Public health has been defined as "the science and art of preventing disease”, prolonging life and improving quality of life through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, communities and individuals Peterborough Public Health reports three new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday. The new cases put the overall total at 389 since the pandemic was declared in March. There are now 88 active cases in the health unit’s jurisdiction of Peterborough, Peterborough County, Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation. It’s down from the 100 active cases reported just two days earlier.

As well, there were 10 cases declared resolved Monday, increasing the overall total to 296 resolved approximately 76 per cent of all cases. There are also currently 189 people considered close contacts down from 195 reported Sunday. Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. This work is achieved by promoting healthy lifestyles, researching disease and injury prevention, and detecting, preventing and responding to infectious diseases.

Public health professionals try to prevent problems from happening or recurring through implementing educational programs, recommending policies, administering services and conducting research in contrast to clinical professionals like doctors and nurses, who focus primarily on treating individuals after they become sick or injured. Public health also works to limit health disparities. A large part of public health is promoting healthcare equity, quality and accessibility. Overall, public health is concerned with protecting the health of entire populations. These populations can be as small as a local neighbourhood, or as big as an entire country or region of the world.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the nation’s leading public health agency, dedicated to saving lives and protecting the health of Americans. CDC keeps America secure by controlling disease outbreaks; making sure food and water are safe; helping people avoid leading causes of death such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes; and working globally to reduce threats to the nation’s health. When a national health security threat appears, CDC may not know right away why or how many people are affected, but the agency has world-class expertise to find out what is making people sick and what to do about it.

CDC works to strengthen local and state public health departments and promote proven health programs. Headquartered in Atlanta, CDC has a staff of more than 14,000 employees in nearly 170 occupations who work in all 50 states and more than 50 countries.

Media Contact
David Paul
Managing Editor
Journal of Food and Clinical Nutrition