Our fact sheets diseases

Fungi (yeast) of the Candida genus can cause superficial infections affecting the mucous membranes or skin, and invasive infections, either localized to one organ or generalized throughout the body. Of the 200 known species of Candida, around twenty are responsible for human...

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common form of cancer in women worldwide. Almost all cases can be attributed to chronic infection with viruses belonging to the papillomavirus family. Globally, approximately 600,000 new cases and more than 300,000 deaths are recorded every year. Cervical...

Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a chronic infection caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It primarily occurs in Latin America, where it represents a major public health problem, but cases have also been identified in other regions. Chagas disease is...

Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Although rarely fatal, chikungunya can cause significant pain and debilitating symptoms that affect patients' quality of life. Existing treatments are solely...

Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. It is the most widespread bacterial STI, affecting both men and women, and is particularly common among young people. In many cases, infection is asymptomatic and is therefore...

Cholera is an epidemic acute diarrheal disease that only affects humans and is caused by serogroup O1 (and in rare cases O139) of the Vibrio cholerae bacterium. Although this infection is sometimes caused by direct contact with infected individuals (e.g. through unwashed hands, last...

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, discovered in December 2019 in the province of Wuhan in China, is responsible for COVID-19. This highly contagious emerging infectious disease spreads by airborne transmission and surface contamination. Although COVID-19 can be asymptomatic, it can also cause a...

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a disease caused by a virus of the same name. In most cases, the infection is mild, but it can be severe or even fatal. The main route of transmission of the virus to humans is bites from ticks of the genus Hyalomma. 

Cryptococcosis is a severe fungal infection that occurs in immunocompromised patients. The most frequent clinical form of infection is meningoencephalitis, which is fatal in the absence of treatment.

Cystic fibrosis is the most common severe hereditary genetic disease in the Caucasian population. It is an autosomal recessive inherited disease of the CFTR gene. This fatal condition is characterized by respiratory impairment that affects approximately one in every 2,500 births in Europe and...