Communicable Diseases

Communicable diseases, also known as infectious diseases or transmissible diseases, are illnesses that result from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic (capable of causing disease) biologic agents in an individual human or other animal host. Infections may range in severity from asymptomatic (without symptoms) to severe and fatal. The term infection does not have the same meaning as infectious disease because some infections do not cause illness in a host.

Disease causing biologic agents include viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, multicellular parasites, and aberrant proteins known as prions. Transmission of these biologic agents can occur in a variety of ways, including direct physical contact with an infectious person, consuming contaminated foods or beverages, contact with contaminated body fluids, contact with contaminated inanimate objects, airborne (inhalation), or being bitten by an infected insect or tick. Some disease agents can be transmitted from animals to humans, and some of these agents can be transmitted in more than one way.

Statewide communicable disease surveillance and control activities in Wisconsin are coordinated by the Bureau of Communicable Diseases and Emergency Response.

For information about specific communicable disease subjects, see the list below.

Communicable disease subjects A-Z

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I   J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z   

A     

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)    
AIDS/HIV Program    
Amebiasis    
Anaplasmosis    
Animal bites   
Anthrax        
Antibiotic (Antimicrobial) resistant organisms (ARO)    
Arboviral diseases    

B   Back to top   

Babesiosis (Babesia infection)    
Bacterial meningitis    
Baylisascaris procyonis (raccoon roundworm)    
Bed bugs (Cimex lectulaius)   
Bioterrorism (possible incident)    
Blastomycosis    
Body lice (Pediculosis/Phthiriasis)    
Botulism          
Brucellosis      

C   Back to top

CA-MRSA (Community-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)  
California serogroup viruses   
Campylobacteriosis            
Chancroid (sexually transmitted)    
Chickenpox (varicella)    
Chikungunya fever    
Chlamydia trachomatis infection    
Cholera       
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile)    
Clostridium perfringens    
Coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever)   
Communicable disease chart for schools and child care centers (PDF, 133 KB)   
Cover your cough (Exit DHS)   
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD or TSE)    
Cryptosporidiosis       
Cyclosporiasis    
Cytomegalovirus (CMV)    

D   Back to top

Daycare exclusion criteria (PDF, 80 KB)    
Dengue fever    
Diphtheria    
Disease reporting    

E   Back to top

E. coli 0157:H7 infections   
E. coli - shiga toxin producing (STEC)  
Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE)       
Ehrlichiosis      
EpiNet - Complete printable version (PDF, 13 MB)    

F   Back to top

Fifth disease    
"Flesh-eating" bacteria (Necrotizing fasciitis)   
Flu (influenza) 
Flu (influenza) - Wisconsin's flu resource (Exit DHS)  
Foodborne and Waterborne Disease Outbreak Investigation Manual (PDF, 522 MB)   
Food poisoning    
Food safety (Exit DHS)    

G   Back to top

German measles (Rubella)   
Giardia infection (Giardiasis)    
Gonorrhea    
Group A streptococcal infections (GAS)    
Group B streptococcal infections (GBS)    

H   Back to top

Haemophilus influenzae, including type b (Hib)   
Hand, foot and mouth disease    
Hand washing Hand hygiene    
Hantavirus    
Head lice (Pediculosis)    
Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs)    
Hemolytic Uremic syndrome (HUS)       
Hepatitis A virus infection    
Hepatitis B virus infection    
Hepatitis C virus infection  
Hepatitis C Program   
Hepatitis D virus infection    
Hepatitis E virus infection    
Herpes zoster (Shingles)    
Histoplasmosis    
HIV infection (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)    
Hookworm infection    

I   Back to top

Immunization coalitions in Wisconsin    
Immunizations (Wisconsin Immunization program)   
Impetigo   
Infection control     
Influenza (flu) 
Influenza (flu) - Wisconsin's flu resource (Exit DHS) 
Invasive bacteria    

J  Back to top

Jamestown Canyon virus (California serogroup) 

K   Back to top

Kawasaki syndrome    

L   Back to top

LaCrosse encephalitis (California serogroup)    
Legionnaires' disease, Pontiac fever (Legionellosis)    
Leprosy    
Leptospirosis   
Listeriosis  
Lockjaw (Tetanus)    
Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi infection)       
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV / LCV)    

M   Back to top

Malaria    
Measles    
Meningitis    
Meningococcal disease (Neisseria meningitidis)    
Monkeypox    
Mononucleosis, infectious (mono) (Epstein-Barr virus EBV)    
MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)    
Mumps    
Mycobacterial, atypical non-tuberculosis   

N   Back to top

Necrotizing fasciitis ("Flesh-eating" bacteria)    
Norovirus (previously known as Norwalk virus)    

P   Back to top

Pediculosis/Phthiriasis (body lice)    
Pediculosis/Phthiriasis (head lice)     
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) sexually transmitted    
Pertussis (Whooping cough)    
Plague (Yersinia pestis infection)    
Plesiomonas shigelliodes    
Pneumococcal disease (Streptococcus pneumoniae)    
Polio (Poliomyelitis infection)    
Powassan virus    
Prion diseases (TSE or CJD)       
Pseudomonas folliculitis    
Psittacosis    

Q   Back to top   

Q Fever    

R   Back to top

Rabies    
Raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis)    
Refugee health    
Reptile-associated salmonellosis 
Reporting    
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)    
Reye syndrome    
Ricin poisoning   
Rickettsiosis    
Ringworm    
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF)      
Rotavirus    
Rubella (German measles)   

S   Back to top

Saint Louis encephalitis (SLE)
Salmonella Typhi (Typhoid fever)    
Salmonella infection (Salmonellosis)    
Scabies    
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS or SARS-CoV)    
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) bacterial (other than HIV)   
Sexually transmitted diseases - Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT)   
Shiga toxin-producing E-coli (STEC)    
Shigellosis    
Shingles (Herpes zoster)    
Smallpox infection 
Spotted fever rickettsiosis, including RMSF
Streptococcal infections (strep)    
Streptococcal pharyngitis (strep throat)    
Streptococcus pneumoniae infections, including invasive    
Swimmer’s itch (Cercarial dermatitis)    
Syphilis

T   Back to top

Tetanus (Lockjaw)    
Tickborne diseases     
Toxic shock syndrome (TSS)    
Toxoplasmosis    
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE, CJD)    
Trichinosis    
Tuberculosis (TB)    
Tularemia    
Typhoid fever (Salmonella typhi) 
Typhus fever   

V   Back to top

Vaccine information - adults   
Vaccine information - children   
Vaccine information - school requirements   
Vaccine information - safety   
Vaccine preventable diseases  
Vaccines for children (VFC)  
Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE)    
Varicella (Chickenpox)    
Vibriosis non-cholera    
Viral hemorrhagic fevers (Ebola, Crimean-Congo, Lassa, Marburg viruses)  
Viral hepatitis infection    
Viral meningitis   
VISA VRSA (vancomycin-intermediate/resistant Staphylococcus aureus)   

W   Back to top

West Nile virus (WNV) 
Western equine encephalitis (WEE)  
Whooping cough (Pertussis)    
Wisconsin AIDS/HIV program notes    
Wisconsin Epi Express   
Wisconsin Hepatitis C program   
Wisconsin Immunization program  
Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR)   

Y   Back to top   

Yellow fever - Vaccine center certification    
Yellow fever    
Yersiniosis    

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Last Revised: April 26, 2013