering from typhoid may also have a high temperature and headache. They will suffer from sweating and a loss of appetite too. But their stomach will also be upset.
Someone with amoebic dysentery experiences upset stomach, diarrhoea, headache, nausea and loss of appetite. A person suffering from tuberculosis might have a headache, a persistent cough and may at times spit blood. They could lose weight and also experience loss of appetite.

HIV/AIDS sufferers may experience general body weakness, headache, loss of appetite, and loss of weight. They might also catch opportunistic infections. Hepatitis B and C sufferers could experience general body weakness, headache, high temperature, loss of appetite and dizziness. Other symptoms are a swollen abdomen or liver failure

There are many symptoms for so-called lifestyle diseases, like coronary diseases, diabetes and obesity. High blood sugar may serve as an indicator for diabetes. Excessive weight may point to obesity. Palpitations of the heart and shortness of breath could be a sign of a heart ailment.
Although the incidences of cancer and mental illnesses are
also on the rise in Rwanda, their symptoms are hard to identify.
A tumor in any part of our body may suggest the presence of cancer. Hallucination is a common symptom experienced by people who suffer from a mental illness.

3. Now answer the questions on the text.
a) Why are symptoms important?
b) Is it true that symptoms are important only to medical practitioners? Explain your answer.
c) Mention two diseases that have similar symptoms.
d) Which disease can be suspected when a patient coughs blood?
e) What are the symptoms of Hepatitis B and C?
f) Which opportunistic disease often attacks people with HIV/AIDS?
g) Name two symptoms that could indicate that a person has a
heart disease.
h) What is a common sign of cancer?
i) Why are diseases like diabetes and obesity called lifestyle diseases? Explain your answer.
j) What symptom does a person who is suffering from a mental illness often have?

9.2.2 Reading and writing activity

1. Match the disease in the first column with the symptoms in the second column.

2. Say your answers aloud, beginning your sentences with If. For example:
1. If a person has malaria, *they will experience a high temperature, headache, sweating,

    loss of appetite and feel shivery.
*To avoid the clumsy him/her when referring to a person in modern English, it is acceptable to use they.

  The implication is that it refers to both male and female.

3. Now write down the sentences in your book. Start with If in each case,

     as you did when you said them aloud.
4. Exchange books to check whether you have written the sentences down correctly.

9.2.3 Writing activity

Write three paragraphs about disease symptoms and their importance.
1. Plan your text carefully, using a mind-map or other type of planning instrument. The first paragraph should be an introduction to the topic. The second paragraph must contain the detail of what you want to say about disease symptoms. The third paragraph should conclude your text. It should have a brief summary and repeat your statement about the importance of symptoms.

2. You may want to exchange your book with a partner to check your planning.
3. Write the text neatly.
4. Edit the text. If there are many errors, you may need to rewrite it neatly.
5. Hand the text in for assessment or exchange notebooks for peer assessment.

9.3 Language structure: Modal verbs

Modal verbs: can, could, should, ought to, may, might, will, would, must, have to, etc.
Revise the use of modal verbs in Unit 1 on page 11, Unit 4 on page 63, Unit 6 on page 100, and Unit 7 on page 110.

9.3.1 Writing activity

Read the text Disease symptoms (Reading and writing activity 9.2.1) again. Write down all the modal verbs that you can find in the text.
Use the modal verbs that you have found in sentences of your own about disease symptoms. If there are three examples of one modal verb, you need only write one sentence.

9.3.2 Writing activity

1. Complete the sentences with can or could.
a) Nobody ______ leave the hospital before they were tested for cholera.
b) They ______ leave if the tests were negative.
c) The doctor ______ decide what is wrong with me because my symptoms are too general.
d) People ______ die from dehydration if they suffer from diarrhoea.
e) The hospital ______ not provide beds for all the people who had typhoid fever.
f) We ______ avoid getting cholera by boiling all our water.
g) Doctors ______ avoid getting contagious diseases if they wear protective clothing.
h) Nurses ______ be exposed to infection if they are not careful.
i) The situation ______ be improved if they washed their hands regularly.
j) The health situation ______ become very dangerous if people do not look after themselves.

9.4 Language structure: Modal verb can or could and by + ing

Take note of this structure: the modal verb + the infinitive + by + -ing.
For example:
• You can (modal verb) avoid (infinitive, basic form of the verb) infection by (preposition) washing (present participle) your hands regularly.
• We can get typhoid fever by drinking water that has not been boiled.
• People can protect themselves against malaria by taking measures to prevent mosquito bites.

  9.4.1 Writing activity

1. Complete the sentences with the correct by + -ing form of the verb
in brackets.
a) We can get HIV/AIDS (have) sex with an infected person.
b) We can prevent diseases (avoid) their causative agents.
c) We can catch tuberculosis (come) into contact with infected people.
d) We can prevent Hepatitis B (be) vaccinated against it.
e) Bwiza can improve her health (eat) the right foods [or following the right diet] for at least a year.

