Transmitting and Fighting Infectious Diseases

Course Overview

Understanding how pathogens cause infections and how infectious diseases are transmitted is crucial for preventing and controlling the spread of illnesses. In this course, you will learn how diseases like the common flu spread, the mechanisms behind bacterial resistance, the body's defence mechanisms, and the importance of immunization. You will understand what pathogens like bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites are and discover how antibiotics work. You will then explore what causes resistance to antibiotics, a significant and growing problem worldwide, as it can make the treatment of bacterial infections more challenging and, in some cases, ineffective. The immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs working together to defend the body against harmful invaders like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other pathogens. The course will help you understand the immune system's main components and how the innate and adaptive immune responses fight invading pathogens. You will explore immunisation and how it triggers the immune system to remember pathogens.