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Infectious Disease: Question 8

Syllabus 10.1

Multiple choice AS 1 mark

Cholera, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are each usually transmitted in a different way.

Which option correctly matches each disease to its main route of transmission?

Choose an answer to check it, then compare with the worked solution below.
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Worked solution

Step 1: Recall the main transmission route for each disease

  • Cholera is transmitted by the faecal-oral route: Vibrio cholerae is shed in the faeces of an infected person and can contaminate drinking water or food, which another person then ingests.
  • Malaria is transmitted by an insect vector: a female Anopheles mosquito injects Plasmodium into a person’s bloodstream as it feeds.
  • Tuberculosis is transmitted by airborne droplets: released when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, and then inhaled by another person.
  • HIV/AIDS is transmitted through body fluids such as blood or semen: for example through unprotected sexual contact, sharing contaminated needles, or from mother to child.

Step 2: Evaluate each option against this list

  • A: water/food (cholera), insect vector (malaria), airborne (tuberculosis), body fluids (HIV/AIDS), this matches every disease correctly.
  • B: incorrect. Wrongly swaps cholera (given as airborne) and malaria (given as waterborne), and wrongly gives tuberculosis as vector-borne.
  • C: incorrect. Wrongly gives malaria as transmitted through body fluids and tuberculosis by an insect vector; HIV/AIDS is also wrong here (given as airborne).
  • D: incorrect. Wrongly gives cholera as vector-borne and malaria as waterborne; tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are also swapped.

Final answer

  • Cholera (water/food), malaria (insect vector), tuberculosis (airborne droplets) and HIV/AIDS (body fluids) are all correctly matched only in option A.