Featured: COVID-19 Resources
Preventing and controlling the spread of disease is at the heart of much public health work. From the coronavirus-cased COVID-19 to influenza, Lyme disease, malaria and Ebola, outbreaks of infectious diseases can have an extraordinary impact on human health.
From The Nation's Health: Public health making progress in eliminating infectious diseases
Prevention
There are many ways to prevent the spread of disease. Vaccinations have helped eliminate or greatly reduced disease threats. Proper handwashing, especially before and after handling food and using the toilet, helps keep germs at bay.
Other important ways to slow or stop disease transmission are by ensuring the food we eat and water we drink is safe, avoiding people who are sick and practicing safe sex.
About communicable diseases
Some diseases spread from one person to another while others can spread from animal to person. Some are spread through the air, by touch or through bodily fluids. Some diseases may produce mild symptoms; others can be lethal. As APHA member Jonathan Fielding, professor of public health and pediatrics at UCLA, writes in this op-ed, "Without the necessary funds, fighting Zika, Ebola and other infectious disease is a losing battle."
More than 200 infectious diseases are listed in APHA’s Control of Communicable Diseases Manual. Some include:
Ebola
Influenza
Mpox
Polio
Zika
More communicable disease resources
Get Ready
CDC
WHO
CIDRAP