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Appreciating the role of public health officials
The current shortage of flu vaccine has brought home the realization of just how much we as a society have come to accept medical advances that are nothing short of miraculous as commonplace.
Less than 100 years ago, 50 million people died during the 1918 flu epidemic. In June 1947, a report in this newspaper indicated the Sylva swimming pool was closed due to a polio outbreak. A year later, in August 1948 the Asheville paper reported that for the third straight day there were no new cases of the crippling disease.
Thanks to pioneering doctors and public health officials, diseases like polio are virtually eradicated in the United States. With the advent of routine (and required for public school) child vaccinations, former killer diseases like diphtheria and typhoid have also been relegated to the history books.
Dedicated public health leaders battled disease and improved conditions for the community even before vaccines were developed. Health Department sanitarians, who monitored water quality and educated the public about risks associated with contaminated water, substantially reduced the risk of typhoid. Programs aimed at reducing fly populations, especially around dairy farms, similarly lowered the populations risk of contracting diphtheria.
Scarlet fever, a common childhood disease that can lead to rheumatic fever and heart complications, has been brought under control through tests that culture for the strep bacteria that cause it and antibiotics that can treat those bacteria.
With vaccination programs in place to keep those sorts of epidemic diseases at bay, public health officials have turned their efforts toward helping today's population make wiser lifestyle choices. Health Department educators like Jimmi Buell provide programs and newspaper articles reminding people of the lifelong dangers of obesity and promoting additional exercise and healthier food choices.
Jackson County's Health Department has also taken a leadership role in educating area residents of the dangers of tobacco use and the risks of secondhand smoke. A Health Department initiative to convince local restaurants to adopt smoke-free policies has proved a successful strategy to improve the air quality in our county's eating establishments.
With threats of bioterrorism on the horizon, it is interesting to note that health officials were on the front line of that fight 50 years ago, providing information on atomic bombs and how to prepare for a nuclear attack.
They're still here, fighting every day to improve the public's health and quality of life through events like Tuesday's planned methamphetamine forums, which will bring together health and law enforcement personnel to educate the community to the dangers of meth.
Congratulations to our Health Department on its 70th anniversary. Here's hoping everyone turns out to make their Saturday celebration a big success.
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