Introduction to public health

70 years ago, Dani’s grandmother was born. The same day, 19 other children were born at the same hospital — in all, 20 children were born at the hospital that day. Dani’s grandmother grew up, and had children of her own. Most of the others did too, but one girl never grew up. She got seriously ill as a child and died young.

At this time, 70 years ago, one out of 20 children in this country died before the age of five. The child mortality rate was five per cent. Today, 70 years later, child mortality has dropped to one per cent. So, among the children born today, 99 per cent will live to experience their fifth birthday. And most of them will live on to become adults.

Other things have also changed in this country. Today, people live longer than they used to. Life expectancy has increased from 68 to 81 years. This does not mean that everyone reaches 81. Some will still die as children, and some will live to 100 or more.

But on average, the life expectancy is 81. That is 13 years longer than 70 years ago. Things at the workplaces were also different 70 years ago. Look at this factory. The people working here have no helmets, and there, at the ledge there are no railings.

Accidents at the workplace were common, and sometimes they were so serious they were fatal. The year Dani’s grandmother was born, 450 people died in the country from workplace accidents. Today, all the workers in the factory have helmets and other protective gear. There are railings to protect them from falling and hurting themselves. This is the case at many workplaces.

Large efforts have been made to make work environments safer, and the number of workplace deaths has decreased to 42 per year. So, over 70 years the child mortality rate has decreased from 5 to one percent. The average life expectancy has risen from 68 to 81 years, and the number of workplace deaths has decreased from 450 to 42. That is, people live longer, fewer children die before they grow up, and workplaces are safer. These are three facts showing that people are getting healthier in Dani’s country.

Public health is improving. But why? What is it that improves public health in a country? We have already seen one answer. Today we pay much more attention to workplace safety.

Also, the factories and cars in Dani’s country release less particles and dust that hurt people and nature. The environment has improved. Another answer is that health care develops. As we learn more about certain illnesses, we develop new medicines, new medical technology and new methods to treat them. Vaccines have eradicated several serious diseases.

And in Dani’s country, people smoke less than they did 70 years ago, and they exercise more. Lifestyle has changed and improved public health. Dani’s country has become wealthier during this time. Having more money has given people the chance to move to houses with clean water and toilets. This lessens the spread of disease.

So, public health in a country changes over time. Hopefully it will keep improving in Dani’s country. Perhaps Dani’s grandchildren will live to reach 150.