Article Title

Public Health - Infectious Diseases New York

Summary
Many people forget about public health until there s an outbreak, like the rise of
H1N1 virus (or Swine Flu). Public health is a field of medicine that operates i
n areas other than infectious disease, and long before an epidemic takes hold. P
ublic Health, in fact, includes the protection and improvement of overall health o
f the masses. Historically, public health has concentrated on communicable disea
ses, hygiene, and prevention of epidemics. The discipline has expanded over the
years to encompass chronic disease prevention, community-based health studies an
d programs, and effective health promotion.
Keywords
public health public health officials infectious diseases
Text:
Public Health - Infectious Diseases New York
Co-Editor-in-Chief, Tracy E. Austin, MD
Monday, March 01, 2010 - 07:01 PM

Medicine for the Masses

Many people forget about public health until there s and outbreak, like the rise o
f H1N1 virus (or Swine Flu). Public health is a field of medicine that operates
in areas other than infectious disease, and long before an epidemic takes hold.
Public Health, in fact, includes the protection and improvement of overall health
of the masses. Historically, public health has concentrated on communicable dise
ases, hygiene, and prevention of epidemics. The discipline has expanded over the
years to encompass chronic disease prevention, community-based health studies a
nd programs, and effective health promotion.
Disease
Public health officials must stay on top of all new and recurring outbreaks. Thi
s includes not only communicable diseases, but also hereditary and lifestyle dis
eases, like many cancers and heart disease. Much of their time is spent in overs
eeing the search for cures, treatments and improving diagnostic processes and eq
uipment. Prevention and eradication are the ultimate goals, but the road to eith
er is long and winding.
The tools that public health officials use to track outbreaks and the evolution
of new disease are also very important. Tools like the World Health Organization s
Geographic Information Systems help accomplish this.
Communal Health
On a community level, the local health department serves the same purpose. They
track disease, but also provide things like testing kits, prophylactics, and edu
cation on nutrition, reproduction and development. The U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS) sees to the health of all Americans, regardless of inc
ome status. They continue to redefine public health through their programs.
Pooling talents
HHS does not work alone. It coops resources and manpower from other government a
gencies in order to oversee the health of the American public. For example, alth
ough the local HHS houses the WIC program, or the Special Supplemental Nutrition
al Program for Women, Infant and Children, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ru
ns it.
The program ensures that pregnant or breastfeeding women and their children unde
r the age of five receive the proper nutrition needed for development. The progr
am wouldn t be possible without the HHS organization and administration. It also m
ust have the Department of Agriculture s access to the American food supply.
Public and Private Partnerships
The pooling of government resources isn t the only way that public health operates
. Public and private entities have been cooperating for a long time on public he
alth issues. This statement seems contrary to recent news over the battle of pub
lic and private health insurance and a national health care plan. However, in th
e realm of public health research, the partnership between the public and privat
e entities has flourished.
Both sectors have realized the need to provide affordable medicines for the publ
ic, for example. As a result, private companies like Eli Lilly are contributing
to government research and vice versa. One such collaboration with the Center fo
r Disease Control and Prevention resulted in a Training Program in the field of
infectious disease.
Educating the Masses
That brings us to another realm of public health education and training. Many publ
ic health experts have recognized the need to educate that public in order to be
tter the wellbeing of the entire population. This goes beyond training up the ne
xt CDC president. It involves
Updates on next outbreak,
Informational campaigns for new drugs and vaccines,
Sex education to prevent teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted d
isease,
Screenings and checklists for diseases like diabetes, depression and heart disea
se,
Awareness programs for prenatal care, family fitness and more.
Public health education is especially important to those in developing countries
and even the rural areas of the United States. In these areas, access to inform
ation, adequate health care, and the means to pay for that care is limited. By e
ducating the public in these areas, the governments can prevent infectious disea
se outbreaks and an increase in deaths from lifestyle diseases that are usually
spotted and treated by programs more readily available in urban, developed and m
iddle to high income areas.
Low-income families are especially targeted by public health education programs.
The group s inability to afford much more than shelter and food puts them at risk
for many health issues. Their living conditions also increase the risk of sprea
d of infectious disease. By educating this group, public health officials can ch
ange many of the habits that lead to lifestyle diseases. They can empower this p
opulation by arming them with the tools to not only prevent, but to detect, heal
th issues before they become deadly.
Awareness
Awareness is the key to making public health work. When patients become aware of
their illness, possible treatment/cures and prevention, staying healthy becomes
a possibility. It is this awareness that allows people in areas where health ca
re is limited to seek out the correct means of handling their symptoms or illnes
s. Awareness allows the people to take charge of their individual health, transl
ating into an overall improvement in public health. For referenced resourced inf
ormation, go to http://www.smilemd.com/public-health/infectious-diseases-and-pub
lic-health.aspx
Resources:
SmileMD Inc global publishing headquarters - Midtown Manhattan, New York. Nevill
e Coward, Chairman & CEO. http://www.smilemd.com instantly schedules nationwide
online medical and dental appointments for <a href="http://www.smilemd.com/blog/
article.aspx">Infectious Diseases New York doctors</a>. Patient versions of medi
cal & dental articles are library referenced for online publication by co-editor
s-in-chief Judy J. Johnson DDS and Tracy E. Austin, MD. Dr. Johnson is a member
of The New York Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Dr. Austin is a member of the A.M
.A., American Medical Writers Association and the Association of Health Care Jou
rnalists.