Public health policies aim to prevent and control infectious diseases. Understanding the biology, epidemiology, and social determinants of infectious diseases can help in developing effective policies.
Microbiology: This is the study of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, which cause infectious diseases.
Epidemiology: This is the study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease in populations, including patterns of disease occurrence and how diseases spread.
Immunology: This is the study of the immune system, including how it fights infectious diseases, how vaccines work, and how diseases can evade the immune system.
Pathology: This is the study of the causes and effects of diseases, including how infections damage tissues and organs.
Public health policy: This involves the development, implementation, and evaluation of strategies to prevent and control infectious diseases at the population level.
Health disparities: This involves understanding how social, economic, and environmental factors influence disease risk and access to healthcare.
Global health: This is the study of issues related to health and healthcare on a global scale, including the spread of infectious diseases across borders.
Infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics: This involves understanding how infectious diseases can spread rapidly and cause widespread illness, as well as strategies for managing and containing outbreaks.
One Health: This is a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the connections between human, animal, and environmental health, including how infectious diseases can be transmitted between them.
Antimicrobial resistance: This is the ability of microorganisms to resist the effects of antimicrobial drugs, leading to the development of drug-resistant infections.
Zoonotic diseases: These are infectious diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans, such as avian influenza and Lyme disease.
Disease surveillance and reporting: This involves tracking the occurrence and spread of infectious diseases, including through monitoring systems and reporting mechanisms.
Laboratory diagnostics: This involves understanding the scientific methods used to diagnose infectious diseases, including laboratory tests and imaging studies.
Infection prevention and control: This involves implementing strategies to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in healthcare settings, including through hand hygiene, protective equipment, and facility design.
Behavioral and social factors: This involves understanding how human behavior and social factors, such as stigma and fear, can influence the spread of infectious diseases and the effectiveness of public health interventions.
Bacterial infections: These are caused by harmful bacteria entering the body and multiplying. Examples include tuberculosis, strep throat, and gonorrhea.
Viral infections: These occur when a virus enters the body and takes over the host's cells to reproduce, often damaging tissues in the process. Examples include COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, and the flu.
Fungal infections: These are caused by harmful fungi entering the body, often through inhalation of spores. Examples include athlete's foot, ringworm, and histoplasmosis.
Parasitic infections: These occur when a parasitic organism (such as a worm, tick, or mosquito) enters the body and feeds off of the host's tissues. Examples include malaria, leishmaniasis, and schistosomiasis.
Prion diseases: These are caused by abnormal proteins (prions) entering the body and disrupting normal brain function. Examples include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD).
Rickettsial diseases: These are caused by bacteria that are transmitted to humans by arthropods (such as ticks, fleas, and lice). Examples include Rocky Mountain spotted fever and epidemic typhus.
Protozoal diseases: These are caused by single-celled organisms that can invade tissues or be transmitted through contaminated water or food. Examples include amoebic dysentery, trichomoniasis, and giardiasis.