Communicable

Diseases
CATAPANG, SHAIRA
MAE D.
OŇA, CHARLES
ADRIANE B.
Health
•State of complete physical,
mental and social well-
being and not merely the
absence of disease or
infirmity.
– World Health
Organization, 1948
Public Health
All organized measures
to prevent disease,
promote health, and
prolong life among the
population as a whole.
Public Health
Engineering
Deals essentially with the
control of the environment,
with those modifications and
protective and preventive
measures that have been
found desirable or necessary
for providing optimum
conditions for health and well-
being.
 Diseases
Infectious Diseases
caused by
(Infections) pathogens

Infectious diseases
Types of Communicable that can be
Diseases Diseases transmitted from one
to another.

Communicable
Contagious diseases that are
Diseases easily transmitted
from one to another.
 A contagious disease
transmitted agent
contact.
Communicable
Diseases
An illness due to the specific
infectious agent or its toxic product
arising through transmission of that
agent either directly as from an
infected person or animal host , a
vector or the inanimate
environment.
Communicable
Diseases
•All ailments which may be
transmitted by any means
from person to person or
from animal to person.
Epidemiology
The study of the distribution of disease or
condition in a population.

The science that deals with the interrelationship of the various factors
and conditions which determine the frequencies and distribution of
an infectious process, a disease or a physical state in a human
community
 IS A PERSON VESTED
IN EPIDEMIOLOGY

Epidemiologist WHO MAY ALSO

DIRECT MEASURES
TO CONTROL OR
PREVENT EPIDEMICS.
Identification of Communicable
Diseases and Theories of
Epidemics
Concept of Causation of Communicable
Disease
HOST

AGENT ENVIRONMENT
Infectious agent
is a microorganism capable of producing
infectious disease under circumstances of
host and environment favoring transmission.
Host
•A person or other living organism that can
be infected by an infectious agent under
natural conditions
Environment
refers to the ecological conditions that
favour the interaction of host and agent
e.g. swampy areas, bushes within house
holds, sanitation etc.
 Classification of Contagious
Infectious and Communicable
Diseases, Their Sources and Carrier
Endemic
•Is the term applied to a specific disease when it
normally prevails in a locality and does not
fluctuate markedly from the normal expected
incidence in the community.
Epidemic
•Is the incidence of a communicable disease
among a number of people to an extent that is
recognized statistically as being well beyond the
normal expectancy for he disease in a
community in a definite period of time
Sporadic
•Implies the occurrence of a few scattered cases
of the disease without relationship to other
cases; every now and then
 affects large
number of
people at the
Pandemic same time and
transcend
community
boundaries.
Epizootic an epidemic
among animals
 an infection or an

Zoonosis infections disease of

animals transmissible
under natural
conditions to man.
Chain of
Infection
Mode of
Transmission
•Direct Transmission
•Indirect Transmission
•Droplet Transmission
•Airborne Transmission
•Vehicular Transmission
•Vector Transmission
 Direct
Transmission
The immediate
transfer of an agent
from a reservoir to a
susceptible host by
direct contact or
droplet spread.
 The transmission of an
agent carried from a
reservoir to a susceptible
Indirect
Transmission host by suspended air
particles or by animate
(vector) or inanimate
(vehicle) intermediaries.
 •Involves the transfer of
pathogens via infectious
droplets.
Droplet
Transmission •Droplets may be
generated by coughing,
sneezing, and even talking.
Airborne Transmission

Involves the dispersal

of droplet nuclei,
which are residue of
evaporated droplets.
 •Involves contaminated
objects, such as food,
water, dust, and fomites.
•Fomites – Inanimate
Vehicular objects that have come in
Transmission
contact with a sick person.
 INVOLVES THE
Vector VARIOUS TYPES
OF BITING
Transmission INSECTS AND
ARACHNIDS
Other Terms
Antibiotic – medication that weaken or kill
bacteria, and used to treat infections caused by
bacteria.
Antibiotic Resistance – when bacteria can no
longer be killed by a particular antibiotic.
Other Terms
Colonization – when bacteria are present in a person’s
nose, mouth, gut or other site, but not cause illness.
Infection – when a bacterium or other germ(like a
virus) cause illness in a person.
Toxin – is any poisonous substances produce by a
living organism.
Other Terms
Antitoxin – is the antibody antagonistic to toxin,
which is produced by an organisms.
Etiology – is the study of causes.
Etiology Agent – the agent that causes the
disease.
Viral Diseases
Measles
• Caused by the rubeola or
measles virus .
•Spread by direct contact or less
frequently by airborne
transmission.
•An acute highly communicable
disease with fever, conjunctivitis,
cough, light sensitivity, and red
blotchy skin rash.
Chickenpox
•Caused by the varicella - zoster
virus , a member of the herpes
virus (family Herpesviridae).
•Symptoms commonly appear 14-
16 days (range of 10-21 days)
after exposure to someone with
chickenpox.
•Acute generalized infection with
fever and skin rash.
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Sydrome)
• Caused by SARS-associated coronavirus.
•Mainly spread by close person-to-person
contact.
•Incubation period (the time between exposure
to the SARS virus and onset of symptoms) is
typically 2-7 days, although in some cases it may
be as long as 10 days.
2009 Flu Pandemic

