The Covid-19 pandemic brought infectious diseases back to the fore of public health policy. Infectious diseases easily spread to a population, are hard to control and prevent, and do significant damage to the organisms they infect. In order to ensure public health is protected from infectious diseases, scientists and governments take many steps, some of which are controversial, while others are not.
Though probably currently the best known infectious disease, Covid-19 competes with diseases that continue to make people sick in the United States, but which can be deadly in less developed countries. Diseases such as polio, e. coli, and sexually transmitted infections afflict many, and can cause death. Other more exotic diseases, such as Zika or Ebola, continue to present challenges in infection avoidance. Infectious diseases can be waterborne, transmitted through food, through the air, by person-to-person contact, or through animal vectors.
In an era where international travel means any disease is potentially less than a day away from any point on the globe, it is essential to understand how infectious diseases are spread, and what we can do to stop them.
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