Infectious Diseases

Last update: 15 October 2009,
by Maureen Bell

I've divided this page into three sections. The first provides you with some tips on searching for material on Medline, the second provides links to other Australian and overseas web resources, including some full text material, and the third contains an alphabetical list of links to sites containing information on specific diseases.

You will find other material of interest on my health issues in developing countries page.

Searching Medline

Remember that Medline has a Thesaurus of terms - MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), a controlled vocabulary used for indexing articles in Medline. MeSH terminology provides a consistent way to retrieve information that may use different terminology for the same concepts. You will find material on infectious diseases in Medline, but you will need to be aware of the thesaurus (MeSH) terms available for searching. Below are some examples of the language Medline uses to describe the concepts in this field.

MeSH - Communicable Disease Control

MeSH - Communicable Diseases

MeSH - Disease Outbreaks

MeSH - Disease Transmission

as well as individual diseases, such as

MeSH - Influenza in Birds

MeSH - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

MeSH - Tuberculosis

Many topics in MeSH have hierarchies of more specific subcategories or related terms.. The indentations in the lists reflect the structure of the hierarchy, and the + signs at the end of terms indicate that there is a further hierarchy of terms not displayed here. Any of these terms can be searched individually, or you can "explode" terms to search sections of the list.

When you search for subjects using MeSH terms from the Medline thesaurus you will also have the option of appending subheadings to narrow the focus of your search.

For a list of the abbreviations used for subheadings in PubMed click here

Try the search strategy below to look for the epidemiology of communicable diseases in Africa.

COMBINE

Communicable Diseases (MeSH term)

AND

Africa (MeSH term)
The advantage of searching Africa as a thesaurus term is that "exploding" the term will include the following more specific areas.

Africa, Northern
Algeria
Egypt
Libya
Morocco
Tunisia

Africa South of the Sahara
Africa, Central +
Africa, Eastern +
Africa, Southern +
Africa, Western +

PubMed Search Formulation

This search strategy uses the subheading "epidemiology", which is abbreviated to "ep", associated with communicable diseases. The section in the square brackets includes majr - which focuses the search on articles where the subject is a major issue in the article. As PubMed's default is to explode all terms the search will include all of the African countries listed above.The search is then limited to articles in English or with English abstracts.

Click here to see how it works. PubMed Search.

Australian Sources

Blue Book: - Victorian Government Health Information, Australia
Guidelines for the Control of Infectious Diseases.

Communicable Diseases Australia
Summary data for notifications of communicable diseases reported to Australia's National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS), from the Office of Health Protection, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

Communicable Disease Control Index - Department of Health - South Australian Government
Includes a list of notifiable diseases, and the method of reporting them.

eMJA: Articles on Infectious diseases and Parasitology
The full text of articles from the Medical Journal of Australia.

Health Report - Infectious Diseases
Transcripts from Radio National's Health Report, with Norman Swan.

IDEAS (Infectious Diseases Epidemiology & Surveillance)
From the State Government of Victoria Department of Human Services.

Overseas Sources

AMA (Medical Science) Resources on Infectious Disease
From the American Medical Association.

Antibiotic Resistance
Disease-causing microbes that have become resistant to drug therapy are an increasing public health problem. Tuberculosis, gonorrhea, malaria, and childhood ear infections are just a few of the diseases that have become hard to treat with antibiotic drugs.

Biological Threats and Terrorism: Assessing the Science and Response Capabilities.
Edited by Stacey L. Knobler, Adel A. F. Mahmoud, and Leslie A. Pray, Based on a Workshop of the Forum on emerging Infections, Board on Global Health. Institute of Medicine. Washington, D.C., National Academy Press, 2002.

CISID (centralized information system for infectious diseases)
Contains data gathered through surveillance of communicable diseases – such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, and malaria – and data on immunization coverage in countries and recent outbreaks in Europe. Offers information on recent outbreaks in Europe and some other textual information. Allows detailed review and assessment of the situation on the main infectious diseases in the WHO European Region. Offers some data at the subnational level.

Emerging Infectious Diseases
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States.

Epidemic - The World of Infectious Diseases
Not a news service, but an exhibition from the American Museum of Natural History.

