8.2 - Health & Disease
Communicable and non-communicable disease
Diseases fall into two groups, depending on whether they can spread between organisms.
Communicable (infectious) diseases
- Can spread from one organism to another - between people, or between animals and people.
- Are caused by pathogens.
- Examples: measles and malaria.
Non-communicable diseases
- Cannot be passed between organisms.
- Tend to last a long time and get worse slowly.
- Examples: asthma, cancer, and coronary heart disease.
TermDefinition
Communicable diseaseA disease caused by a pathogen that can be passed from one organism to another.
Non-communicable diseaseA disease that cannot be passed from one person to another.