The first symptom is one of annoyance, then comes the tickle in the throat, the sudden onset of a cough, and the lingering feeling of dread. The spectre of contagion hangs over us all, a constant reminder of our interconnectedness and vulnerability.
But how exactly do these invisible foes spread, and how does this exact impact of contagion on healthcare systems shape its very fabric?
Know thy enemy, know thyself. Contagion can wage wars, conquer and rule. A tyrant who keeps expanding his lands. It's the evil twin of Alexander the Great. Ironically, there's a whole conspiracy theory that posits he could have died of, you guessed it, an infectious disease.
Contagion, without all the fanfare, simply put, is disease transmission from one individual to another. It's like a game of infectious whispers, where the message – the disease – gets passed along through various means. And yes, it sounds gross, and the game of Chinese whispers has been forever ruined.
This can happen through direct contact (like a handshake), indirect contact (touching a contaminated surface), respiratory droplets (coughing or sneezing), or even through vectors like mosquitoes (the bane of everyone's existence).