How can a person catch an infectious disease, like Malaria?
That varies greatly depending on the particular pathogen. The basic categories of disease transmission are: -Food borne/Oral-Anal route, wherein the pathogen is picked up through contact with contaminated food or water, or through contact with feces harboring the pathogen. -Airborne, wherein the pathogen is carried in the air from host to host through close contact. -Blood borne, wherein the pathogen is carried in the blood or bodily fluids of infected hosts, and can be transmitted via insect bites, sexual intercourse, or any other direct contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids. Malaria falls into the third column as a blood borne pathogen usually transmitted by mosquito bites, but some diseases push the boundaries and can infect hosts through any number of means. For example, E. Coli, generally known as a food borne illness, can, in some cases, also infiltrate the blood stream and lead to blood poisining, which is much more serious that most instances of it’s gastrointestinal
