Question

List and define the key scientific and methodological domains of environmental health and their relationship to one another.

Answer 1

Environmental health is an important part of disease control and prevention. Diseases needs to 3 ingredients to spread.

• Agent
• Host
• Environment

These ingredients make up the disease causation Triad.

Diseases need all of these ingredients to spread.

An agent refers to a germ chemical or physical cause of disease or injury for example,

• Virus
• Bacteria
• Radiation
• Physical hazards
• Chemicals

Host refers to people and animals that get diseases for example,

• Children
• Neighbors
• Pets
• Ourselves

An environment refers to surroundings an agent must move through to reach the host . For example, Air, water , food, sewage. These environmental factors contribute the quality of our health.

When an outbreak occurs , Epidemiology, Laboratory, Environmental health. Work together stop the disease.

Together Epidemiology, Laboratory and Environmental science control disease.

Epidemiology, laboratory and environmental health work together the disease causation triad becomes a disease prevention shield, keeping agents from moving through the environment to reach the host.

For example agent,

Salmonella is a germ often found on raw chicken and it can make people sick.

Host

The family goes out to eat

Environmental health

The restaurant practices help prevent salmonella from reaching the family.

Wash hand, Disinfect, wear gloves

Recommend actions to stop outbreaks and prevent future ones, shield host from harmful agents through environmental controls.

Ultimately, Environmental health service are vital to disease control and prevention.