Vaccines. Water fluoridation. Quarantines and isolation. These are critical public health strategies with a proven track record of preventing disease. In fact, they are recognized as effective, with vaccines and water fluoridation cited among the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century, contributing to dramatic improvements in health and life expectancy in the United States. But thanks in part to a recent barrage of misinformation, declining trust in science and government, and even intentional disinformation that was accelerated by the polarization of the COVID-19 pandemic, these vital prevention strategies are now plagued with public perception issues.
These issues add to longstanding public health challenges of chronic lack of investment and sense of urgency to protect against threats that, when they are under control, go unnoticed. With the extreme right’s politicization of medicine overlaying these challenges, we’re in danger of moving backward on public health. That’s why it’s imperative to reflect on the historic public health improvements these strategies have spearheaded and continue building support for the public health authorities that enable them.
The above excerpt was originally published in Governing.
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