Specific Infectious Diseases of Public Health Concern

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium commonly found in the gut. Some strains can cause serious food poisoning, leading to diarrhoea and sometimes to life-threatening complications including haemolytic uraemic syndrome (WHO, 2018a). 

Prion diseases are a family of rare progressive neurodegenerative disorders that affect both humans and animals (Adapted from CDC, 2024, and WHO, no date). 

Lassa fever is a zoonotic disease associated with acute and potentially fatal haemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus. The virus is a single-stranded RNA virus belonging to the virus family Arenaviridae. About 1 in 5 infections result in severe disease, where the virus affects several organs such as the liver, spleen and kidneys. (WHO, 2024a). 

Shigellosis is an acute invasive enteric infection caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Shigella and is estimated to cause at least 80 million cases of bloody diarrhoea and 700,000 deaths each year (WHO, 2005).

Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial form of meningitis, a serious infection of the thin lining that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, that is caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. Meningococcal meningitis has the potential to cause large-scale epidemics and is observed worldwide (adapted from WHO, 2025). 

Hepatitis B is a vaccine-preventable disease, that is endemic and epidemic worldwide and is caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV can cause both acute and chronic liver disease. Chronic infection puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer (WHO, 2024).

Tuberculosis (TB) is a curable bacterial infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that most commonly affects the lungs. It causes national epidemics of varied severity worldwide. Forms of TB that are resistant to treatment - multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) - are public health crises and threaten health security worldwide (WHO, 2024).

Avian influenza is an infectious disease of birds caused by type A influenza viruses of the Orthomyxoviridae family. Naturally occurring among wild bird populations, avian influenza viruses can infect domestic poultry and other bird species. Some avian influenza viruses can also infect mammals and those affecting humans are called zoonotic. A pandemic can occur when a novel influenza virus spreads in human populations worldwide (adapted from FAO, 2009; WHO, 2023a; 2023b; WOAH, no date).

Pertussis is a highly contagious disease, which can be fatal, of the respiratory tract caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis (WHO, no date a).

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus: the virus can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis, ranging in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness including liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis C is endemic and epidemic worldwide (WHO, 2024a).