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

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

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

• Vertical disease transmission
• Infectious disease
• Epidemiology
• Public health