General Sites for Health & Disease

CDC-Disease Links

This site, part of the Centre for Disease Control website, contains a list of diseases, injuries and disabilities listed in alphabetical order, which makes what your looking for very easy.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Institute is a nonprofit medical research organization that employs hundreds of leading biomedical scientists.The Institute is one of the world's largest philanthropies, with labs across the US and grants programs throughout the world.

NIH: Science Education

This website is run by the National Institute of Health, and contains links to many health related educational resources, NIH news, careers and more.

NIH: Curriculum Supplements Grades 9-12

The NIH Curriculum Supplement Series are interactive teaching units from the National Institutes of Heal th.Each supplement is a teacher’s guide to two weeks’ of lessons on science and human health.

(NZ) Christchurch School of Medicine & Health Science

Christchurch School of Medicine & Health Science: This site provides contact details for the university departments and research groups. Health and study information is available at each of the further department links.

(NZ) Ministry of Health

Contact information for the New Zealand Ministry of Health and links to a wide variety of health related organisations.

(NZ) University of Auckland: Contacts

Contact listing for various enquiries to the University of Auckland.

WHO/OMS: Health Topics

Find out more about diseases from the World Health Organisation website which has an extensive list of infectious and non infectious diseases, plus more.

Infectious Diseases

Disinfectants 'train' superbugs to resist antibiotics

Disinfectants could effectively train bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics, research suggests.

BBC NEWS | UN Warns over swine flu in birds

The discovery of swine flu in birds in Chile raises concerns about the spread of the virus, the UN warns.

CDC - Avian Influenza

This page from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides links to further information and several articles under the topic headings of Overviews and Updates, Travel, and Professional Guidance.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Covers a wide range of infectious and non-infectious disease occurrences and prevention.

Cholera

A fact sheet on cholera, part of the WHO site, which contains much more information on communicable disease.

CJD Statistics

These figures show the number of suspect cases referred to the CJD surveillance unit in Edinburgh, and the number of deaths of definite and probable cases in the UK, up to 2nd December 2005

Communicable Disease Australia

The Australian government section which maintains this site manages and liaises with other communicable disease monitoring programs, providing advice and fostering collaboration on national strategies. Data on various programs is published on this website fortnightly.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Emerging Infectious Diseases is a journal published by the CDC to provide information in 3 broad areas: factors that underlie disease emergence, summaries of specific diseases or syndromes, and brief lab or epidemiological reports.

Health Map: Global Disease Alert Map

An interactive map that makes notes of areas around the globe with a disease problem or concern.

Infectious Diseases

A comprehensive listing of infectious diseases, including vector-borne and non-vector borne.

Insect Vectors of Human Pathogens

An excellent site which brings together much information about the role of insects in the spread of diseases and pathogens into the human system, A great store of links and further related articles, it is categorised by insect type.

HIV Insite: Gateway to AIDS Knowledge

From this site learn about medical information and latest research findings, prevention and education, and social issues relating to AIDS. Also read about the latest statistics and trends in HIV/AIDS epidemic, as well as links to other related sites.

Koch's Postulates

Robert Koch identified microorganisms as agents of disease. Wikipedia shows this brief summary of Koch's postulates.

Meningococcal Disease

Hosted by Victoria University of Wellington, this page provides an explanation of what Meningococcal Disease is, and other common questions, links to further information is also supplied.

(NZ) MOH FAQs: Meningococcal Disease

Part of the New Zealand Ministry of Health, This page lists some of the common questions about the disease, and provides links to the answers.

NIH: Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Disease

Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases—developed with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)—is a creative, inquiry-based instruction program, designed to promote active learning and stimulate student interest in medical topics

Prion Diseases

Concise summary of the relevant features of prion diseases: the types of diseases, mode of infection, and evidence of a protein as the infective agent. Also applies to noninfectious disease.

Public Health Laboratory Service

Provides factsheets on various infectious diseases. General information as well as data of notified incidences of infectious diseases for England and Wales.

SARS

Below are a list of various websites with abundant information on Severe Acute respiratory Syndrome.

• SARS: from health Canada
• SARS: from WHO
• SARS quarantine: from CDC

Swine influenza: a zoonosis

A site detailing the path of the influenza virus from avian through swine to human. It contains excellent explanations, details, data and diagrams.

The Bad Bug Book

An introduction to foodborne pathogenic microorganisms and their toxins, plus guidelines for food hygiene.

The Body: A Multimedia AIDS and HIV Resource

Find out about HIV and AIDS, what AIDS is, symptoms, causes, treatments, plus the demography of the disease.

The International pandemic of HIV

This report which is part of the John Hopkins AIDS Service, provides information and statistics about the global HIV pandemic.

