4. Public Health
• Public Health consists of organized efforts
to improve the health of communities
• The operative components of this
definition are that public health efforts
are organized and directed to communities
rather than to individuals
• Central Goal for Communities
– The reduction of diseases
– Improvement of health
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 4
5. The Future of Public Health
Institute of Medicine (IOM)
Organized community effort to address
the public interest in health by applying
scientific and technical knowledge to
prevent disease and promote health
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 5
6. Public Health Activities
• Prevent epidemics
• Protects the environment, workplaces, housing, food and
air
• Monitors health status of population
• Mobilizes community action
• Responds to disasters
• Assures quality, accessibility and accountability of
medical care
• Reaches out to link high-risk and hard to reach people to
needed services
• Researches to develop new insights and innovative
solutions
• Leads the development Public Health and Water Issues policy and planning 6
Defining
of sound health
7. Ten Great Public Health Achievements
• Vaccines
Smallpox, Measles, Rabies, Typhoid, Cholera, Plague
• Recognition of tobacco use as a health
hazard
• Motor Vehicle Safety
Seat Belts, Helmets
• Safer Workplaces
40% decrease in fatal occupational injuries (since 1980)
• Control of Infectious Diseases
Improved Water and Wastewater Supply Line
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 7
8. Ten Great Public Health Achievements
• Fewer deaths from heart disease
and strokes
51% decrease in death rates, blood pressure
control, early detection, better treatment
• Safer and Healthier Foods
• Healthier mothers and babies
Reduced infant mortality by 90% and maternal mortality by
99%
• Family Planning
• Public Health Preparedness and
Response
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 8
9. Life Expectancy
Male
Female
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 9
12. Water Issues
Water plays a fundamental role in the green economy as
it interacts with poverty, food security, health and so
many other sustainable development issues.
Priority water-related issues
1. Agriculture
2. Industry
3. Cities
4. Watersheds
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 12
13. Agriculture
• 70% of global water Challenges:
withdrawals
• Water scarcity and water
• provides employment for quality degradation trends
40% of the global
population • Rising food prices
• Vulnerability of small-
scale farmers
• Growing population, food
production and dietary
habits
• Inefficient use of water
• Non-point source pollution
of water, land and coastal
areas
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 13
14. Approaches to address agricultural challenges
Coping with these
challenges will require
• adaptations in
agricultural
practices, food
production chains, food
markets, land
management
• water management
practices, including
pollution control
• information and
knowledge, institutional
capacities
• water governance
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 14
15. Industry
• critical for the delivery Challenges:
goods and services • Excessive use and
• creation of job contamination of
opportunities to foster freshwater
poverty alleviation and • Low labor productivity
the improvement of and a limited capacity
living standards for innovation in
developing countries
• Inefficient and
unsustainable production
and promotion of
unnecessary
consumption
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 15
16. Approaches to address industry challenges
Coping with these
challenges requires
• Advances in regulatory
frameworks
• a better normative
framework focused on
adapting manufacturing
practices to the
objectives of a green
economy
• voluntary agreements
• proper incentives
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 16
17. Cities
• Developments in cities Challenges:
have far-reaching • Adequate water and
effects upon the sanitation facilities
world’s economies, for growing urban
energy use and climate population
change • Meeting basic needs in
slum areas
• Water pollution
• Water loss in supply
systems
• Water price
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 17
18. Approaches to address cities’ challenges
Coping with these challenges requires
• building institutional capacities and
governance to enhance the
sustainability of urban development
• the recognition of the importance of
natural capital and ecosystems
services for a more harmonic
integration among urban and rural
areas
• awareness-raising
• social involvement and leadership to
make the objectives of green urban
development the focus and the
identity of cities
• sustainable urban water management
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 18
19. Watersheds
• Freshwater Challenges:
ecosystems provide • Environmental
services that are degradation and loss
crucial for human of freshwater
survival, supporting ecosystems
the economy and for
the conservation of • Overexploitation of
natural capital water resources
• Climate change
• Lack of information
and monitoring
• Weak participatory
processes
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 19
20. Approaches to address watersheds’ challenges
• Investing in the
recovery and the
adequate protection of
natural capital and
freshwater ecosystems
• Ecosystem conservation
• Integrated Water
Resources Management
• Development of resilient
and adaptive social
responses to extreme
events and climate
change
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 20
23. The Tools
1. Economic
instruments
2. Sustainable
financing
3. Investments in
natural capital
4. Technology
5. Green jobs
6. Water planning
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 23
24. Enabling Conditions
• Institutional
capacity
• Political will
• Good governance
• Long-term
integrated
perspective
• Consensus at all
levels
• Knowledge sharing
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 24
25. Photo of the Week
Unicef Pakistan
Defining Public Health and Water Issues 25
