The following preventive measures can be used:

1. General: The general way of preventing disease is by preventing exposure.

For airborne diseases the disease can be prevented by maintain living conditions that are not overcrowded.

For water borne diseases the water supplies can be treated to kill any infectious microbes.

For vector borne diseases cleaning the environment can provide an answer.

2. Specific: Specific way of preventing the disease is by the vaccinating the individuals against the virus to which prevention is sought. Various vaccines have been developed against small pox, polio, rubella, mumps etc. These diseases can now be prevented by proper vaccination campaigns.