In the United States, infectious disease is no longer a leading cause of death. Two major factors are responsible for this control – 1) antibiotics and 2) environmental health prevention practices. The importance of the environmental health professional’s role in maintaining and even reducing further the incidence of infection disease can not be minimized, particularly with the effectiveness of antibiotics on the decline.

In much of the world, effective environmental health management has not been achieved, and infectious disease is the leading cause of death. Tremendous opportunity remains for the environmental health professional to make tremendous contributions.

In the environmental health program, particular attention is focused on infections diseases in two classes, Public Health and Sanitation (ENVH 301) and Epidemiology (ENVH 449). Students learn about the major diseases associated with poor environmental practices, and how to practically implement interventions that protect society from these diseases.

Below are some useful links to explore environmental control of infectious disease.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is the premier agency investigating infectious diseases and developing effective interventions. It’s home page links to many additional useful resources.

The CDC published on-line the professional journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. This outstanding journal provides current information about infections diseases both nationally and internationally.

The World Health Organization is international in scope and provides numerous services to help improve public health. Many of its activities center on the poor, and on infectious disease control.