Health: The Ultimate Treasure - Chapter 3 Class 8 (Curiosity)

Q 1
Question
Group the diseases shown in the images as communicable or non-communicable: Cold and flu, Typhoid, Diabetes, Asthma, Chickenpox.
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Q 2
Question
Diseases can be broadly grouped into communicable and non-communicable diseases. From the options given below, identify the non-communicable diseases.
(i) Typhoid (ii) Asthma (iii) Diabetes (iv) Measles
(a) (i) and (ii) (b) (ii) and (iii) (c) (i) and (iv) (d) (ii) and (iv)
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Q 3
Question
There is a flu outbreak in your school. Several classmates are absent, while some are still coming to school coughing and sneezing.
(i) What immediate actions should the school take to prevent further spread?
(ii) If your classmate, who shares the bench with you, starts showing symptoms of the flu, how can you respond in a considerate way without being rude or hurtful?
(iii) How can you protect yourself and others from getting infected in this situation?
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Q 4
Question
Your family is planning to travel to another city where malaria is prevalent.
(i) What precautions should you take before, during, and after the trip?
(ii) How can you explain the importance of mosquito nets or repellents to your sibling?
(iii) What could happen if travellers ignore health advisories in such areas?
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Q 5
Question
Your uncle has started smoking just to fit in with his friends, even though it is well known that smoking can seriously harm health and even cause death.
(i) What would you say to him to make him stop, without being rude?
(ii) What would you do if your friend offers you a cigarette at a party?
(iii) How can schools help prevent students from indulging in such harmful habits?
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Q 6
Question
Saniya claims to her friend Vinita that "Antibiotics can cure any infection, so we don't need to worry about diseases." What question(s) can Vinita ask her to help Saniya understand that her statement is incorrect?
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Q 7
Question
The following table contains the number of dengue cases reported in a hospital over one year: January 10, February 12, March 15, April 18, May 22, June 40, July 65, August 65, September 65, October 30, November 30, December 20.
Make a bar graph of the number of cases (Y-axis) against the month (X-axis). Critically analyse and answer:
(i) In which three months were the dengue cases highest?
(ii) In which month(s) were the cases lowest?
(iii) What natural or environmental factors during the peak months might contribute to the increase?
(iv) Suggest a few preventive steps the community or government can take before the peak season.
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Q 8
Question
Imagine you are in charge of a school health campaign. What key messages would you use to reduce communicable and non-communicable diseases?
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Q 9
Question
It is recommended that we should not take an antibiotic for a viral infection like a cold, a cough, or flu. Can you provide the possible reason for this recommendation?
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Q 10
Question
Which disease(s) among the following may spread if drinking water gets contaminated by the excreta from an infected person? Hepatitis A, Tuberculosis, Poliomyelitis, Cholera, Chickenpox.
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Q 11
Question
When our body encounters a pathogen for the first time, the immune response is generally low, but on exposure to the same pathogen again, the immune response by the body is much more compared to the first exposure. Why is it so?
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Project 1
Task
Students maintain a health diary for at least a month to track food, hygiene, exercise, sleep, screen time, and emotional state.
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Sample Answer
What does a month of health-diary data show you?
Record every day
Food, hygiene, exercise, sleep, screen time, mood
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Keep it up for a month
One entry a day, without skipping
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Look for patterns
Poor sleep on high-screen days, low mood after junk food
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Change the one habit the diary shows is hurting you most
Note each day what you ate, how much you exercised, and how long you slept.
Record your screen time and how you felt (happy, tired, or stressed).
After a month, look for patterns — like poor sleep on high-screen days.
Use what you learn to build healthier daily habits.
← Back to: 3.2.1 Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Project 2
Task
Read about Indian scientists like Suniti Solomon, Asima Chatterjee, Dr. Yellapragada Subbarao, Dr. Mary Poonen Lukose for their contributions in the field of health and diseases.
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Sample Answer
Indian scientist
Field of work
Suniti Solomon
HIV/AIDS research and prevention in India
Asima Chatterjee
Medicinal chemistry — anti-epileptic and anti-malarial drugs
Yellapragada Subbarao
Discovered drugs used in cancer treatment
Mary Poonen Lukose
India’s first woman surgeon-general; public health
Suniti Solomon did pioneering work on HIV/AIDS in India.
Asima Chatterjee studied medicinal plants and natural medicines.
Dr. Yellapragada Subbarao worked on important medicines and nutrients.
Dr. Mary Poonen Lukose was one of India's first women doctors.
← Back to: 3.5 How to Prevent and Control Diseases?

