Which term best describes a disease that can be spread from one person to another?

• A. Communicable
• B. Contagious
• C. Noninfectious
• D. Sporadic

Answer: (A)

Communicable describes a disease that can be spread from one person to another by any mode of transmission—direct contact, bodily fluids, contaminated surfaces, airborne particles, or via a vector. This term focuses on the possibility of transmission between people, which is what the question is asking. Contagious is a related idea but implies the disease spreads very easily through close contact, while some communicable diseases require a specific route or vector and aren’t spread by casual contact. Noninfectious means not caused by pathogens and not transmissible, and sporadic refers to irregular occurrence, not how transmission works.