Infectious Diseases (CIE AS Biology)

• A disease is an illness or disorder of the body or mind that leads to poor health
• Each disease is associated with a set of signs and symptoms
• Infectious diseases are caused by pathogens and are transmissible (can be spread between individuals within a population)

Infectious & non-infectious disease table

• Four infectious diseases of worldwide importance are: cholera, malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/ AIDS
• Worldwide the number of people infected with these diseases remains very high and these diseases pose serious public health problems now and for the foreseeable future
• To control a disease, it is very important to know what causes it (known as the causative agent or pathogen)

Common pathogens & their diseases table