A
- AFSSAPS :
- The French Health Products Safety Agency.
- Anaemia :
- disorder characterised by a reduction in the number of red blood cells.
- Arbovirosis :
- disease caused by a virus transmitted by an arthropod vector.
- Arthritis :
- inflammation and increase in the volume of joints, which become painful and stiff.
- Asymptomatic :
- not presenting any clinical symptoms, which remain latent.
C
- Chemoprophylaxis :
- administration of a chemical substance to prevent the occurrence of a disease or its symptoms.
- Chronic :
- a disease which lasts over time, continuously or in the form of relapse.
- CHSPF :
- French High Council for Public Hygiene.
E
- Encephalitis :
- inflammation of the set of organs that make up the brain.
- Endemic disease :
- a disease that remains located in a given region and occurs continuously or episodically.
- Endemic :
- describes a disease or disorder that is permanently present in a given region or in a certain group of individuals.
- Elephantiasis :
- thickening of the skin and the mucosa due to accumulation of liquid between connective tissue cells (oedema) which provokes an increase in the size of a body part.
- Erythema :
- medical term used to describe skin redness.
H
- Harmelessness :
- characteristic of that which is not toxic or harmful.
- Hematophagous :
- describes animals that eat blood.
- Hydrocele :
- accumulation of fluid in the tunica vaginalis.
I
- Immunodeficiency :
- compromise of the immune system.
- Imported malaria :
- describes malaria crises occurring in metropolitan France after travelling to a country where the disease is present and which are confirmed by diagnosis by the presence of the parasite (Plasmodium). There is also the notion of "airport malaria" for persons who contract the disease in airports from vector mosquitoes that have stowed away on airplanes.
- Incidence :
- number of new cases or persons infected with a disease in a particular population and in a given time interval.
- Incubation :
- period of latent development of a microbe that has penetrated into the body and which does not yet show any clinical signs.
J
- Jaundice :
- yellowing of the skin.
L
- Latent lymphatic disease :
- a disease of the lymph (a flowing, transparent, slightly yellow liquid that irrigates tissues) which is present but which has no symptoms.
- Lymph :
- a fluid, transparent, slightly yellow liquid that irrigates the tissues. It is produced by many different body organs and tissues.
M
- Maculopapular rash :
- a primary skin rash consisting of a red spot with bumps, which varies in size.
- Meningitis :
- an infection causing inflammation of the meningea (membrane that covers the brain and the spinal cord)
- Meningoencephalitis :
- simultaneous inflammation of the set of organs that make up the brain and the meningea (membranes surrounding the brain and the spinal cord).
- Myocarditis :
- inflammation or degeneration of the heart muscle.
N
- Nodule :
- small, hard, round, limited swelling.
O
- Oedema :
- swelling due to an abnormal amount of liquid in the tissues.
P
- Pancreatitis :
- inflammation of the pancreas.
- Pathogen :
- any agent (particularly a microorganism) that causes disease.
- Photosensitisation :
- allergic reaction (redness, itching, vesicles, etc.) due to the combination of solar radiation with a chemical substance that is applied to the skin, ingested or injected (certain medicinal products, certain cosmetic products or perfumes).
- Polyneuritis :
- simultaneous damage to several nerves, usually due to intoxication or an infection.
- Polyradiculoneuritis :
- inflammation of several spinal nerve roots.
- Protozoan :
- name given to a unicellular eukaryotic organism.
S
- Splenomegaly :
- increase in the volume of the spleen.
- Symptomatic treatment :
- only treats the symptoms of the disease (pain, fever, etc.) and not the cause.
U
- Ulceration :
- damage to the cutaneous tissue that extends to the dermis (layer of skin located beneath the epidermis (outer layer)) or below.