Issues of public health, infectious diseases The role of public health in the prevention of infectious diseases

1.Safe water-US water is purified through settling, filtration, and chlorination –Public health officials would be most concerned with the safety of the water supply following a hurricane.*** Why?? –Public health measures to keep our water supply safe would be settling, filtration and chlorination.***

2. Sewage treatment and disposal is mandated by US government*** 3. Food safety-US has many standards, inspection plans and regulations dealing food preparation, handling, and distribution 4. Animal control programs-Domestic herds are inspected, rabid animals are destroyed, rat control programs in place in urban areas

5. Vaccination programs mandate that children be vaccinated prior to school- –The reason public health vaccination programs work is because a pathogen cannot reproduce itself enough to maintain disease in the population.*** 6. Pesticides help to block vector-borne disease – those carried by mosquitoes

Public health organizations enforce regulation, provide public health services 1. National Institutes of Health (NIH)- supports health-related research 2. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)- investigates disease outbreaks, publishes reports, sponsors education/ research, reference labs

Continued… 3. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-monitors safety of food, medicines and other products 4. World Health Organization (WHO)-provides international surveillance and control of disease –If a new disease is reported in Japan, Australia, and the United States, WHO will provide global surveillance of the disease.***

Benefits of public health research 1. New research techniques-rapid identification 2. HIV protease inhibitors ( Protease inhibitors are a class of drugs used to treat or prevent infection by viruses, including HIV and Hepatitis C) 3. Vaccine research 4. Identification of better preventative measures