Communicable Diseases

Contagious/infectious diseases; diseases that can be caught from someone or something else.

Resources in this category:

Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy: University of Minnesota
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/

"Recent events surrounding the occurence of SARS around the world, and monkeypox in the United States, are a reminder of the ever-increasing risk of new and emerging infectious diseases." The goal of the website is to provide current information and resources relating to infectious diseases. The site is monitored by a staff of professionals who aim to provide a "living textbook" to the public.

Communicable Disease Fact Sheets
http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/consumer/commun.htm

Health Information Fact Sheets on communicable diseases, including the following: Amebiasis, Anthrax, Botulism, Campylobacteriosis, Chancroid, Chickenpox, Cholera, Dengue Fever, Diphtheria, E. coli, Fifth Disease, Giardiasis, Gonorrhea, Granuloma Inguinale, Haemophilus Influenzae, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Herpes II, Histoplasmosis, Infectious Mononucleosis, Influenza, Kawasaki Syndrome, Legionellosis, Leprosy, Leptospirosis, Lyme Disease, Lymphogranuloma Venereum, Malaria, Measles, Meningococcal Meningitis, Mumps, Mycoplasma Infection, Nongonococcal Urethritis, Pediculosis, Pertussis, Plague, Poliomyelitis, Psittacosis, Rabies, Ringworm, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Rubella, Salmonellosis, Scabies, Shigellosis, Shingles, Sporotrichosis, Swimmer's Itch, Syphilis, Tetanus, Trichinosis, Tuberculosis, Tularemia, Typhoid Fever, Venereal Warts, Viral Meningitis, Yellow Fever, and Yersiniosis.

Epidemic: The World of Infectious Disease
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/epidemic/

"Our goal is to explain how a complex mix of ecology, evolution, and culture produce conditions in which disease-causing microbes‹microscopic organisms that live in our environment‹can thrive... Our comprehensive resources section will to help you understand what measures have and can be taken to overcome these diseases." Site includes a glossary, selected resources, a kids magazine, and a teachers guide, plus selected features from other disease-related Web sites.

Health Media Lab, Interactive Health Education
http://www.healthmedialab.com/html/about.html

Health Media Labs has presented two exhibits which are mainly textual so that there should not be any impediment for users who have no graphical interface. The first exhibit deals with "Emerging Infectious Disease" and gives a brief history of infectious disease and instructs the user in the current threats, which are not so different from those of the past. The second exhibit is called "When the President is Patient." It highlights the ethical and political considerations that impact the events surrounding our leaders' weakness. How did we deal with this issue in the past and how do we deal with it today? These exhibits are designed as "interactive health education for people of all ages."

International Herpes Management Forum
http://www.ihmf.org/

"The International Herpes Management Forum (IHMF) works to improve the awareness and understanding of herpesviruses (including HSV, VZV and CMV), and the counselling and management of people with these infections. This website gives all visitors - from specialists and healthcare workers to patients seeking more information about their disease - the opportunity to view and download the educational guidelines produced by the IHMF; to give feedback on IHMF-related materials and meetings; and to establish contact between local HMFs worldwide." The site includes a library, management guidelines, and links to related sites.

Meningitis
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00118

The Mayo Clinic describes meningitis and its symptoms, causes, risk factors, screening procedures, complications, treatment, and prevention. It also provides links to additional resources.

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
http://www.nfid.org/

The NFID factsheets provide information about infectious disease issues such as immunization as well as information on individual diseases. There's also ordering information for NFID publications, some of which are free. The virtual library of diseases provides links to related resources.

Outbreaks
http://www.who.int/csr/don/

Information about contagious disease outbreaks from the World Health Organization.

Travel Health Information
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/travel-medicine/

Links to short, informative articles discussing risks of particular diseases throughout the world (for example: cholera, polio, hepatitis, diptheria), as well as required vaccinations. Additional links add information concerning traveling while pregnant, motion and altitude sickness, and how to plan for your health needs when traveling abroad.