Prophylaxis
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Prophylaxis is a Greek word that means "to guard or prevent beforehand". People usually think medical treatment helps sick people to get healthy. Prophylactic treatment is helpful in a different way. Primary prophylaxis tries to stop healthy people from getting sick. Secondary prophylaxis tries to stop people who are sick from getting worse. One example of a prophylactic treatment is a condom. Condoms are prophylactic, because when you use them, you have a smaller chance of getting a sexually transmitted disease.