Ethical and Legal Considerations in Mitigating Pandemic Disease: Workshop Summary
By Stanley M. Lemon, Margaret A. Hamburg, P. Frederick Sparling, Eileen R. Choffnes, and Alison Mack, Rapporteurs, Forum on Microbial Threats. Washington, D.C., National Academies Press, 2007.

Global Atlas of Infectious Diseases
Produced under the auspices of the World Health Organization, Communicable Diseases Surveillance Public Health Mapping Group.

Global Infectious Disease Surveillance and Detection: Assessing the Challenges -- Finding Solutions, Workshop Summary
Forum on Microbial Threats, Stanley M. Lemon, Margaret A. Hamburg, P. Frederick Sparling, Eileen R. Choffnes, and Alison Mack, Rapporteurs. Washington, D.C., National Academies Press, 2007

The Global Threat of New and Reemerging Infectious Diseases: Reconciling U.S. National Security and Public Health Policy
By Jennifer Brower and Peter Chalk. RAND, 2003.

HEALTHmap | Global disease alert mapping system
HEALTHmap brings together disparate data sources to achieve a unified and comprehensive view of the current global state of infectious diseases and their effect on human and animal health. The site integrates outbreak data of varying reliability, ranging from news sources (such as Google News) to curated personal accounts (such as ProMED) to validated official alerts (such as World Health Organization). HEALTHmap provides a jumping-off point for real-time information on emerging infectious diseases and has particular interest for public health officials and international travelers.

The Impact of Globalization on Infectious Disease Emergence and Control: Exploring the Consequences and Opportunities, Workshop Summary - Forum on Microbial Threats
By Stacey Knobler, Adel Mahmoud, Stanley Lemon, and Leslie Pray, Editors, Forum on Microbial Threats. Washington, D.C., National Academies Press, 2006.

Infectious Diseases in an Age of Change: The Impact of Human Ecology and Behavior on Disease Transmission
Bernard Roizman, Editor, for the National Academy of Sciences. Washington D.C., National Academy Press, 1995.

Medscape Infectious Diseases
Information for clinicans on infectious diseases.

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) - Recommended Web Sites & Virtual Library of Diseases
Links and resources from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases in the United States.

Vector-Borne Diseases: Understanding the Environmental, Human Health, and Ecological Connections, Workshop Summary (Forum on Microbial Threats)
Rapporteurs: Stanley M. Lemon, P. Frederick Sparling, Margaret A. Hamburg, David A. Relman, Eileen R. Choffnes, and Alison Mack, Forum on Microbial Threats

WHO: Disease Outbreak News

WHO - Health Topics - Infectious Diseases
General Resources from the World health Organization on infectious diseases.

WHO Infectious Diseases Report
A number of documents including Scaling Up the Response to Infectious Diseases: A Way Out of Poverty.

WHO Report on Global Surveillance of Epidemic-prone Infectious Diseases
From the World Health Organization department of Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response, this report covers diseases such as yellow fever, influenza, meningococcal disease, and cholera.

Specific Infectious Diseases

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

Search PubMed for anthrax in developing countries
Search PubMed for HIV/AIDS in developing countries

Avian influenza is listed under Influenza

AEGIS
AEGIS, "the largest HIV/AIDS web site in the world," was developed by Sister Mary Elizabeth of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth of Hungary and is currently funded by private donors and grants from The National Library of Medicine and Roxanne Laboratories. This site contains a vast array of valuable HIV resources.

AIDS and STI (PAHO)

AIDSinfo - HIV / AIDS Information
From the National Institutes of Health in the United States

Anthrax (WHO)

Anthrax - Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
A page of resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.

Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society. Reports
The full text of a number of reports on aspects of HIV in Australia.

CDC-Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) Home Page

HIV /AIDS (WHO)

HIV InSite Gateway to HIV and AIDS Knowledge
This site, from the University of California San Francisco, has a wealth of AIDS information, including a section on specific countries & regions

MedlinePlus: AIDS

MedlinePlus: Anthrax

UNAIDS Publications
UNAIDS is the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

World Anthrax Data Site

B

Bird flu is listed under Influenza

WHO | Brucellosis

C

Search PubMed for cholera in developing countries

Campylobacter (WHO)

Cholera (PAHO)

Cholera (WHO)

Cholera Online: A Modern Pandemic in Texts and Images.

