Disease classification

• Infectious disease

  Spread by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and parasites. E.g malaria.
• Non-infectious diseases.


  These are not communicable.
• Communicable diseases

  Infectious diseases which spread from host to host.
• Non-communicable diseases


  Not spread from between people but caused often by lifestyle (e.g. heart disease), nutritional deficiencies (e.g. rickets) or to genetic inheritance.
• Contagious diseases


  Infectious disease easily spread by direct or indirect contact between people (e.g. ebola)
• Non-Contagious diseases


  Cannot be spread through human contact.
• Epidemic


  Disease outbreak that spreads quickly through population of a geographical area.
• Endemic


  Exists permanently in a geographical area (e.g. sleeping sickness in sub-Saharan Africa, or cholera in Nepal).
• Pandemic


  An epidemic that spreads globally (e.g. COVID-19)
• Zoonotic


  Infectious disease transmitted from animal to human (e.g. rabies, or bubonic plague).