10 Great public health achievements!

Because of the unprecedented, gigantic snow storm, I did not have intro to public health class this week; professor Kahan gave us an aritcle via email so that we could discuss it on our blog! In the article, the author states that since 1900, the average life span of Americans have lenghtened by more than 30 years, which can be attributed to the great efforts of public health professions. MMWR pointed out ten great public health achievements made in between 1900 and 1999: vaccination, motor vehicle safty, safe workplaces, control of infectious diseases, decline in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke, safer and healthier foods, healtheir mothers and babies, family planning, fluoridation of water, and recognition of tabocco. I surely have encountered these from our textbook (i believe it was chaper 30) and definitely from ourlives. Routine use of vaccination definitely contributed to control of infectious diseases. For example, vaccination enabled eradication of smallpox. Thesedays, when you first enroll school, you are always required to show them your immunization record. I cant even imagine those days when you didnt have to be vaccinated or vaccines were out of reach. It's so frightening! Engineers build not only vehicles, but also highways safer. Workers are now at safer enviorments; this reduced fatal occupation injuries by 40 percent. Clean water and improved sanitation enabled reduction in cholera and typhoid. Also, according to the aritcle, discovery of anticrobial therapy enabled control of infectious diseases that had been major causes of death such as STDs and tuberculosis. Early detection and better treatment enabled decline in deaths from heart disease and stroke. Safer foods decreased microbial infections but increased in nutritional content. Thanks to better hygiene, nutrition, health care, and availability of antibiotics, infant mortaility decreased by 90% and maternal mortality decreased by 99%!!!!! (I totally wow-ed after reading this part; 99% is surely amazing.)Family planning changed women's social and economic role; at the same time, it helped prevention of STDs. Floridation of drinking water reduced tooth decay in children and tooth loss in adults. Recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard stopped people from smoking. I particularly resonate with safer and healthier foods; I read "Jungle" couple years ago and got shocked. Although, we often read articles about e.coli outbreaks that seemed to be caused by burger patties, compared to what happned before , it definitly improved a lot and i would like to give credits to the efforts of American public health the most. I also resonate alot with "safer motor vehicle" part because we are always told to "fasten seat belts" and not to "drunk drive". Funny thing is that we rarely noticed that it is a public health related issue. I did not know that until i did the reading! However, i actually do not really resonate or agree with fluoridation of water part not because i think it helped prevent toothloss and tooth decay, but because im very used to this kind of water that i dont realize how the drinking water is protecting me from tooth decay and toothloss. The last criterion (a thing that i believe it shouldve been on the list) was really hard to think of. I think it is because I am so used to all these things around me, and therefore ive never really appreciated it as a great public health achievement. But i think availiability of medicine and medical care should have been on the list because there are always people who try to give medical help to the poor and medical care itself is in reach; this is very different from the past.