Cholera Surveillance (PAHO)

D

Search PubMed for dengue in developing countries
Search PubMed for diphtheria in developing countries
Search PubMed for dysentery in developing countries

Dengue (PAHO)

Dengue (WHO)

DengueNet - Information about the Dengue
Global surveillance of dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF).

Diphtheria (WHO)

Dysentery (WHO)

MedlinePlus: Dengue

MedlinePlus: Diphtheria

E

Search PubMed for ebola haemorrhagic fever
Search PubMed for eschericia coli infections

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever | CDC Special Pathogens Branch

Ebola haemorrhagic fever (WHO)

Escherichia Coli Infections (WHO)

H

Search PubMed for haemorrhagic fevers in developing countries
Search PubMed for hepatitis in developing countries

Haemorrhagic Fevers (PAHO)

Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral (WHO)

Hepatitis (CSR)
World Health Organization, Department of Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response. A collection of resources on this topic.

Hepatitis (WHO)

MEDLINEplus: Hemorrhagic Fevers
From the National Library of Medicine in the United States, resources on haemorrhagic fevers.

MedlinePlus: Hepatitis

I

Antivirals for Pandemic Influenza: Guidance on Developing a Distribution and Dispensing Program
Committee on Implementation of Antiviral Medication Strategies for an Influenza Pandemic, Institute of Medicine . Washington, D.C., National Academies Press, 2008.

Avian Influenza (also called Bird Flu) (Australian Depertment of Health and Ageing)

Avian Influenza (WHO/SEARO)

How effective would antiviral vaccination and antiviral drug prevention and treatment strategies be for reducing the impact of the next influenza pandemic?
Health Evidence Network (HEN) World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, January 2006.

Influenza (WHO)

MedlinePlus: Bird Flu

MedlinePlus: H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)

MedlinePlus: Influenza

Pandemic Flu

Pandemic Flu (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

Pandemic influenza (Australian Department of Health and Ageing)

The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? Workshop Summary
Prepared for Forum on Microbial Threats, Board on Global Health. Stacey L. Knobler, Alison Mack, Adel Mahmoud, Stanley M. Lemon, Editors. Washington D.C., National Academies Press, 2005.

WHO | Influenza A(H1N1) (Swine flu)

L

Search PubMed for leprosy in developing countries

Global Project on the History of Leprosy
This is a project of the International Leprosy Association.

Infolep
This is the site of the leprosy information services of the Netherlands Leprosy Relief (NLR).

WHO | Leprosy

WHO | Leprosy Today

M

Search PubMed for measles in developing countries
Search PubMed for meningitis in developing countries

Measles (WHO)

MedlinePlus: Measles

MedlinePlus: Meningitis

Meningitis (WHO)

Meningitis (CDC)

P

Search PubMed for plague in developing countries
Search PubMed for pneumococcal infections in developing countries

CDC Plague Home Page
From the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases (DVBID)

Global Polio Eradication Initiative

MedlinePlus: Plague

MedlinePlus: Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome

Plague (WHO)

Pneumococcal Infections (WHO)

Polio Eradication (WHO/SEARO)

R

Search PubMed for rabies in developing countries

MedlinePlus: Rabies

MedlinePlus: Rubella

RABNET
Rabnet is a WHO data bank which offers online access to information on rabies prevalence, diagnosis, surveillance, and control in humans and animals from almost all countries in the world.

Rabies (CDC)

Rabies (WHO)

Rubella (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing)

Rubella (CDC)

S

Search PubMed for smallpox in developing countries

MedlinePlus: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

MedlinePlus: Smallpox

SARS - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing)

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - SARS (CDC)

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - SARS (WHO)

Smallpox (CDC)

Smallpox (WHO)

T

Search PubMed for tuberculosis in developing countries

Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (CDC)

MedlinePlus: Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (WHO)

Tuberculosis (WHO/SEARO)

Tuberculosis - A World Free of TB

Tuberculosis Surveillance (PAHO)

Y

Search PubMed for yellow fever in developing countries

Yellow Fever (CDC)

Yellow Fever - Department of Health and Ageing

Yellow Fever (WHO)