Infectious Diseases
- A disease is an illness or disorder of the body or mind that leads to poor health
- Each disease is associated with a set of signs and symptoms
- Infectious diseases are caused by pathogens and are transmissible (can be spread between individuals within a population)
Common Pathogens & Their Diseases
- A number of infectious diseases of worldwide importance are: cholera, malaria, tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS, smallpox and measles
- Worldwide the number of people infected with these diseases remains very high and these diseases pose serious public health problems now and for the foreseeable future
- To control a disease, it is very important to know what causes it (known as the causative agent or pathogen)