Project 3
Task
The deadly disease smallpox was eradicated by vaccination. Discover how this was done and why it worked. Debate whether everyone should be required to get vaccinated to protect others.
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Sample Answer
How was smallpox wiped off the Earth?
Jenner’s cowpox discovery
The world’s first vaccine, in the late 1700s
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Mass vaccination campaigns
From 1965, country after country was covered
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Cases fall everywhere
Fewer and fewer countries report smallpox
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By 1979 smallpox was eradicated worldwide — the debate is whether vaccination should be compulsory
A worldwide mass vaccination campaign protected people from smallpox.
With most people immune, the virus had nowhere to spread, so it died out.
For the debate: vaccines protect not just you but everyone around you.
Others argue people should be free to choose — weigh both sides.
← Back to: 3.5 How to Prevent and Control Diseases?

Project 4
Task
According to current guidelines, learn the correct sequence of steps for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on an adult in case of sudden stoppage of breathing. School may invite a doctor or a professional to demonstrate a mock drill.
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Sample Answer
What is the correct sequence of CPR on an adult?
Check the person
Is the person responsive? Has breathing stopped?
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Call for help
Send for a doctor or an ambulance at once
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Start chest compressions
Push hard and fast in the centre of the chest
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Keep going until medical help arrives — learn the current guidelines from a doctor
Check if the person responds and call for help right away.
Place hands on the centre of the chest and press hard and fast.
Continue chest compressions until help arrives.
Always learn CPR from a trained doctor or professional in a real demonstration.
← Back to: 3.5.1 Treatment of diseases

Project 5
Task
Invite a doctor to the school. Students may be encouraged to interact with the doctor on the issues of malnutrition, under-nutrition, and over-nutrition.
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Sample Answer
Condition
What it means
What to ask the doctor
Malnutrition
The diet does not give the body what it needs
How do I know if my diet is balanced?
Under-nutrition
Too little food, or too few nutrients
What are the signs of a missing vitamin or mineral?
Over-nutrition
Too much food, especially fatty and sugary food
How does this lead to obesity and diabetes?
Malnutrition means a poor balance of nutrients in the diet.
Under-nutrition is not getting enough food or nutrients.
Over-nutrition is eating too much, which can cause obesity.
Ask the doctor how a balanced diet prevents all three.
← Back to: 3.2.1 Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Project 6
Task
If you are given an opportunity to create a health card, what all would you like to include in it. Create your own health card and have discussion about it.
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Sample Answer
What to put on the health card
Why it belongs there
Height, weight and age
Shows whether growth is on track
Diet in a normal week
Reveals whether the diet is balanced
Exercise and sleep hours
Both are part of a healthy lifestyle
Screen time
Too much is linked to obesity and poor sleep
Vaccinations taken
Records the acquired immunity you already have
How you have been feeling
Health is mental and social too, not only physical
Include name, age, height, and weight.
Add details of vaccinations taken and any allergies.
Note healthy habits like diet, exercise, and sleep.
Add emergency contact numbers and a doctor's contact.
← Back to: 3.1 Health: Is It More Than Not Falling Sick?

Project 7
Task
Have a debate on 'Are there ill-effects of fast food on companion animals?'
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Sample Answer
Fast food does harm them
It is not that simple
Oily, salty and sugary food is not made for animals.
Some pets are given leftovers with no ill effect at all.
It can lead to obesity, just as it does in humans.
The amount matters more than the occasional scrap.
Pets cannot choose — we choose for them.
Proper pet food, and portion size, is what really counts.
Fast food is often high in salt, fat, and sugar, which is bad for pets.
It can cause obesity, dental problems, and stomach upsets in animals.
Pets need food made for them, not human junk food.
For the debate, give examples of healthy versus harmful pet foods.
← Back to: 3.4.2 How are non-communicable diseases caused?