Infectious Diseases List

Causes of Infectious Diseases

Infections are basically referred to as the disorders that spread quickly from one person to another. They can spread through direct or the indirect contact of an infected person with a healthy individual. Zoonotic disease, for instance, is a type of infections of animals that can spread to humans if they come in contact with the affected animal. The contagious disorders basically spread via different pathogens, like bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. Many such organisms live in our body and are harmless. In fact, in many cases, they are helpful. Under certain conditions, these creatures become toxic and start housing other pathogens that can cause different illnesses in our body. There are different kinds of infectious diseases which are discussed in brief as under:

Types of Infectious Diseases:

Not all infectious conditions are fatal or life threatening. Some of them are quite common, like seasonal flu, cold or cough and can be cured by a simple course of medicine. One the other hand, some are more serious and put one’s life at risk. These include Tuberculosis, Malaria and AIDS, which are responsible for almost half the number of deaths caused by infectious diseases per year. Here I have compiled an infectious diseases list that includes both serious and common contagious ailments. The reason that the conditions can spread so rapidly is the lack of proper medication or vaccination (especially in the developing world) and carelessness in taking precautions to prevent them from occurring in the first place.

List of Communicable Ailments:

It is not possible to include all the communicable sicknesses in a single list as they are numerous. Some of them are commonly known while others are rare. Some are easily curable while others are of a serious nature and often result in fatality. All transmittable conditions have certain symptoms that start showing in the patient before the condition becomes worse. The most common symptoms are fever, fatigue and headache. Proper and quick medication is very important as soon as the symptoms start surfacing. The infectious diseases list is as follows: (The list is not prepared in any particular order).

Cholera:

It is an acute infection of the intestines, spread by drinking contaminated water and bad sanitary conditions.

Dengue:

Spreading through mosquito bite, it has the most common symptom of moderate to severe fever.

Hepatitis A:

Hep-A is a highly contagious liver condition and is communicated through contaminated food or water.

Hepatitis B:

It is the most common and severe condition that involves liver infection. Chronic Hepatitis B can become liver cancer at later stages.

Hepatitis C:

It is comparatively less common and less severe form of the infectious liver disorder.

HIV/AIDS:

HIV/AIDS is one of the most fatal illnesses. It is transmitted from an affected person to their partner during sexual intercourse. It has caused a large number of deaths in the recent past.

Japanese Encephalitis:

This mosquito borne disease is most common in Asia. Around 25% to 30% of the cases are fatal.

Influenza:

The virus attacks the respiratory system of humans. It has been one of the most deadly contagious ailments in the 20th century. However, it has become less dangerous due to the vaccinations and breakthrough in medical science.

Rota Virus:

It is one of the most common causes of gastroenteritis worldwide, being more dangerous in babies where vomiting and diarrhea can cause dehydration and death.

Pneumonia:

Pneumonia is a serious infection which is very common the world over. There are many reasons and ways in which it can infect people.

Onchocerciasis:

Onchocerciasis is also known as “river blindness”. The bacteria can cause many conditions, such as rashes and depigmentation, eventually leading to blindness in the patient.

Meningitis:

A serious infection of the spinal cord, it is usually a result of some viral or bacterial attack.

Measles:

Measles has been relatively reduced and controlled due to vaccination.

Malaria:

This mosquito borne disease is spread by the bite of a female mosquito. The symptoms include high fever, chill and shivering.

Typhoid:

It spreads through contaminated food and water. The symptoms include fever, nausea, headache, constipation and sometimes diarrhea.

Yellow Fever:

This disease has two phases, with the first one being an acute where the symptoms include fever, flu, and headache. Most people recover from it through proper medications. The second phase is the toxic phase where the condition is very serious and most people die within two weeks.

Tuberculosis:

Tuberculosis mainly infects the lungs, causing bad chest pain and cough that brings up bloody phlegm.

Strep Throat:

It is caused by streptococcus bacteria. The symptoms include sore throat, fever, headache, fatigue and nausea.

These are just a few of the many communicable illnesses. The list goes on with names like Ebola, Sleeping Sickness aka African Trypanosomiasis, Cryptosporidiosis, HPV, leprosy, small pox, chicken pox, monkey pox and many others.

Precautions and Safety Measures:

We live in a world full of impurities and germs around us. It is impossible to stay protected from everything under the sun. The contagious disorders can reach us by even a sneeze of the infected person in a bus or a metro. Having said that all, it becomes imperative for us to take as many precautionary measures as we can in order to avoid contact with such conditions.

• The most important precaution is to get routine vaccinations for our children and ourselves done. All thanks to the breakthrough in medical science, there are many vaccinations available to protect and immune the body against the infection-causing viruses and bacteria. Strictly follow the vaccination charts as they cover almost all the diseases mentioned above.
• Another important safety measure against the dangerous viruses is to keep the surroundings clean (especially if you are living in a developing or an under developed country). Always ensure that you consume healthy food and water. Stay away from places where there are more chances of vector mosquitoes. Use lotions and creams if you ever have to expose your body to such places.

These are some very basic and easy to follow steps that need to be taken into account to protect yourself and people around you from catching these contagious ailments.