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public health
noun
: the art and science dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social science
Examples of public health in a Sentence
a disease that poses a serious threat to public health
She got her degree in public health.
Public health officials warned of an influenza outbreak.
Recent Examples on the Web
This week, Robert F. Kennedy – Trump’s highly controversial pick to lead public health agencies for the country as head of the US Department of Health and Human Services – faces members of Congress for his confirmation hearings.
—Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
The rules, which took effect Jan. 14, are essentially the same as those set in last year’s public health order.
—Meg Wingerter, The Denver Post, 28 Jan. 2025
Experts only discovered an effective treatment for diphtheria around the turn of the 20th century, when public health agencies and pharmaceutical companies started producing an antitoxin serum derived from the blood of horses.
—David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025
This mandate also involves building and strengthening public health laboratories to watch out for disease trends as well as guide containment efforts.
—Simar Bajaj, NPR, 28 Jan. 2025
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Word History
First Known Use
1617, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near public health
Cite this Entry
“Public health.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20health. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Medical Definition
public health
noun
pub·lic health
ˌpəb-lik-
: the art and science dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social science
More from Merriam-Webster on public health
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about public health
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