Power of Public health

This week's reading is on a case of an old woman who has leprosy but does not want to be isolated to an uncomfortable dwelling. The board of health wants to move her to another place to prevent spreading of the infectious disease. It says the board of health has the power to make and enforce regulations to protect the health of the community.

Both quarantine and isolation are for people with infectious diseases. Quarantine is when people who may or may not actually have an infectious disease are asked to stay inside their home or stay away from others. For example, students are quarantined in their rooms when they have the flu. Isolation is for people who for sure have an infectious illness and are isolated from other people. They receive special care and the people who care for them take special precautionary procedures.

I think the board of health with a doctor's approval should decide when an individual should be quarantined. Even in the reading, it states the board of health has the right to isolate people for the general public's health. If it is the individual's choice to decide whether to quarantine herself or not, not everyone may decide to isolate his or herself and the infectious disease may spread. For example, a person may think he or she feels better but is actually still contagious and unknowingly spread it to the public. But when it is the board of health's decision, the person is mandated to be isolated and has no chance to spread the disease. Of course they would need proof from a doctor so a person is not isolated for no reason.

The state court should balance the right of the individuals and the right of the community. Every community is different so the the wants of the individual and the community would be different for each state. I think erring on the community would be more favorable because the community's health is for the greater good. If individuals had more right on health, it could get out of control and diseases once thought to be cured can be a hazard again. Although siding on the community too much could potentially lead to infringement of a person's right. A good balance is the best as both the individual and the community can be appeased.

Annual Checkup

It was surprising to see how the U.S. was actually pretty low compared to other countries in health care activities. Because the U.S. spends so much money towards healthcare, I expected the numbers of health care activities to be higher. The Doctor consultations per capita and average length of stay for acute care is lower than average. This was not expected because the U.S. is a very developed country and has a lot of concentration on medical care. This obviously shows the medical system in the country is not so great. Japan is the highest in both doctor consultations per capita and length of stay which I think is important because it shows the health care system greatly cares for citizens. Doctor consultation is important because it shows people are getting the right information and being checked up on and getting illnesses treated. Having a longer length of stay for acute care shows the treatments are more thorough and the patients are receiving better care.

It was not surprising that the U.S. was the highest on spending on healthcare. The U.S.'s spending is clearly above the average yet there are many problems in the country. It is very questionable where all the money goes towards as the healthcare is clearly not perfect. All the money seems to be wasted and people are taxed greatly for nothing. If the U.S. spends the most on healthcare, you would expect the U.S. to be higher in most of the other healthcare measure rankings.

U.S. has the highest ranking in obesity. I would want to change this factor to have less obesity in the U.S. Changing this would have a greater impact on the public's health because obesity leads to many health problems as taught in the lecture. Obesity can lead to heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, and many more. The number one cause of death in the country is heart disease so lessening obesity could potentially save many lives. Also as mentioned in the lecture before, people who lost a little weight with a healthier lifestyle compared to the people who took medication for preventing diabetes had a far more positive outcome. An intervention would be changing the sources of food in neighborhoods with greater poverty. In poorer neighborhoods, there is a greater amount of fast food chain stores and less markets for healthier food. This leads to a greater amount of obesity in impoverished neighborhoods. Healthier food also tends to be more expensive, so by changing the price and having less fast food restaurants in poorer neighborhoods can lead to less obesity.

Ten Great Public Health Achievements, 1900-1999

This week's blog is on an article that shows ten great achievements by Public Health that improves the daily lives of the American population. From the beginning of the 20th century, public health has managed to greatly improve living conditions and lengthen the average lifespan. The first great achievement mentioned is the vaccine. With the creation of vaccine, smallpox and other potentially deadly diseases such as measles are no longer a threat to citizens. The spread of these infectious diseases can be easily controlled and cured. The next one mentioned is motor vehicle safety. Roads and rules about driving has made it safer to drive and less likely for a person to get in an accident. Rules about seat belts, speed limits, and drinking and driving has changed driving behavior for the safety of drivers and pedestrians. The third one is work related health problems. Safety regulations and safer workplaces have significantly decreased work related health problems. Another achievement is improved sanitation and water. This is important as it stops diseases from spreading and less infections occur. Risk-factor modifications have lessened the number of deaths from coronary heart diseases and strokes. Better nutrition and sanitation has decreased infant mortality and made it safer for mothers giving birth. Family planning and contraceptives has also improved the quality of life by giving people more choice and education. The ninth achievement of Public Health is fluoridation of water improving dental health of people regardless of class or social status. And finally, the tenth achievement of public health is awareness and education of tobacco use. Anti-smoking campaigns has decreased the usage of tobacco and consequently lessening deaths from smoking. These are the top ten achievements of public health during the 20th century benefitting and saving many lives.

I think vaccinations are very important because everyone as a child is required to take the shots. Thankfully most people are not affected by these infectious diseases anymore. We don't have to worry about getting measles or another kind of disease because everyone is vaccinated so the chance of something having an infectious disease is very small. Another achievement that is important to me is the anti-smoking campaign as it has lessened the amount of smokers. Smoking is not only very unhealthy to the smoker, but also to the people around the smoker from secondhand smoking and bad influence. My grandfather passed away from lung cancer due to smoking so it is important to me that people don't smoke. Thankfully the number has greatly decreased and new laws prohibit smoking such as the one in California where smoking is not allowed while driving with a minor or not allowed in most public places.

Another great public health achievement is saving the environment. People are reminded to save energy and better methods of traveling such as walking, biking, or carpooling that are less straining on the environment. Pollution is very unhealthy for the earth and people. Information on global warning and is public and people are more aware. Recycling is enforced and I remember guest speakers came to talk about recycling in elementary school so this shows many people are educated about recycling. The environment's state directly affects people's lives so it is good people are taking measures to conserve it. These show public health is constantly at work to make the nation safer and improve people's quality of life in ways we don't really see or think about.

Introduction

Hi, my name is April and I am a first year biology major. This blog is for public health issues and my opinions on them. I am interested in Public Health because it affects the whole community and our general everyday life. I hope to become a physician so I am interested in Public Health too. Public Health is what makes our daily life safe and improve our quality of life. It not only focuses on the sciences of epidemiology but also in social justice. It is basically the health of our population. I am interested in the epidemiology part of Public Health and how cases can be solved. I hope to learn much through these blogs and the class.