Infectious diseases are caused by pathogens and can be transmitted between individuals, animals, and species. Infectious disease control involves limiting the spread of disease through measures such as hygiene, specialized methods for certain diseases, and maintaining a healthy population. The World Health Organization and national agencies oversee infectious disease control efforts. Guidelines for preventing infectious diseases in specific species are also important.
An infectious disease is a disease caused by the presence of a pathogen. The pathogen may be a bacterium, parasite, virus, fungus, protozoan or prion and the nature of the disease is such that it can be transmitted or communicated from one person, animal or species to another in some way . Infectious disease control is the attempt to limit the spread of infectious diseases, sometimes called communicable or communicable diseases.
Infectious disease control practices have in part to do with how infectious diseases are transmitted. Infectious diseases can be passed from one individual to another through inhalation in the air, bodily fluids or through objects, foods or liquids that have been contaminated. Other infectious diseases have specialized transmission routes. For example, the parasite that causes malaria is transmitted from human to human by an infected mosquito that injects that malaria parasite into a person’s blood through a bite. Thus, while many infectious diseases can be controlled through measures such as hand washing and general hygiene, others, such as malaria, require specialized methods to eliminate the possibility of transmission – in this case, targeting the mosquito population and taking medications. antimalarials before and during visits to an infested area.
Another aspect of infectious disease control is maintaining a healthy population that is not susceptible to disease. This can be done by making sure factors such as stress, poor diet, contaminated water and poor sanitation are addressed. Vaccination to increase resistance and reduce the chance of infection is another way to reduce susceptibility.
Infectious disease control is overseen worldwide by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with a number of national agencies. In the United States, efforts to limit the spread of infectious diseases began with the Communicable Disease Center in 1946, which grew out of a malaria control agency that existed during World War II. Today, its descendant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the health care organization that focuses on the control of infectious diseases in the United States and works with other national organizations in the interest of controlling international disease transmission. In Sweden, the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control (SMI) is the government agency that monitors infectious diseases among humans and promotes preventive measures to prevent them from taking hold.
In the case of other species, the national organization that protects people might provide guidelines for veterinarians and other animal care providers, as the CDC does. This is important because infectious diseases of any kind do not exist in isolation. Additionally, there may be organizations that have taken on the role of infectious disease prevention for specific species. For example, the American Association of Equine Providers (AAEP) promotes guidelines for the control of infectious diseases among horses.
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