• An A(H1N1) pandemic and a global outbreak of a

reassortment of four known strains of influenza A virus
subtype H1N1 : one endemic in humans, one endemic
in birds, and two endemic in pigs (swine), identified in
April 2009 and commonly referred to as “swine flu”.
•The virus typically spreads from coughs and sneezes or
by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching
the nose or mouth. Symptoms are similar to those of
seasonal flu, and may include fever, sneezes, sore
throat, coughs, headache, and muscle or joint pains.
HIV/AIDS
• HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)
• Caused by Type 1 and 2 HIV , a member of the family
Retroviridae.
• Attacks the body’s immune system.
• HIV is not spread through saliva (spit). • People infected
with HIV may have no symptoms for 10 or more years.
•AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
• Late stage of HIV disease
• There is no cure
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
•Caused by viruses adapted to birds,
the avian influenza virus type A .
•Infected wild and domesticated bird
serve as reservoirs.
•All known viruses that cause influenza
in birds belong to the species influenza
A virus. All subtypes (but not all strains
of all subtypes) of influenza A virus are
adapted to birds, which is why for
many purposes avian flu virus is the
influenza A virus (note that the "A"
does not stand for "avian").
Mumps
• Caused by mumps virus , a member of
the family Paramyxoviridae.
•Transmitted by direct contact with
saliva and discharges from the nose
and throat of infected individuals.
•Incubation period is usually 16 to 18
days, although it may vary from 12 to
25 days.
Poliomyelitis (Polio or Infantile Paralysis)
•Caused by poliovirus , a member of
the family Picornaviridae, which may
affect the central nervous system.
•More common in infants and young
children and occurs under conditions
of poor hygiene. Transmission is
primarily via fecal-oral route, and also
by throat secretions.
•Incubation period is usually 6-20 days
for paralytic cases, with a range of 3-35
days.
Rabies
•Transmission occurs through the
entrance of virus-laden saliva
into lesions or open wounds,
which are generally caused by
the bite.
•Incubation period of rabies in
man varies from 2 to 6 weeks or
longer.
Bacterial Diseases
Anthrax (Wool Sorter’s Disease)
•A rare infectious disease caused by the
bacterium Bacillus anthracis .
•Occurs among textile and wool-factory
workers and among agricultural
people.
•Transmission occurs via entry of
endospores through breaks in skin,
inhalation of spores, or ingestion.
Impetigo
• Caused by either Streptococcus
pyogenes or Staphylococcus aureus .
•Spread person to person through
direct contact with discharged from
blisters.
•A common infection of the skin
resulting in blisters that may occur
anywhere on the body but are usually
observed around the nose or mouth.
Plague
•Disease of rats and wild rodents and is
caused by Yersinia pestis .
•Transmission is usually via flea bite
(from rodent to flea to human).
•Three types: Bubonic Plague,
Pneumonic Plague, and Septicemic
Plague.
Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease)
•Caused by a bacillus, Mycobacterium
leprae .
•It affects chiefly the skin, mucous
membrane, and peripheral nerves.
•The exact mode of transmission has
not been clearly established..
Trachoma
•Caused by certain serotypes of
Chlamydia keratoconjunctivitis .
•Communicable disease of the eyes
which may be transmitted by towels,
handkerchiefs, or fingers.
•Also spread by flies which serve as
mechanical vectors.
Diphtheria
•Caused by toxigenic strains of
Corynebacterium diphtheriae .
• An acute bacterial disease that usually
affects the tonsils, throat, nose or skin.
•Transmission occurs via airborne
droplets, direct contact and
contaminated fomites.
•Symptoms usually appear 2 to 4 days
after infection, with a range of one to
ten days.
Primary Atypical Pneumonia
• Caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae .
•Has a gradual onset with headache, malaise,
dry cough, sore throat, and less often, chest
discomfort.
• Transmission occurs via droplet inhalation or
direct contact with infected person, or
contaminated articles
Pneumonia
• Most frequently caused by Streptococcus
pneumoniae.
•An acute nonspecific infection of the small air
sacs and tissues of the lung, with fever,
productive cough, acute chest pain, chills, and
shortness of breath.
•Transmission is by droplet inhalation, direct oral
contact, contact with contaminated hands and
fomites, or inhalation of yeasts and fungal
spores.
Tuberculosis

