communicable disease

noun

plural communicable diseases

: an infectious disease (such as cholera, hepatitis, influenza, malaria, measles, or tuberculosis) that is transmissible by contact with infected individuals or their bodily discharges or fluids (such as respiratory droplets, blood, or semen), by contact with contaminated surfaces or objects, by ingestion of contaminated food or water, or by direct or indirect contact with disease vectors (such as mosquitoes, fleas, or mice)

Note: The terms communicable disease and contagious disease are often used interchangeably. However, communicable diseases such as malaria or schistosomiasis that are spread by contact with disease vectors are not typically considered to be "contagious" diseases since they cannot be spread from direct contact with another person.

Examples of communicable disease in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These online communities were thriving long before the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw an explosion of false claims about vaccines, communicable diseases and even basic medical science. —David Klepper, Fortune Well, 31 Jan. 2024

The policy allowed Border Patrol to expel immigrants without issuing asylum hearing dates due to concerns over communicable diseases. —Julia Johnson, Washington Examiner, 15 May 2023

The last step is a medical check to ensure refugees will not spread a communicable disease. —Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 17 Oct. 2023

For periods of the 20th century, the health priorities of successive governing bodies appeared focused more on reducing the spread of communicable disease to protect foreigners interacting with the native Palestinian population. —Yara M. Asi, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2023

The cost of care Long said offering medical treatment to the asylum seekers was not a burden, but simply standard public health practice to protect everyone from communicable diseases that recognize no borders. —Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, 26 Sep. 2023

But partial masking — say, only in units with high-risk patients — may still endanger patients, said Dr. Eric Chow, head of communicable diseases at Public Health — Seattle & King County, in Washington State. —Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2023

Bagdasarian said higher percentages of immunizations helps reduce the risk for outbreaks of communicable diseases such as measles, mumps, pertussis (whooping cough) and chickenpox. —Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 18 Aug. 2023

Finally, the Trump administration used the national emergency to invoke Title 42, a section of the Public Health Service Act that allows the federal government to stop people at the nation’s borders to prevent introduction of communicable diseases. —Marian Moser Jones, Fortune Well, 11 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

communicable disease

noun

: an infectious disease (as cholera, hepatitis, influenza, malaria, measles, or tuberculosis) that is transmissible by contact with infected individuals or their bodily discharges or fluids (as respiratory droplets, blood, or semen), by contact with contaminated surfaces or objects, by ingestion of contaminated food or water, or by direct or indirect contact with disease vectors (as mosquitoes, fleas, or mice)

Note: The terms communicable disease and contagious disease are often used interchangeably. However, communicable diseases (as malaria or schistosomiasis) that are spread by contact with disease vectors are not typically considered to be "contagious" diseases since they cannot be spread from direct contact with another person.