public health

American  

noun

1. health services to improve and protect community health, especially sanitation, immunization, and preventive medicine.

---

Other Word Forms

• public-health adjective

Etymology

Origin of public health

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

Public health officials are also advising people planning on cooling down in the ocean to be aware of elevated bacteria levels at certain beaches.

From Los Angeles Times

Parents and doctors have been grappling with chaos and confusion since the changes were made and growing especially concerned about how insurance companies will cover immunisations long considered important to public health.

From BBC

One public health source involved in the outbreak told me that it was clear there was a cluster developing before the weekend and that something seems to have gone wrong with the process.

From BBC

WHO has played a role in eradicating smallpox and tackling public health threats like polio, HIV, Ebola and tuberculosis.

From Barron's

The initial cases "were taken extremely seriously", she added, with public health teams immediately "identifying the closest contacts who would benefit from preventative antibiotics".

From BBC