Communicable Diseases

A communicable disease is an illness due to a specific infectious agent (or in certain circumstances its toxin) which results from transmission of that agent or its toxin from an infectious person, animal or inanimate reservoir to a susceptible host, either directly or through a vector, host or the environment.

Quite a number of illnesses in this category are 'reportable'. This means that if you are diagnosed as having a particular illness a member of staff from Environmental Health may contact you and asksome questions to try to determine the source and attempt to prevent further infection. Sometimes you will be contacted where you appear well but have been in contact with a person diagnosed with a communicable disease as some illnesses can show no symptoms.

A few examples follow:

A very common cause of diarrhoea in Shetland is the parasitic infection Cryptosporidiosis which is transmitted from humans and animals. This may also be a food borne infection due to contamination of food. See also the food poisoning page.

A much more sever and thankfully very rare cause of diarrhoea in Shetland is Shigellosis (Dysentery) which is transmitted from human to human.

Leptospirosis (Weil Disease) is a zoonotic bacterial disease (with a notable reservoir being rats) and contact with rats urine can result in infection. A zoonosis is an infection or infectious disease transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans.