Infections: key points

• Infectious disease affects all of the Scottish population at some point in their lives, from childhood vaccinations to food poisoning.
• Infectious diseases were estimated to be responsible for around 4% of the overall burden of disease in Scotland in 2015 according to the Scottish Burden of Disease study, though they may also contribute indirectly to deaths from other conditions
• Public Health Scotland (PHS) has taken over the functions formerly provided by Health Protection Scotland. PHS provides support and advice to protect the public from being exposed to hazards that damage their health, and to limit any impact on health when such exposures cannot be avoided.
• The following information on a wide range of topic areas relevant to infectious disease is still available on the Health Protection Scotland website, and also on Public Health Scotland’s publications page: 
  • antimicrobial use and resistance
  • campylobacter
  • healthcare associated infection
  • hepatitis C
  • influenza
  • Legionnaire's disease
  • Lyme disease
  • sexually transmitted infections
  • travellers' health
• A full list of topic areas is also provided.