public health

American  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• public-health
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of public health

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

WHO and other health authorities say the threat to public health is low.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Los Angeles County public health officials offer suggestions on how you can keep rodents at bay, which include:

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

"Conversely, tourism can involve negative experiences that potentially lead to health problems, paralleling the process of promoting entropy increase. A prominent example is the public health crisis of COVID-19."

From Science Daily • May 4, 2026

"WHO Europe is working with the countries involved to support medical care, evacuation, investigations and public health risk assessment."

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

The collapse of the Soviet Union had meant the deterioration of its public health policy.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French