Horizontal disease transmission
Horizontal disease transmission refers to the transfer of infectious diseases or pathogens from one individual to another in the same generation (peers in the same age group), predominantly through direct contact, airborne droplets, ingestion of food and water, and vector-borne spread. This is in contrast to vertical disease transmission, where the pathogen is transmitted from parent to offspring.
Types of Horizontal Disease Transmission[edit | edit source]
There are several types of horizontal disease transmission, including:
- Direct contact transmission: This occurs when there is physical contact between an infected person and a susceptible person. Diseases transmitted this way include HIV, herpes, and hepatitis B.
- Indirect contact transmission: This involves contact of a susceptible host with a contaminated intermediate object, often inanimate, such as contaminated instruments or surfaces.
- Airborne transmission: This occurs when bacteria or viruses travel on dust particles or on small respiratory droplets that may be generated when an infected individual coughs, sneezes, or talks.
- Fecal-oral transmission: This type of transmission occurs when pathogens in fecal particles pass from one host to the mouth of another host. Common pathogens include norovirus, rotavirus, and hepatitis A.
- Vector-borne transmission: This occurs when vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks, or fleas transmit disease. Examples include malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease.
Prevention of Horizontal Disease Transmission[edit | edit source]
Prevention strategies for horizontal disease transmission are dependent on the specific type of transmission and may include hand hygiene, vaccination, use of personal protective equipment, infection control measures in healthcare settings, vector control, and food safety measures.
See Also[edit | edit source]
 | This infectious disease article is a stub. You can help WikiMD by expanding it. |
Search WikiMD
Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro / Zepbound) available.
Advertise on WikiMD
|
WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia |
| Let Food Be Thy Medicine Medicine Thy Food - Hippocrates |
Translate this page: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
தமிழ்,
తెలుగు,
Urdu,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
বাংলা
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
Greek,
português do Brasil,
polski,
română,
русский,
Nederlands,
norsk,
svenska,
suomi,
Italian
Middle Eastern & African
عربى,
Turkish,
Persian,
Hebrew,
Afrikaans,
isiZulu,
Kiswahili,
Other
Bulgarian,
Hungarian,
Czech,
Swedish,
മലയാളം,
मराठी,
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ,
ગુજરાતી,
Portuguese,
Ukrainian
Medical Disclaimer: WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. The information on WikiMD is provided as an information resource only, may be incorrect, outdated or misleading, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. WikiMD expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site. By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, which may from time to time be changed or supplemented by WikiMD. If you do not agree to the foregoing terms and conditions, you should not enter or use this site. See full disclaimer.
Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.
Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD
