感 染 症(かんせんしょう)

かんせんしょう

noun

infectious disease

1. infectious disease; communicable disease

A disease caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites that can spread from person to person or through other means of transmission.

感染症(かんせんしょう)が流行(りゅうこう)している。

An infectious disease is spreading.

新型(しんがた)の感染症(かんせんしょう)に注意(ちゅうい)してください。

Please be careful of the new infectious disease.

政府(せいふ)は感染症(かんせんしょう)の拡大(かくだい)を防(ふせ)ぐために対策(たいさく)を発表(はっぴょう)した。

The government announced measures to prevent the spread of the infectious disease.

Usage

A formal medical and public health term frequently used in news reports and official announcements. Became especially prominent in everyday Japanese during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Common collocations

感染症(かんせんしょう)の予防(よぼう) (disease prevention)
感染症(かんせんしょう)の拡大(かくだい) (spread of disease)
感染症(かんせんしょう)対策(たいさく) (disease countermeasures)
感染症(かんせんしょう)法(ほう) (Infectious Disease Control Law)

Similar words

伝染病(でんせんびょう): contagious disease (older term, still used)
疫病(えきびょう): epidemic, plague (literary or historical)

Related Words

Synonym: 疫病(えきびょう) (epidemic (literary))

Related: 感染(かんせん) (infection)

Compare: 伝染病(でんせんびょう) (contagious disease)

Related: パンデミック (pandemic)

Related: 病原体(びょうげんたい) (pathogen)

Compare: 黄熱病(おうねつびょう) (yellow fever)

general

Added 2026.3.8 16:32 · Revised 2026.9.4 21:31

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