Shigellosis
Shigellosis is an acute, invasive, enteric bacterial infection that affects the digestive system. It is caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella. Symptoms may appear within 1–2 days of encountering Shigella.
Stream: Disease Debriefs
H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A Virus (Bird Flu)
H5N1 AI is a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that is easily transmitted between birds and is a zoonotic disease (a disease that transmits from animals to people), but it is not well adapted to mammals. There have been reports of possible limited human-to-human transmission, but there has been no evidence of ongoing transmission between people.
Valley Fever
Valley fever (also known as coccidioidomycosis) is a lung infection caused by two species of the fungus Coccidioides. The Coccidioides fungus can be found in semiarid soils of the Pacific Northwest and Southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
mpox
mpox (formerly Monkeypox) virus is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans. Squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, and non-human primates have been found to be susceptible to mpox virus. Transmission occurs when a person comes into direct or indirect contact with the body fluids or lesion materials of infected animals and humans, including contaminated materials.
Leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. This chronic infection primarily targets the skin, peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and ocular tissues, leading to disfiguring sores and nerve damage.
Dengue
Dengue is a viral infection caused by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes.
In Canada, approximately 200-300 cases of dengue are imported each year. All cases have been among travellers returning from countries where dengue is present.
Congenital Syphilis
Congenital syphilis is a sexually transmitted bacterial disease passed from mother to child during pregnancy or birth. When left untreated, syphilis in pregnant women can cause serious health consequences including miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, or birth defects. Congenital syphilis is re-emerging and has risen significantly in recent years. In 2019, for example, there were 53 cases of congenital syphilis, the highest number of cases ever reported in Canada. Case counts have risen significantly since 2019 in the provinces, although numbers for the country as a whole are not yet available.
Measles
Measles is a single stranded, enveloped RNA virus. The virus can cause a measles infection which starts in the respiratory epithelium of the nasopharynx. Measles is highly contagious. Complications from measles commonly include ear infections and diarrhea.
Group A Streptococcus
Group A streptococcus (GAS) is responsible for a range of diseases in humans. These diseases include strep throat (acute pharyngitis) and skin and soft tissue infections such impetigo and cellulitis. These can also include rare cases of invasive (serious) illnesses such as necrotizing fasciitis (flesh eating disease) and toxic shock syndrome (TSS).
Malaria
Malaria is a parasitic infection spread to humans by female Anopheles mosquitoes. The single-celled parasites are in the genus Plasmodium. Typically, four kinds of malarial parasites infect humans, Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. P. Knowlesi, a type of malaria that naturally infects macaques in Southeast Asia, may also infect humans, causing malaria that is transmitted from animal to human.
Helicobacter pylori
Treatment for H. pylori infection involves taking a combination of antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) to reduce the amount of acid in the stomach (acid suppression). Most people do not need to be tested for H. pylori if they do not show signs of infection.
Marburg virus disease
Marburg virus is the causative agent of Marburg virus disease (MVD) formerly known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever. MVD is a zoonotic infection, transmitted from animals to humans. It is a highly virulent disease that causes hemorrhagic fever with an 88% fatality rate. The virus can spread by human-to-human contact with blood, body fluids and by contact with infected body fluid objects.