Disease — Meaning and Causes: JAMB Physical and Health Education Questions, Answers & Notes

What Disease — Meaning and Causes covers in the JAMB Physical and Health Education syllabus

A disease is a condition that disturbs (impairs) the normal working of the body; a symptom (like fever or pain) is a sign that a person may be ill. Diseases can be classified as communicable/infectious (spread from person to person) or non-communicable (do not spread — e.g. diabetes, hypertension). Their causes are varied: many are caused by germs (pathogens) — bacteria (cholera, tuberculosis), viruses (measles, influenza, HIV/AIDS) and protozoan parasites (malaria, carried by mosquitoes) — often transmitted by a vector such as a mosquito or housefly. Other causes are deficiency (lack of nutrients — kwashiorkor, scurvy), heredity/genetics (passed through genes — sickle-cell), and lifestyle (poor diet, smoking, lack of exercise). The main point: a disease disturbs the body and may be caused by germs, poor diet/deficiency, lifestyle or heredity, and may be communicable or non-communicable.

For Disease — Meaning and Causes, JAMB expects you to be able to:

• Define disease and classify (communicable/infectious vs non-communicable)
• Recall causes: germs/pathogens (bacteria, viruses, protozoa), vectors, deficiency, heredity, lifestyle
• Match diseases to causes (cholera/TB=bacteria, measles/HIV=virus, malaria=protozoan via mosquito)

Key facts & revision notes: Disease — Meaning and Causes

These are the recurring points our Disease — Meaning and Causes questions test — revise them until each feels automatic, then practise the questions above to lock them in.

• A disease is a condition that disturbs (impairs) the normal working of the body.
• Communicable (infectious) diseases can spread from one person to another.
• Non-communicable diseases do not spread from person to person (e.g.
• Germs (pathogens) are tiny living things that cause many diseases.
• A bacterium is a germ that causes diseases like cholera and tuberculosis.
• A virus is a germ that causes diseases like measles, influenza and HIV/AIDS.
• Malaria is caused by a protozoan parasite (Plasmodium) carried by mosquitoes.
• Deficiency diseases result from the lack of certain nutrients (e.g.
• A hereditary (genetic) disease is passed from parents to children through genes (e.g.
• A vector is an organism (like a mosquito or housefly) that carries and transmits disease.
• Poor diet, smoking and lack of exercise can cause lifestyle (non-communicable) diseases.
• A symptom is a sign (like fever or pain) that shows a person may be ill.
• A disease is a condition that disturbs the body.
• Diseases that spread person to person are communicable.
• Germs that cause disease are also called pathogens.
• Malaria is caused by a parasite carried by mosquitoes.
• Measles and HIV are caused by a virus.
• A mosquito that carries disease is a vector.
• Diseases from lack of nutrients are deficiency diseases.
• The main point is that a disease disturbs the body and may be caused by germs, poor diet/deficiency, lifestyle or heredity, and may be communicable or non-communicable.

Worked examples

Three Disease — Meaning and Causes questions with the answer and a short explanation, so you can see how the topic is set before you practise the full set.

How Disease — Meaning and Causes is tested in JAMB Physical and Health Education

Our Disease — Meaning and Causes bank holds 20 questions (1 easy, 14 medium, 5 hard). JAMB Physical and Health Education typically returns to Disease — Meaning and Causes year after year, so steady practice on this topic is high-value revision. Questions are multiple-choice with four options, and at UTME pace you get roughly 40 seconds each — which is why timed practice matters.

How to answer Disease — Meaning and Causes questions

Work the stem first and predict the answer before you look at the options; then eliminate the ones that contradict the key facts above. Watch for “which is not…”, “all of the above” and “except” style stems, which are where rushed candidates lose easy marks on Disease — Meaning and Causes. If a calculation or a precise definition is involved, work it from first principles rather than guessing from a half-remembered rule. When two options look right, re-read the stem for the qualifier that separates them — JAMB rarely repeats an option by accident. If you are still unsure, eliminate the two weakest choices to lift your odds, flag the question, and move on; never burn a full minute on one Physical and Health Education item when the exam gives you about forty seconds each. Then come back to flagged questions with whatever time remains. The single most reliable way to get faster at Disease — Meaning and Causes is repeated timed practice, so use the button above until the recurring patterns feel automatic.

Common mistakes to avoid in Disease — Meaning and Causes

The errors that cost marks on Disease — Meaning and Causes are usually careless rather than conceptual: misreading a negative stem, confusing two similar terms, or rushing a definition you actually know. Candidates also over-rely on “expo” and last-minute cramming instead of understanding the topic — which fails the moment JAMB rephrases a familiar idea. Treat every option as a claim to be checked against the facts above, keep your working tidy for any calculation, and don’t change a considered answer on a hunch. Above all, revise Disease — Meaning and Causes actively by answering questions, not just by re-reading notes — recall under time is what the exam rewards.

Frequently asked questions

Is Disease — Meaning and Causes part of the JAMB Physical and Health Education syllabus?

Yes. Disease — Meaning and Causes is a recognised topic in the JAMB Physical and Health Education syllabus, covering define disease and classify (communicable/infectious vs non-communicable). You should be able to recall its key facts and apply them to multiple-choice questions.

How many Disease — Meaning and Causes questions can I practise on Belmadeng?

There are 20 original, JAMB-standard Disease — Meaning and Causes questions in our free bank, each with the correct answer and a worked explanation. You can practise them untimed or as a timed test.

What are the most important points to know about Disease — Meaning and Causes?

A disease is a condition that disturbs (impairs) the normal working of the body; a symptom (like fever or pain) is a sign that a person may be ill. Diseases can be classified as communicable/infectious (spread from person to person) or non-communicable (do not spread — e.g. diabetes, hypertension). …

How do I answer Disease — Meaning and Causes questions quickly in JAMB?

Read the stem carefully, eliminate clearly wrong options, and match the remaining choices to the key facts for Disease — Meaning and Causes. Practising timed Disease — Meaning and Causes questions builds the speed you need for UTME's pace of about 40 seconds per question.

Are these JAMB Physical and Health Education Disease — Meaning and Causes questions past questions or original?

They are original questions written to JAMB (UTME) standard and mapped to the official syllabus — not reproduced past papers. This keeps them legal to use freely while closely mirroring how the real exam tests the topic.

Where can I practise Disease — Meaning and Causes questions free without signing up?

Right here — tap “Start Disease — Meaning and Causes practice” on this page to begin instantly. Belmadeng's CBT practice is completely free and needs no sign-up, download or subscription.

About these questions: original, JAMB-standard items written from the official UTME Physical and Health Education syllabus (last reviewed 2026-09-18). Belmadeng is an independent study platform and is not affiliated with JAMB. Spotted an error? Use the report link.