•Caused by any of the species in the Mycobacterium

tuberculosis complex.
•An acute or chronic infection of the lower respiratory tract
with malaise, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and
productive cough.
•Transmission occurs via airborne droplets.
Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

•Caused by Bordatella pertussis .

•Highly contagious, acute childhood (usually)
infection.
•Transmission occurs via droplets produced by
coughing.
Tularemia
• Caused by Francisella tularensis .
•Usually contracted by man from
rabbits, opossums, rodents, quail, and
other game animals.
•Transmission occurs via tick bite,
ingestion of contaminated meat,
inhalation of dust, and animal bite.
•Results in skin ulcer, pharyngitis, or
pneumonia.
Listeriosis
• Infection caused by Listeria
monocytogenes .
•Listeria may infect specific locations within
the human body (brain or spinal cord
membranes or the bloodstream).
•Those at highest risk are newborns, the
elderly, people with weakened immune
systems and pregnant women.
•Most cases occur sporadically;
transmission occurs via ingestion of
contaminated milk or vegetables, or from
mother to fetus.
Tetanus (Lockjaw)
•Caused by neurotoxin called
tetanospasmin produced by
Clostridium tetani.
•Disease that affects the nervous
system.
•Incubation period is usually 8 days but
may range from 3 days to 3 weeks.
Parasitic Infection
Giardiasis
•An intestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite called Giardia
lamblia (Giardia intestinalis ) .
•Infection of the uppermost portion of the small intestine. Patients
experience diarrhea, abdominal cramps, bloating, abdominal gas,
fatigue, and weight loss.
•Transmission occurs via the fecal-oral route, usually by ingestion by
fecally contaminated food or water.
Malaria
• Caused by the four species in the genus Plasmodium: Plasmodium
vivax (most common), Plasmodium falciparum (most deadly),
Plasmodium malariae , and Plasmodium ovale .
•Infection occur as a result of injection of sporozoites into the
bloodstream by an infected female Anopheles mosquito while taking
a blood meal. Also by transfusion or use of blood-contaminated
needles and syringes.
Amebiasis (Amebic Dysentery)
•An intestinal illness caused by a
microscopic parasite called Entamoeba
histolytica .
•It is recognized more often in people
arriving from tropical or subtropical
areas, individuals living in institutions.
•Transmission occurs via ingestion of
fecally contaminated food or water, by
flies transporting cyst from feces to
food, by oral-anal sexual contact, or by
anal intercourse involving multiple
sexual partners.
Fungal Infection
• Ringworm (Dermatophytoses or Dermatomycoses)
-General term used to describe mycotic or fungal infection of keratinized parts of
the body (skin, hair, and nails).
- Caused by various filamentous fungi, collectively referred to as dermatophytes
(eg. Microsporum, Epidermphyton, and Trichophyton ).

• Cryptococcosis (Cryptococcal Meningitis)

– An illness caused by three subspecies of Cryptococcosis neoformans .
– Transmission occurs by inhalation of yeasts, often projected in air by sweeping
or excavation. Not transmitted from person to person or animal to person.
– Common infection in AIDS.
• Thrush – Caused by Candida Albicans
– Yeast infection of the oral cavity, where white creamy patches occur on the
tongue, mucous membranes, and the corners of the mouth.
– Transmission occurs by contact with secretions or excretions of mouth, skin,
vagina, or feces of patients or carriers, also by passage from mother to neonate during
childbirth.
• Yeast Vaginitis – Caused by Candida Albicans
– Typical symptoms are vulvar prutitis (itching), a burning sensation, and a white
discharge.
–Transmission occurs by contact with secretions or excretions of mouth, skin,
vagina, or feces of patients or carriers, also by passage from mother to neonate during
childbirth.
Thanks!