- Home
- Communicable Disease
- Diseases & Conditions
- List of Diseases
List of Diseases
-
Campylobacter- Infection (Campylobacteriosis)
Campylobacteriosis is a diarrheal illness caused by bacteria of the genus Campylobacter organisms. It is one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness in the United States and can cause disease in both humans and animals.
-
Chickenpox (Varicella Disease)
Chickenpox is an infectious disease caused by the varicellazoster virus, which results in a blister-like rash, itching, tiredness, and fever.
-
COVID-19
COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is a disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2. It can be very contagious and spreads quickly. Over one million people have died from COVID-19 in the United States.
-
E. Coli Infection (Escherichia Coli Infection)
E. coli are bacteria that normally live in the intestines of humans and animals. Although most strains are harmless, several are known to produce toxins that can cause diarrhea. These Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) can cause severe diarrhea and kidney damage. E. coli can also cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, pneumonia, and other illnesses.
-
Ebola
Ebola, previously known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with one of the Ebola virus strains. Ebola can cause disease in humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees).
-
Enterovirus
Non-polio enteroviruses are very common viruses; there are more than 100 types. It is estimated that 10 to 15 million people get enterovirus infections in the United States each year.
-
Giardia Infection (Giardiasis)
Giardiasis (GEE-are-DYE-uh-sis) is a diarrheal illness caused by a microscopic parasite. Once a person or animal has been infected with Giardia, the parasite lives in the intestine and is passed in feces (stool). Because the parasite is protected by an outer shell, it can survive outside the body and in the environment for long periods of time
-
Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease (HFMD)
Hand-foot-mouth disease is a common, mild viral illness of humans. The disease causes fever, blister-like sores in the mouth, and a skin rash. In the U.S., it is most commonly caused by a coxsackievirus, which is part of a larger group of viruses called enteroviruses.
-
Hantavirus
Hantavirus is a virus carried by some rodents. In Washington State, deer mice are the only animals known to carry it and it is estimated that about 14% of the deer mouse population is infected. Hantavirus can cause a rare but deadly disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS).
-
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable, communicable disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). It is usually transmitted person-to-person through the fecal-oral route or consumption of contaminated food or water. Hepatitis A is a self-limited disease that does not result in chronic infection.
-
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease.
-
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus: the virus can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis, ranging in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness.
-
Human papillomavirus (HPV)
HPV is a very common virus that most people get at some time in their lives through sexual activity. Most of the time people with HPV have no symptoms and do not know they have it. HPV causes genital warts and is the leading cause of cervical cancer.
-
Measles
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily through coughing and sneezing. Measles starts with a fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, and sore throat, and is followed by a rash that spreads all over the body. It spreads so easily that someone who is not protected through being immunized or having had measles in the past, can get it if they walk into a room where someone with the disease has been in the past couple of hours.
-
Meningitis-Bacterial
Meningococcal disease is a sudden illness caused by a bacterium called Neisseria meningitidis. This bacterium infects the bloodstream (meningococcemia) or the meninges, a thin lining covering the brain and spinal cord (meningococcal meningitis).
-
MRSA
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to several antibiotics. In the general community, MRSA most often causes skin infections. In some cases, it causes pneumonia (lung infection) and other issues. If left untreated, MRSA infections can become severe and cause sepsis – a life-threatening reaction to severe infection in the body.
-
Mumps
Your best protection from mumps is to get immunized. Call your healthcare provider office to check your family’s vaccinations records.
-
Norovirus
Norovirus is a very contagious virus that can infect anyone. You can get it from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach intestines or both to get inflamed. Anyone can get infected with Noroviruses and can have the illness caused by Noroviruses multiple times in their lifetime.
-
Pneumococcal Disease
Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, sometimes referred to as pneumococcus. Pneumococcus can cause many types of illnesses. There are vaccines to prevent pneumococcal disease in children and adults.
-
Rabies
Rabies is a serious, almost always fatal virus that can spread to humans through bites (and other exposures) from infected animals. Fortunately, in Washington State, Rabies is very rare and is only known to be carried by bats.
-
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
RSV, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults.
-
Rotavirus
Rotavirus is a contagious virus that can cause gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines). This virus is the most common cause of severe diarrhea in young children and can cause dehydration and even death. Nearly every child in the U.S. is exposed to rotavirus before their 5th birthday.
-
Salmonellosis Infection (Salmonellosis)
Salmonellosis is an illness caused by Salmonella bacteria. There are more than 2,000 serotypes of Salmonella bacteria that can make people sick. Because there are so many serotypes, illness does not result in immunity.
-
Scabies
Scabies is an infestation of the skin by the human itch mite (Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis). The microscopic scabies mite burrow into the upper layer of the skin where it lives and lays its egg. Scabies can spread rapidly under crowded conditions where close body and skin contact is frequent.
-
Shingles
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. This virus also causes the common childhood disease chickenpox. After a person has chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus lies dormant in their nerves. For unknown reasons, the virus may reactivate later in life and shingles will appear.
-
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is a serious disease that usually affects the lungs but can attack any part if the body, including the kidneys, spine, and brain. TB is caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. When a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs or sneezes, tiny particles containing M. tuberculosis may be expelled into the air. If another person inhales air that contains these particles, the TB bacteria may enter the lungs causing infection.
-
West Nile Virus
West Nile virus is a mosquito-carried virus that can cause serious illness. West Nile virus is spread to humans and animals through the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes spread the virus when they feed on an infected bird, and then bite people, animals, or other birds.
-
Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly contagious bacterial infection, only found in humans. Whooping cough is spread through the air, by coughing, sneezing or spending a lot of time near one another where breathing space is shared. Whooping cough, primarily affects the respiratory system (the organs that help you breathe).
-
Zika Virus
Zika virus disease (Zika) is spread to people through the bite of infected mosquitoes. The Zika virus originates in the Caribbean, South America, Central America, and Africa. Only 1 in 5 people infected with the virus will show physical symptoms. People who are infected may experience fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes.