Public health is “the science and art of
preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised
efforts and informed choices of society, organisations, public and private,
communities and individuals”.
Public health is typically divided into
epidemiology, biostatistics and health services. Environmental, social,
behavioral, and occupational health are also important subfields. The focus of
public health intervention is to prevent rather than treat a disease through
surveillance of cases and the promotion of healthy behaviors.
The goal of public health is to improve
lives through the prevention and treatment of disease. The United Nations’
World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical,
mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity.”
History of public health have started at
Early public health interventions. The science of epidemiology was founded by
John Snow‘s identification of a polluted public water well as the source of an
1854 cholera outbreak in London. Dr. Snow believed in the germ theory of
disease as opposed to the prevailing miasma theory. Although miasma theory
correctly teaches that disease is a result of poor sanitation, it was based
upon the prevailing theory of spontaneous generation. Germ theory developed
slowly: despite Anton van Leeuwenhoek‘s observations of Microorganisms, (which
are now known to cause many of the most common infectious diseases) in the year
1680, the modern era of public health did not begin until the 1880s, with
Robert Koch‘s germ theory and Louis Pasteur‘s production of artificial
vaccines.
Other public health interventions include
latrinization, the building of sewers, the regular collection of garbage followed
by incineration or disposal in a landfill, providing clean water and draining
standing water to prevent the breeding of mosquitos.
In Modern public health As the prevalence
of infectious diseases in the developed world decreased through the 20th century,
public health began to put more focus on chronic diseases such as cancer and
heart disease. An emphasis on physical exercise was reintroduced. vaccination
programs and control of infectious diseases, effective safety policies such as
motor-vehicle and occupational safety, improved family planning, fluoridation
of drinking water, anti-smoking measures, and programs designed to decrease
chronic disease malnutrition and poverty, increase of HIV-AIDS and childhood
obesity. In modern public health other an Public hygiene, which includes public
behaviors individuals can take to improve their personal health and wellness.
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