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Risk factors such as a person's background; lifestyle and environment are known to increase the likelihood of certain non-communicable diseases. They include age, gender, genetics, exposure to air pollution, and behaviors such as smoking, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity which can lead to hypertension and obesity, in turn leading to increased risk of many NCDs.
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is a globally used medical classification used in epidemiology, health management and for clinical purposes.The ICD is maintained by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations System. [1]
An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. [1] An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable disease, is an illness resulting from an infection.
A representation by Robert Seymour of the cholera epidemic depicts the spread of the disease in the form of poisonous air.. The miasma theory was the predominant theory of disease transmission before the germ theory took hold towards the end of the 19th century; it is no longer accepted as a correct explanation for disease by the scientific community.
In 2004, the World Health Organization calculated that 1.5 billion disability-adjusted life years were lost to disease and injury. [41] In the developed world, heart disease and stroke cause the most loss of life, but neuropsychiatric conditions like major depressive disorder cause the most years lost to being sick.
The term waterborne disease is reserved largely for infections that predominantly are transmitted through contact with or consumption of microbially polluted water.Many infections may be transmitted by microbes or parasites that accidentally, possibly as a result of exceptional circumstances, have entered the water.
Cholera continues to affect an estimated 3–5 million people worldwide and causes 28,800–130,000 deaths a year. [2] [7] To date, seven cholera pandemics have occurred, with the most recent beginning in 1961, and continuing today. [13] The illness is rare in high-income countries, and affects children most severely.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.