9.4.2 Writing activity

1. Complete the sentences by replacing the verb in brackets with by + -ing.
  a) You can keep healthy (wash) your hands regularly.
  b) You can prevent polio (be) vaccinated against it.
  c) You can avoid tuberculosis (keep) away from infected people.
  d) You can prevent malaria (sleep) under a mosquito net.
  e) You can keep healthy (follow) a balanced diet.

9.5 Language structure: Modal verbs and if- sentences

For example:
• If you have been vaccinated, you will not get polio.
• If you lead a responsible life, you will not get HIV/AIDS.
You studied the first conditional in Unit 6 on page 96. Study the notes again and then do the exercises that follow on page 146.

9.5.1 Writing activity

1. Complete each sentence by providing appropriate words at the beginning or end.
a) If you wash your hands regularly, ________.
b) ________, you will not get malaria.
c) If you boil all the water you use, ________.
d) ________, you will not easily get colds.
e) If you eat a well-balanced diet, ________.

9.5.2 Listening and writing activity

1. Pre-listening activity:
a) What is a dialogue?
b) What is happening in the picture on the left?
c) What piece of equipment does the doctor have around his neck?

2. Listen to a dialogue between a patient and a doctor that your
teacher and a learner will read to you. Listen to it a second time.
3. Answer the following questions on the dialogue.
a) Why, in your opinion, does the doctor wear rubber gloves
when he examines Neza?
b) What happened to Neza?
c) Does the doctor clean Neza’s cuts himself? Explain
your answer.
d) Why does the doctor want to take x-rays of her legs?
e) Do you think Neza had ever been injured before this accident happened? Explain your answer.
f) What causes tetanus?
g) How does the doctor make sure that Neza does not get tetanus?
h) What is the main symptom of tetanus?
i) What is gauze?
j) Why would the nurse fetch a wheelchair to take Neza to the x-ray section?

Homework

Have you ever been to see a doctor or visited a clinic or the emergency ward in a hospital? If you have not, ask someone who has what they experienced. Make a list of 10 words that you know about medical treatment. This is to prepare for your next lesson. For example, the doctor wears a stethoscope around his neck. He uses this to listen to your heart and lungs.

9.5.3 Speaking and listening activity

Work in pairs. Write a dialogue between a patient and a doctor. It must not be too long, not more than a page. Produce it for the group. You may have more than two speakers, for example, the patient’s relative and a nurse. Write the dialogue in your book.
The best dialogues may be presented to the class.

9.5.4 Reading and writing activity

1. Pre-reading activity:
Discuss these questions.
  a) What is HIV/AIDS?
  b) Can you see when someone is HIV positive?
2. Now read the text silently.

 How you can get HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS is one of the most dangerous diseases in the world. It is transmitted in different ways. You can get this disease by having unprotected sex with an infected individual. You can also get the disease by sharing needles and tattooing implements. You can also get the disease by using unsterilised shaving equipment and razor blades.

HIV/AIDS can be transmitted through blood transfusion. Sometimes you are given blood from another person in a hospital. If this blood is not tested to make sure it contains no HIV/AIDS viruses, you can be infected.

To avoid getting HIV/AIDS, you should practise abstinence, which means not having sex at all. You can also avoid this disease by using condoms, whenever you have sex. Doctors and nurses in health centres should not use needles more than once. All instruments that pierce or cut the skin must be sterilised before use.
Every Rwandan has to take personal responsibility for controlling HIV/AIDS. If people think about what they are doing and take precautions, the disease will not spread. ART (Antiretroviral Treatment) is the medicine that controls HIV/AIDS.

It cannot cure the disease, but it helps to reduce the symptoms. It is very expensive and is only given to people who are very ill. If you want to live a long and healthy life, you must take care of yourself. The best weapon against HIV/AIDS is knowledge.

Read and find out as much as you can about the disease. Do not have sex without a condom, not even once. When you are older you will want to get married and have children.
Make sure both of you are tested to check that you are not infected. In this way Rwanda can become an HIV/AIDS-free country.

3. Answer the questions in writing. Then exchange notebooks for peer marking.
a) Why does the author call HIV/AIDS ‘one of the most dangerous diseases in the world’?
b) Name three ways in which HIV/AIDS can be transmitted.
c) What does ‘sterilise’ mean? How do you sterilise something?
d) What does it mean to practise ‘abstinence’?
e) There are two things that health workers can do to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. What are they?
f) Can the government take responsibility for protecting every person against HIV/AIDS? Explain your answer.
g) What is your responsibility to avoid becoming HIV-positive? Name at least two things.
h) What should a couple do before they get married?

9.5.5 Speaking and listening activity

Combine the three parts of the table to make sentences about diseases.

Say the sentences aloud to get used to the sound of the language structure.

9.5.6 Writing activity

You have read and listened to a lot of information about illnesses in this unit.
Write a three-paragraph text describing how you can get and prevent illnesses. Before you write, plan your text properly. Decide what information you want to include in each paragraph.
Edit your writing when you have finished.

Then hand it in for formal assessment or exchange books for peer assessment.

9.5.7 Listening and writing activity

1. Listen to the text about diseases that your teacher will read to you.

You may need to listen to it a second time.
2. From memory of what you heard and read in this unit, complete the following table.

First copy the table into your book.

3. When you have finished, compare what you have written with your partner’s work.

9.5.8 Speaking and listening activity

1. Complete the sentences orally. Use can and by+ -ing. Say the sentences aloud. For example: If we get malaria, we can treat it by taking anti-malarial tablets.

9.5.9 Speaking practice

a) We _____ identify if we are suffering from typhoid fever (test) _____ a sample of our blood.
b) If we get HIV/AIDS we _____ fight it (take) _____ antiretroviral drugs.
c) If we get flu, we _____ reduce its effect (drink) _____ lots of fluids.
d) The flu _____ not be cured (take) _____ antibiotics. It is caused by a virus and antibiotics have no effect on viruses.
e) If we get tuberculosis, we _____ treat it (take) _____ antibiotics. Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria, which are killed by antibiotics.
f) If we have a cough, we _____ soothe the throat (take) _____ a spoonful of honey.
g) If we get a skin infection, we _____ soothe it (use) _____ the right skin cream or ointment.
h) If our eyes are red and sore, we _____ cure them (use) _____ eye drops.
i) If we have a serious cough, we _____ get rid of it (take) _____ cough mixture.
j) If we are obese, we _____ remedy it (reduce) _____ our daily food intake. We can help by (get) _____ enough exercise.

Homework
Write five sentences about the treatment of ailments. Use the conditional, ‘If …’

9.5.10 Reading and writing activity

1. Read the brochure with advice about healthy living.

2. Choose any 10 of the instructions in the brochure. Write them out in full sentences, using should.

For example: You should bend and stretch to keep your body supple.
3. Exchange books with a partner and mark each other’s work.

9.5.11Writing activity

1. Look at the brochure again. Discuss these questions.
   a) What is a catchword? Identify the catchwords in the brochure.
   b) What are the characteristics of a brochure?
   c) Are brochures important? Give reasons for your answer.
2. Write your own advice brochure about healthy living.

It should be short and make its point briefly and clearly.
3. Exchange books to edit each other’s work.
4. Hand your book in for formal assessment.

Checklist of learning
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

• name illnesses and describe their symptoms
• describe how we get and prevent those illnesses.

9.6 Unit assessment

1. Fill in the gaps with can and use the correct form of the word in brackets by adding by + -ing.
a) You ________ avoid contaminating your food (wash) your hands before cooking or eating.
b) People ________ prevent malaria (sleep) under a mosquito net.
c) They ________ avoid becoming HIV-positive (abstain) from sex.
d) We ________ prevent cholera (boil) water before using it.
e) Polio ________ be avoided (be) vaccinated as a baby.                                  [5]2. Complete the if-sentences correctly.
a) If we do not want to get HIV/AIDS, we ________.
b) If we want to protect ourselves against malaria, ________.
c) If we do not want to get cholera, we ________.
d) If we want to be healthy and active, we ________.
e) If we want to avoid getting the flu, we ________.                                            [5]3. Read the text and answer the questions that follow in full sentences.

If you want to stay healthy, you should eat a balanced diet. A balanced diet will strengthen your immunity so that you do not become ill so quickly. You should not overeat, but eat just enough.
You should also exercise moderately but regularly. This helps your body to function more efficiently.

You should get enough rest. The most beneficial sleep is before midnight. Go to bed early and get up early. A good night’s sleep increases your energy.
Keep yourself and your environment clean. Dirt brings diseases.

a) What is a balanced diet?
b) What is the most important result of a balanced diet?
c) What happens if we always overeat?
d) What do you think happens if we do not eat enough?
e) What does it mean to exercise regularly?
f) How would you describe moderate exercise?
g) Why is it important to get enough sleep?
h) Do you think it is true that one should go the bed early and get up early? Give a reason for your answer.
i) How do you keep yourself clean?
j) How do you keep your environment clean? [10 × 2 = 20]4. Write a three-paragraph text on how to prevent any two of the following diseases: malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid fever.
Plan your writing carefully. Make sure you have an introduction. You also need a middle paragraph providing the information you wish to share.
Your conclusion should be good too.
                                                                                                                            [20]                                                                                                          Total marks: 50