Communicable Diseases

In a world of rapid international transport and contact between populations, systems are needed to monitor the potential explosive spread of pathogens that may be transferred from their normal habitat. The potential for the international spread of new or reinvigorated infectious diseases constitute threat to mankind akin to ecological and other man-made disasters. Public health has addressed the issues of communicable disease as one of its key issues in protecting individual and population health. Methods of intervention include classic public health through sanitation, immunization, and well beyond that into nutrition, education, case finding, and treatment, and changing human behavior. The knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices of policy makers, health care providers, and parents is as important in the success of communicable disease control as are the technology available and methods of financing health systems. Together, these encompass the broad programmatic approach of the New Public Health to control of communicable diseases.