A pandemic is an outbreak of a new infectious disease that spreads worldwide. It is distinct from an epidemic, which is an outbreak confined to a specific community or region. The World Health Organization (WHO) is responsible for declaring when a global pandemic is occurring by monitoring disease outbreaks and receiving advice from international health experts.

Pandemic

"A case definition is a set of standard criteria for classifying whether a person has a particular disease, syndrome, or other health condition. "

Definition of Case Definition

“Cluster refers to an aggregation of cases grouped in place and time that are suspected to be greater than the number expected, even though the expected number may not be known”

Cluster Transmission Definition

Time between a primary case having symptom onset and a secondary case having symptom onset.

Serial Interval Definition

- PubMed
- Lumen Learning
- Textbooks
- WHO
- The Gulf of Mexico: A "Hot Zone" for Tropical Diseases?
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Human Rickettsialpox, Southeastern Mexico
- The SARS-CoV-2 crisis and its impact on neglected tropical diseases: Threat or opportunity?
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- A Handful Of ‘Antipoverty’ Vaccines Exist For Neglected Diseases, But The World’s Poorest Billion People Need More
- Pregnancy Associated Arbovirus Infections
- Covid-19: Implications for People with Chagas Disease

References for Infectious Disease

- Vector-Borne Diseases
- Arboviruses Causing Pregnancy Associated Infections
- Neglected Tropical Diseases
- Zoonotic Diseases

Categories of Infectious Diseases



The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses and infects the nose, throat, and lungs. Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at a higher risk of serious complications.  The two main types of the flu are Types A and B, which are routinely spread in people and  responsible for the seasonal flu epidemics that occur each year.

Seasonal Influenza (Flu) 

The study of the incidence, prevalence, and distribution of illness or disease in a given population

Epidemiology

Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi. The diseases can be spread, directly or indirectly, from person to person. 

Arizona State University

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

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University of Notre Dame

Tulane University

Austin Community College

Biomedical Sciences focus on the biology of human health and disease and include disciplines:

- Biochemistry
- Health technology
- Human nutrition
- Human physiology
- Infectious diseases
- Microbiology
- Pharmacology
- Developmental biology
- Immunology
- Haematology



Branches of Biomedical Sciences

- Infectious 
- Communicable
- Contagious
- Iatrogenic
- Nosocomial
- Zoonotic
- Noncommunicable
- Noninfectious
- Acute Disease
- Chronic Disease

Types of Diseases

World Health Organization

Infectious Disease

NIH-National Cancer Institute

- "Medical laboratory science professionals... assist physicians in patient diagnosis and treatment, as well as in disease monitoring or prevention (maintenance of health). We use sophisticated biomedical instrumentation and technology, computers, and methods requiring manual dexterity to perform laboratory testing on blood and body fluids. Laboratory testing encompasses such disciplines as clinical chemistry, hematology, immunology, immunohematology, microbiology, and molecular biology. Medical laboratory science professionals generate accurate laboratory data that are needed to aid in detecting cancer, heart attacks, diabetes, infectious mononucleosis, and identification of bacteria or viruses that cause infections, as well as in detecting drugs of abuse. In addition, we monitor testing quality and consult with other members of the healthcare team."
- Other MLS specialties include blood banking/transfusion medicine, flow cytometry, urinalysis, and molecular diagnostics

Medical Laboratory Science

The study of small organisms ranging from one cell to few cells to no cells at all. It encompasses fields such as virology, bacteriology, protistology, & mycology.

Microbiology

The science concerned with the study of drugs and medication. It is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function. 

Pharmacology

Deals with the provision of essential nutrients in food that are necessary to support human life and health. Poor nutrition is a chronic problem often linked to poverty, food security or a poor understanding of nutrition and dietary practices.

Human Nutrition

The application of the knowledge of human functions and mechanisms to patients especially in a health care setting.

Human physiology

Developing and using devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures, and systems  to solve health problems and improve the quality of lives. This includes pharmaceuticals, devices, procedures, and organizational systems used in the healthcare, as well as computer-supported information systems (health informatics)

Health technology

Biochemistry is the scientific discipline that studies the chemistry of life processes, with the primary objective of explaining biological form and function through chemical principles.

Biochemistry

The molecular structures and processes of cellular life and their roles in the function, reproduction, and development of living organisms.

- The Central Dogma of Life
- Cell Organelles

Molecular and Cellular Biology

The study of embryonic developmental and other development processes, including cell regeneration, metamorphosis, aging, and disease development.   

Developmental Biology

Study of immune systems in all organisms. Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the physiological functions of the immune system, including health and disease, malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders, and the physical, chemical, and physiological characteristics of the immune system. 

Immunology 

Study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases relating to blood.  This involves treating diseases that affect the production of blood and its components.

Hematology (Haematology)

Communicable disease are capable of being spread from person to person through either direct or indirect transmission.

Communicable Disease

Contagious diseases are **easily** spread from person to person.

Contagious Disease

Iatrogenic diseases can occur after medical procedures if the wound or surgical site becomes contaminated.

Iatrogenic Diseases

Also known as healthcare-associated infections (HAI), are infections that occurs in healthcare settings. Sick patients can bring harmful pathogens into hospitals, and some of these pathogens can be transmitted easily via improperly sterilized medical equipment, door handles, or by clinicians who do not wash their hands between patients. Hospital patients often have weakened immune systems, making them more susceptible to infections. Infections are classified as HAI when the patient was admitted for another reason (primary disease) than the infection, and then, often, contracts the secondary infection after having compromised immunity (such as due to surgery).

Nosocomial Diseases

A noncommunicable infectious disease is not spread from person to person. One example is tetanus, caused by *Clostridium tetani*, a bacterium that produces endospores that can survive in the soil for many years. This disease is typically only transmitted then the pathogen comes into contact with a skin wound.

Noncommunicable Disease 

Noninfectious diseases are not caused by pathogens. These diseases can be caused by a wide variety factors, including genetics, the environment, or immune system dysfunction.

Noninfectious Disease

In the case of acute diseases, pathologic changes occur over a short period of time (e.g., hours, days, or a few weeks) and involve a rapid onset of signs or symptoms

Acute Disease

In the case of a chronic disease, pathologic changes can occur over long time spans (e.g., months, years, or a lifetime) and involve a slow onset of signs or symptoms

Chronic Disease

A zoonosis is an infectious disease caused by a pathogen, such as a virus, that is transmitted from an animal host to a human host. An example is the avian influenza virus, which originates in birds and can cause disease in humans.

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