During the 2th century, life expectancy for US residents has increased exponentially and the population's health in general has improved in ways that could not have been predicted beforehand. Basically, 10 achievements within the public health field contributed to this: vaccine-preventable diseases, prevention and control of infectious diseases, tobacco control, maternal and infant health, motor vehicle safety, cardiovascular disease prevention, occupational safety, cancer prevention, childhood lead poisoning prevention, and public health preparedness and response.
Currently, due to the introduction of new vaccines, the US immunization policy is able to target 17 diseases, preventing about 42,000 deaths and 20 million cases of disease. Simultaneously, vaccinations have saved money; the cost of treating diseases as opposed to preventing them would have been much higher, whether in terms of direct or total societal costs. The vaccines for pneumococcal infections were particularly impactful, as were those for Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and varicella.
Infectious diseases were best controlled and prevented by improvements made in state and local public health infrastructure. For example, one of these improvements was major advances in lab techniques and technology. Investments in disease surveillance helped us identify contaminated foods more efficiently. Finally, HIV testing has been expanded to screening a wider age range and new blood donor screenings have been implemented. As a result, those with HIV were treated at earlier stages of the disease and reduced the number of people with West Nile Virus. In addition to this, canine rabies was eliminated in the US.
Tobacco control has proven effective at the federal and state level. Although the percentage of smokers of all ages decreased from the late 1900's until recent times, these rates have been halted and remained relatively unchanged since 2003 for adolescents. Adult smoking has remained unchanged since the 1990s. Thus, although progress has been made, smoking still exists as a relevant problem in terms of cost. Currently, smoke-free laws exist in 25 states and the District of Columbia.
The past decade has shown significant decreases in the number of infants born with neural tube defects, as well. Technological advancements and the implementation of a standardized newborn-screening of diseases has allowed for earlier life saving treatments. In addition to this, motor vehicle crashes, which are among the top 10 causes of death in the US and the number one cause for certain age groups, have been prevented through measures such as safer vehicles, safer roadways and safer road use. Cardiovascular disease and stroke are the first and third leading causes of death in the US, and have been reduced by the elimination of risk factors such as uncontrolled hypertension, high cholesterol, and smoking. Improvements in treatments and medications has naturally contributed to this decline as well. For example, evidence-based screening recommendations have begun to reduce mortality and serve as a cancer preventative measure. Occupational safety is also less of a problem today, thanks to better working conditions required by the government. Similarly, with help from the government, childhood lead poisoning is being prevented by the creation and enforcement of laws. Finally, after 9/11, our country's public health preparedness and response has been given more attention and become much better.
Achievements involving infant care particularly resonated with me when reading this article, in addition to increased cancer screening. The former is important because it's something so simple but so beneficial and preventative! Infants are so fragile before their immune systems have developed, and illnesses among infants is something that I've seen personally- it made me very nervous. The fact that diseases are being caught as early as possible and treated before it can significantly impact that child's life, is a great thing. Similarly, I've always felt as though increases in cancer screening would be beneficial. Many of my relatives have suffered or died from cancer, and it was always caught during a later stage. Increased testing for such things would allow cancer to be found during earlier stages, thus increasing the chances of a successful treatment. Lots of times, the difference between life and death is simple the stage at which cancer is found, and if screenings occur more often, more will be found in time to save a life.
A current public health problem in my opinion is lack of nutrition for the younger generation. Although schools are making many efforts to solve this, many more can and should be made. For example, unhealthy snacks and sugary drinks simply should not be an option at schools. If children cannot afford nutritious foods at home, they should at least not have unhealthy options at school, especially because when given two options, children will choose that which is tastier and probably less healthy. This is an important issue because it will affect the general health of the next generation of Americans, and their habits will carry onto their children, affecting future generations. Fortunately, however, this is something that can be easily solved. I'd definitely like to see an achievement take place in terms of this problem within the next decade. More can be done for future generations by changing food and drink options in schools than can be done for those who are already overweight or unhealthy. In addition to this, schools are the best medium through which to promote nutrition, as they are the the one way to reach every child in the country.