The Irish National Virus Reference Laboratory

This site provides links to other sites concerned with: virology, infectious disease, and epidemiology.

The Malaria Genome

In this sub-site Nature publishes the complete genome sequence of Plasmodium falciparum, the main cause of human malaria.

The Science of HIV

Examines the HIV retrovirus: its structure, life cycle, course of infection, the role of cytokines in fighting infections, treatments and vaccines against HIV, and the origins of the disease.

Traveler's Health - Diseases

Part of CDC website, this section lists diseases which are of particular concern to travelers. Learn more about these diseases which include cholera, Giardiasis, malaria, tuberculosis, plus more.

UNAIDS

This site, a joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, gives details on world AIDS campaign, publications and the latest HIV/AIDS statistics are available for download.

Warts Information Center

Warts are caused by a viral infection known as human papillomavirus, or HPV for short. As it stands now, there are over 120 types of HPV circulating in the human population today.

• AIDS Resources

WHO: Avian influenza

WHO site on Avian influenza, which WHO is monitoring in collaboration with Member States. This page contains links to the latest information and news concerning this particular communicable disease.

Non-Infectious Diseases

Asthma

This site discusses the description, causes, diagnosis and treatment of asthma and other respiratory disorders. Well worth a look for a full coverage of this topic.

BBC NEWS: Neonatal Diabetes - They have given me my life back

Diagnosed with neonatal diabetes at age 10 weeks, now at aged 32, doctors have discovered a revolutionary treatment, which means the patient is no longer reliant on the insulin injections that have dominated his life.

BBC NEWS: New malaria 'poses human threat'

It had been thought the parasite Plasmodium knowlesi infected only monkeys. But it has recently been found to be widespread in humans in Malaysia. The latest study shows that P. knowlesi can easily be confused with P. malariae under the microscope. Professor Singh said: "The increase in tourism in South East Asia may mean that more cases are detected in the future, including in Western countries."

Chemicals and Human Health

This site at The Biology Project, allows the browser to learn about a topic of interest using a question and answer format. The associated tutorials and very informative, and provides additional activities and links to related sites.

Frequently Asked Questions about Diabetes

Part of the CDC web site, this web page provides information on what diabetes is, the symptoms, causes, and treatments.

MS Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Provides a good explanation of what multiple sclerosis is, who gets it, and what treatments are available.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

The SAD Association is a voluntary organisation and registered charity which informs the public and health professions about SAD and supports and advises sufferers of the illness.

Smoking and Your Digestive System

NIDDK have put together a fact sheet on the harmful effects of smoking on the digestive system.

The American Diabetes Association

Provides diabetes information, research initiatives and links to other diabetes sites.

Your Genes, Your Health

This site provides excellent information on a multitude of genetic disorders, ranging from Cystic Fibrosis to Polycystic Kidney Disease. requires Flash player.

Cancer related topics

BBC News: Scientists crack 'entire genetic code' of cancer

Scientists have unlocked the entire genetic code of two of the most common cancers - skin and lung - a move they say could revolutionise cancer care.

American Cancer Society

Provides a good account of the various types of cancer (click on cancer Information).

BBC NEWS | Virus linked to prostate tumours

A retrovirus that is known to cause cancer in animals has been found for the first time in human prostate cancer cells. This is the first report to link XMRV (Xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus) to human cancers.

Breast Cancer Screening

Breast cancer research and the role of genetic screening.

Cancer Group Institute - Information Center

Provides background information on all major types of cancer.

Cancer News on the Net®

Provides a long list of links devoted to various kinds of cancer. For each section, there is background information on the cancer, diagnosis and possible treatments.

Cancer Research UK

A great source of current cancer information and statistics for the UK.

NCI's CancerNet

This site from the National Institute of Cancer (NCI) provides a wide range of information on cancer including: treatment, detection, prevention, genetics information, clinical trials information, and general information on cancer.

NIH: Cell Biology and Cancer

Cell Biology and Cancer—developed with the National Cancer Institute (NCI)—is a creative, inquiry-based instruction program, designed to promote active learning and stimulate student interest in medical topics

OncoLink

A comprehensive site including information on research and clinical trials, cancer causes, screening, prevention, and frequently asked questions about cancer.

Australian Prostate Cancer Website

This resource is a good place to turn to for information about prostate cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment and support.

Cardiovascular related topics

American Heart Association

A directory site that directs the user to a variety of web sites investigating various aspects of heart physiology including heart diseases and disorders.

Heart Diseases

Part of the 'Health Square' website, this article gives excellent broad coverage of Heart Disease. Consisting of several pages and titled with headings such as 'What can go wrong' and 'How to stave off Disease', it provides an excellent introduction to the topic.

