Every field of study has technical terms that are used by people within that field. Newcomers to the field may not be familiar with the terminology used by others and may find themselves unsure of what certain words and terms mean. This is where a Glossary comes in handy. This Glossary is designed to help both students and teachers understand new or unfamiliar vocabulary or specialized terminology in this field of study.

Access the complete version of a book entitled Arthritis in Canada: An Ongoing Challenge.

Access a document about asthma, one of the most prevalent chronic conditions affecting Canadians.

Link to the organization that works to reduce the risk of bloodborne pathogens and biological injuries caused by blood transfusions and tissue and organ transplantations.

Learn how you can lower your risk of developing breast cancer or dying from it by medical screening and by minimizing lifestyle and environmental risk factors.

Read about trends in breast cancer incidence rates and discover the current methods of prevention.

Access information on cervical cancer. View graphs that map trends and learn about primary and secondary prevention.

Meet Dr. Rosanna Peeling, a scientist at Health Canada who developed a test for chlamydia that can help make some of its long-term complications, such as infertility, a thing of the past (text and video).

Read about Creutzfeldt-Jakob, a rare disease that affects the central nervous system, which is linked to eating contaminated beef products from animals infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or "mad-cow disease."

Learn about diabetes, a lifelong condition where either the body does not produce enough insulin, or the body cannot use the insulin it produces.

Access the complete text of Diabetes in Canada, including information on prevalence, risk factors and health outcomes.

Find information on disease surveillance and statistics as well as disease prevention and control programs.

Link to resources on E. Coli, such as articles, statistics and reports.

Learn about necrotizing fasciitis, also called flesh-eating disease, a rare but very serious disease that can lead to death.

Access reports, produced weekly during influenza season and biweekly in the off season, that summarize influenza surveillance activities in Canada.

Learn about genital herpes, a sexually transmitted infection that causes painful sores on and around the genitals.

An explanation of the giardia and cryptosporidium parasites, responsible for giarchiasis (beaver fever) and cryptosporidiosis. Steps for disease prevention and treatment are given.

Find information on the symptoms and treatment of gonorrhea, a common sexually transmitted infection which, if not treated early, can cause serious health problems.

Read about factors that may contribute to changes in the rates of people infected by gonorrhea.

Link to the complete text of Guidelines for the Control of Diphtheria in Canada.

Discover information on factors leading to heart disease, such as smoking, physical inactivity and high blood pressure.

Learn about cardiovascular and heart disease, the number one killer in Canada.

Learn about viral hepatitis, a group of diseases of the liver that can be caused by consuming contaminated water or food, using dirty needles or syringes, or practising unsafe sex.

Learn about Hepatitis B, an infection of the liver caused by a virus that can result in permanent liver disease and cancer of the liver.

Find information on Hepatitis C, an infectious virus that is carried in the blood and causes inflammation of the liver.

Read the main findings observed in the HIV and AIDS surveillance data for Canada.

Link to the Epi Updates, which are compiled on an annual basis to summarize recent trends and developments related to the HIV epidemic in Canada.

Find information on HPV, or Human Papillomovirus, a virus linked to incidence of cancer, that is spread through sex or close skin-to-skin, genital area contact with someone who is infected.

Read about influenza, also known as the flu, which is a common respiratory illness affecting millions of Canadians each year.

Find fact sheets on 32 diseases, from asthma to whooping cough. Each fact sheet has background information, details about health effects, and tips on how to minimize personal risk.

Find information on meningococcal infection, caused by a bacterium that, in rare instances, overcomes the body's natural defences and cause serious diseases, including meningitis.

Create maps of Canada showing the number of reported cases and rates of infection for selected notifiable diseases.

Find information on ovarian cancer, including trends, risk factors, early detection, prevention and treatment.

Find information on Parkinson's disease, a chronic progressive disorder of the central nervous system characterized by tremors and rigidity.

Find information on diarrhea, the most common affliction of travellers to developing countries.

Learn the simple but important steps you can take to reduce your risk of getting skin cancer.

Read the summary and key points of a report entitled Respiratory Disease in Canada.

Link to the Respiratory Virus Detection Surveillance System, which reports on respiratory virus incidences in Canada.

Link to information about SARS, including updates, frequently asked questions, fact sheets and news releases.

Find out how cervical cancer can, for the most part, be avoided or easily treated with regular screening.

Find information on colorectal cancer as well as tips for its prevention.

The term STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) is now commonly used in the place of STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease). STI is more encompassing, including infections that may be asymptomatic. The term STI is used more frequently on this site but please note that the term STD may still be used in some links and earlier publications.

In Canada some of the highest rates and increase in STIs are in young people ages 15 to 24. If you are having sex, or thinking about having sex, you need to know how to avoid sexually transmitted infections.

Learn about syphilis, a bacterial infection that is transmitted through oral, genital or anal sex with an infected person.

Read about trichomonas, a germ that can be spread during sex that affects women and their babies.

Find information on tuberculosis, such as how the disease is transmitted, risk factors and how to minimize transmission.

Link to information on West Nile virus, which mosquitoes transmit after becoming infected by feeding on the blood of birds carrying the virus.

Access surveillance data and maps on the incidence of West Nile Virus in Canada.

Find information on whooping cough, the common name for Pertussis, which is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory tract.