Download Issues of public health, infectious diseases and bioterrorism

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