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ContentsI. GENERAL INFORMATION: 1. Definition II. PATIENT EXPERIENCES: |
General Information
Definition
Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi; the diseases can be spread, directly or indirectly, from one person to another. Zoonotic diseases are infectious diseases of animals that can cause disease when transmitted to humans.[1]
List of diseases in this category
- Intestinal infectious diseases
- Tuberculosis
- Certain zoonotic bacterial diseases
- Other bacterial diseases
- Infections with a predominantly sexual mode of transmission
- Other spirochaetal diseases
- Other diseases caused by chlamydiae
- Rickettsioses
- Viral infections of the central nervous system
- Arthropod-borne viral fevers and viral haemorrhagic fevers
- Viral infections characterized by skin and mucous membrane lesions
- Viral hepatitis
- Human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] disease
- Other viral diseases
- Mycoses
- Protozoal diseases
- Helminthiases
- Pediculosis, acariasis and other infestations
- Sequelae of infectious and parasitic diseases
- Bacterial, viral and other infectious agents
Resources
Organizations and associations:
Public Health Agency of Canada
www.publichealth.gc.ca
Telephone:
(780) 495-2754: Alberta/NWT
(902) 426-2700: Atlantic
(604) 666-2083: British Columbia/Yukon
(204) 789-2000: Manitoba/Saskatchewan
(416) 973-0003: Ontario/Nunavut
(514) 283-2858: Quebec
The PHAC website includes the Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR) weekly, which offers briefs on infectious diseases in the news and a Flu Watch tracker that monitors influenza activity across the country. The Infectious Disease portal (http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/id-mi/index-eng.php) also offers a comprehensive listing of infectious diseases, including definitions, guidelines and recommendations, and fact/information sheets.
Canadian Public Health Association, Infectious Diseases Portal
http://www.cpha.ca/en/programs/infectious-diseases.aspx
Telephone: (613) 725-3769
The CPHA website offers information for both the general public and for health professionals on the prevention and treatment of common infectious diseases. The site offers a separate portal for HIV/AIDS information.
References
[1] World Health Organization defintion, from http://www.who.int/topics/infectious_diseases/en/.