Which term denotes a disease that can be transmitted from one person to another?

Which term denotes a disease that can be transmitted from one person to another?

• A. Contagious
• B. Infectious
• C. Communicable
• D. Transmittable

Answer: (C)

Understanding how diseases spread from person to person is described by the term communicable. A communicable disease is one that can be transmitted from one person to another through various routes—direct contact, droplets, airborne particles, contaminated surfaces, or vectors. This makes it the precise label when the question asks for a disease that can be transferred between people. While contagious is related and often used to describe diseases that spread easily, it emphasizes how readily spread occurs, which is not the exact scope of the prompt. Infectious refers to a disease caused by a pathogen, not necessarily the act of transmission between people. Transmittable isn’t the standard clinical term; communicable is the established term for the ability to be passed from person to person. Therefore, communicable best fits the prompt.

Understanding how diseases spread from person to person is described by the term communicable. A communicable disease is one that can be transmitted from one person to another through various routes—direct contact, droplets, airborne particles, contaminated surfaces, or vectors. This makes it the precise label when the question asks for a disease that can be transferred between people. While contagious is related and often used to describe diseases that spread easily, it emphasizes how readily spread occurs, which is not the exact scope of the prompt. Infectious refers to a disease caused by a pathogen, not necessarily the act of transmission between people. Transmittable isn’t the standard clinical term; communicable is the established term for the ability to be passed from person to person. Therefore, communicable best fits the prompt.