Social and Economic Concerns in Public Health Essay

Social and Economic Concerns in Public Health - Essay Example Presently, the analysis of public health brings into play social and economic concerns, which were previously overlooked. Despite the expanded focus of this discipline, it has however not shifted its focus, which is the well-being of the community. Public health integrates science and art to establish methodical ways of ensuring the populations is healthy. The systematic ways may be reactive or proactive depending on the health risk or predicament that is being addressed. Modern public health undertakings entail education, which provides a platform upon which the masses and respective communities may be enlightened on how to live in a healthy way. Over the last century, public health has evolved and developed massively. One of the key milestones achieved is the increase in life expectancy. The increase in life expectancy is an indication of the improvement in the public health’s ability to address ailments, which often causes death. Some the key statistics that reflect the pro gressed realized include infant mortality, which denotes the death of children at birth or in their early years (Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals 5). Over the last one hundred years, public health has also dealt blows to cancerous ailments such as lung cancer, which caused numerous deaths in the 1960s and 1970s. However, when delving into the milestone achieved, it is vital to look at food safety and vaccination, which are proactive ways of enhancing health in communities. Vaccination has helped deal with ailments such as polio on a global scale. Enhanced food safety has also resulted in reduced cases of ailments such as food poisoning, typhoid, and the spread of harmful pathogens that may trigger other ailments. The emergent of a global aspect in public health has necessitated opening up paradigms through which scholars study public health.