Great strides for public health

Last week, the CDC released the results of a study that enumerates “Ten Great Public Health Achievements” in the U.S. from 2001 to 2010. Among other triumphs, the report notes a substantial decline in vaccine-preventable diseases and strides made in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer and childhood lead poisoning. Apropos of today’s extended New York City anti-smoking laws, they also note the successful implementation of public smoke-free policies and campaigns to reduce smoking in the general population. Also timely is the report’s acknowledgement of the improved prevention and control of infectious diseases: advances in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS have occurred throughout the past decade, but this month was especially momentous, as a National Institutes of Health-funded study demonstrated that treatment with anti-retrovirals upon diagnosis reduced transmission of HIV from infected to uninfected partners by 96 percent.

ACSH’s Dr. Josh Bloom noted, “If you look at the list, there is no silliness about banning everyday chemicals that pose no risks to health in the minute quantities in which they’re present, such as phthalates or BPA found in plastics, flame retardant in pajamas, or pesticides. Nor was there any mention of measures to ban the sweetener high fructose corn syrup. They focused on real issues that have had a real impact on public health, not scientifically flawed studies or hypothetical risks.”