Prevention is better than cure. Sometimes prevention is the only feasible measure (for example AIDS).

Prevention is based on:

• Vaccination: for example measles, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, yellow fever
• Chemoprophylaxis: for example the regular intake of antimalaria tablets
• Interruption of transmission. A good knowledge of the biological cycle of the pathogen is necessary for this. For example, control of the tsetse fly for sleeping sickness. Interruption of epidemic typhus transmission by delousing.
• Information, health education and encouragement of personal hygiene e.g. via school.
• Genetic counselling has its place in a number of hereditary diseases.
• Clean drinking water and food, use of good sanitary facilities. Quality control of food and drinking water is essential if it can be coupled to action to improve the situation.
• Food supplements: e.g. vitamin A, iodine deficiency
• Rapid isolation and treatment of infectious diseases (e.g. Ebola fever, open pulmonary tuberculosis, plague).
• Epidemiological surveillance (regional, national, international) is important.
• Combating poverty is the best prevention