NOVA Online: Cut to the Heart

This site looks at how the heart works, how blood flows through the heart, has a photo gallery of diseased hearts, and learn about the pioneers of heart surgery.

Prevention and Treatment

BBC News | Trial drugs 'reverse' Alzheimer's

US scientists say they have successfully reversed the effects of Alzheimer's with experimental drugs.

BBC News | Birth control to combat malaria

The idea is to produce large numbers of male mosquitoes that are sexually sterile. "Those males will be released into the wild and find virgin female mosquitoes and they will mate with them." A female usually only mates once in her life so if her partner has been sterilized none of the hundreds of eggs she lays will hatch.

BBC News | Antibiotic resistance clue found

US scientists have uncovered a defence mechanism in bacteria that allows them to fend off the threat of antibiotics. It is hoped the findings could help researchers boost the effectiveness of existing treatments.

BBC News | Key gene 'controls disease fight'

Ken Campbell, of the charity Leukaemia Research, said: "This study helps shed more light on the behaviour of NK cells, which is vital because if we understand how these cells function we can hope to exploit this knowledge to improve treatments for cancer patients."

Antibiotic resistance

Overuse antibiotics and bacteria can become resistant to them. But could use of household disinfectants cause the same problem? That's what a New Jersey high school student suspects.

Antimicrobial Agents

Hotlinked from the Bacteriology Homepage, this site examines the nature of antimicrobial agents: how they work and what they can and can not be used for.

Food and Drug Administration

The Food and Drug Administration in the USA monitors food quality, ensures that medicines and medical devices are safe and effective, and that radiation emitting products are safe.

How severe is antibiotic resistance?

This article looks at today's society of usage of antibiotics and the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Includes a case study on antibiotic resistance in tuberculosis.

Immune Defense against Microbial Pathogens

Part of Todar's Online Textbook of Bacteriology, this article provides a significant amount of information on Inducible defenses, Antibody-mediated Immunity and Cell-mediated Immunity.

Monoclonal Antibodies

An introduction to monoclonal antibodies, the procedure, the uses and problems associated with monoclonal therapy.

Monoclonal Antibody Technology

Part of the Access Excellence site, this page gives a brief introduction to what monoclonal antibody technology is, and how this technology can be used in the prevention of diseases.

Resistance to Antibiotics

Hotlinked from the excellent Bacteriology Homepage, this site examines the nature and extent of bacteria resistance to antibiotics, including a history of antibiotic use.

Human Health Issues

Ask the Dietitian

An excellent site dealing with many aspects of nutrition, including vitamins, minerals, healthy body weight, diabetes and more.

British Nutrition Foundation

Go to Food and Nutrition information from the homepage, and explore topics such as diet and health, energy and nutrition requirements, foods and food science technology.

Eating Disorders

A site looking at many aspects of eating disorders including definitions and symptoms.

Food Additives Guide

Extensively lists the various forms of food additives and what they are used for. Includes preservatives, antioxidants, emulsifiers, plus more.

Food Safety and Nutrition Information

A comprehensive site covering many aspects of food biotechnology, including: What is Food Biotechnology, Nutrition and Health , Food Allergens, Food Safety and Nutrition.

Food Safety Information Council (Australia)

This website displays the goals,data and events relevant to the prevention and awareness of food poisoning in Australia. Containing such topics as: Fact sheets, Media Releases and Educational material.

Food Science Central

A gateway to information relating to the world of food science, food technology and food related human nutrition.

Institute of Crop and Food Research (NZ)

Crop and Food Research provides research, technologies and services to support the development of products in the following areas - Arable Foods, Vegetable Foods, Seafood, Ornamentals, Animal Feed, Plant Products and Forestry.

National Eating Disorder Association

Provides general information on eating disorders. Lists danger signs associated with Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge eating. May take a while to load.

NIH: Sleep Disorders

The National Institute on Chemical Dependency (NCID) provides information on alcoholism, drug addiction/addictions and addresses in depth many related issues, including self help, interventions, prevention, teen problems and many more.

NIH: Study of Addiction

The National Institute on Chemical Dependency (NCID) provides information on alcoholism, drug addiction/addictions and addresses in depth many related issues, including self help, interventions, prevention, teen problems and many more.

National Institute on Chemical Dependency

Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms—developed with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)—is a creative, inquiry-based instruction program designed to promote active learning and stimulate student interest in medical topics.

The Effects of Drugs on the Brain

Here are summaries of the effect of select street drugs on the brain. Some of the introductory information is derived from About.com.

The Food Guide Pyramid

A guide to daily food choices. The pyramid allows you to create a balanced diet to suit your own needs and preferences.

What Shape is Your Pyramid?

A fun way to determine the number of servings you consume each day and work out your own your own food pyramid and see if you are on target.

Top of page