Sunday, April 19, 1998

The public's health is every citizen's responsibility

By Jane Nichols

Who's idea was public health, anyway?

Archaeologists have found remnants of privies and underground drain pipes in the area of ancient Sumer that are 6,500 years old. The Vizier of Egypt, 5,000 years ago, had the duty to inspect the water supply of the entire land every 10 days.

In the Old Testament we find restrictions on eating the meat of certain animals that were considered unclean and instructions on what to do if someone had leprosy. The English passed a law in 1297 requiring that the fronts of houses be kept clean.

In America, public health rules were established early in the colonies, like instructions on where privies could be located and laws necessitating quarantine of sick individuals to halt epidemics of yellow fever and cholera. In the new nation's capital of Philadelphia, the first board of health was a vigilante group created in response to an epidemic sweeping the new republic.

Texas public health laws were similarly established in response to disease outbreaks, and as scientific advances led to the development of means to prevent and control diseases, the state passed laws concerning immunizations, water treatment, waste disposal, food preparation and disease reporting.

In Abilene we have public health laws governing food handling, public swimming pool operations, nuisances, disease vector control, weed control, on-site sewage disposal and construction regulations to protect such things as our water supply and our safety.

Throughout the history of Abilene, citizens have felt it was important to define standards for maintaining property, disposing of waste and providing safe drinking water. Citizens have served on boards, talked to their council, formed neighborhood groups, worked with public health professionals to determine what standards would best serve the community and enacted regulations to implement these standards.

So is this going to be enough? Frankly, no.

If you live in Abilene you have the personal responsibility to meet the community's standards. It is a conscious decision on your part whether to throw litter out your car's window car, have your children immunized on schedule, use good personal hygiene, haul your trash to the sanitary landfill instead of putting it on another's property, keep your yard clean to prevent harborage of rodents and insects and conduct your place of business in a way that benefits the community.

We have recently seen some excellent examples of commitment to public health by the Carver Community Revitalization Committee and by the business and property owners on Butternut Street. The entire community should applaud these efforts.

In the words of the National Sanitation Foundation, "Sanitation is a way of life. It is the quality of living that is expressed in the clean home, the clean farm, the clean business and industry, the clean neighborhood, the clean community. Being a way of life, it must come from within the people; it is nourished by knowledge and grows as an obligation and an ideal in human relations."

April is National Public Health Month. There is a mayoral proclamation, special activities at the Health Department and distribution of information through various programs. During the Immunization Clinic at the Mall of Abilene Saturday there was a display of public health information and educational materials. This recognized the quality of life we enjoy today because of public health work and achievements. It should also be the time we recommit to our community's standards and our quality of life.

Jane Nichols is a professional sanitarian and environmental health manager for the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health Dept.