Katarzyna Badora-Musiał

Public health thinking requires an overhaul, a return to and modernization around ecological principles. Ecological Public Health thinking, outlined by Tim Lang and Geof Rayner, fits the twenty-first century’s challenges. It integrates what the authors call the four dimensions of existence: the material, biological, social and cultural aspects of life. Public health becomes the task of transforming the relationship between people, their circumstances and the biological world of nature and bodies. These transitions are Demographic, Epidemiological, Urban, Energy, Economic, Nutrition, Biological, Cultural and Democracy itself. By analyzing the theory and practice of public health last two or three centuries, the authors showed an evolution in thinking about public health. The term ‘ecological public health’ characterizes times in which everything is important, when it comes to health and well-being. The challenge for policy makers is one of navigating this complexity to deliver better health and greater equality in health.

W dniu 16 kwietnia 2011 roku odbyło się międzynarodowe sympozjum naukowe zorganizowane z okazji XX--lecia Szkoły i Instytutu Zdrowia Publicznego Wydziału Nauk o Zdrowiu Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego Collegium Medicum zatytułowane „Zdrowie publiczne w Europie”. Konferencja zgromadziła blisko 200 uczestników – studentów i  absolwentów szkoły. Obok nich gośćmi specjalnymi byli m.in. John Dalli – Komisarz Unii Europejskiej ds. Zdrowia i Konsumentów, prof. Helmut Brand – Prezydent elekt Stowarzyszenia Szkół Zdrowia Publicznego w Regionie Europejskim (ASPHER), dr Marek Haber – Podsekretarz Stanu w Ministerstwie Zdrowia RP, dr Maciej Piróg – Doradca Prezydenta RP ds. Zdrowia oraz dr Andrzej Ryś – Dyrektor ds. Zdrowia Publicznego w Dyrekcji Generalnej Zdrowia i Konsumentów Komisji Europejskiej, który w latach 1992–1996 był dyrektorem Szkoły Zdrowia Publicznego.

During pandemic COVID-19, politicians responsible for developing strategies to combat the virus play a significant role and make key decisions in this regard. An important role is also played by national experts who advise and provide scientific knowledge to governments to ensure the highest possible level of security for the whole society. The analysis of Polish and American politicians and experts gives a comparison in terms of actions, opinions and positions taken. In both countries, important national expert institutions participated in the fight against the pandemic, and government advisory teams for the COVID-19 pandemic were established. There were numerous problems with both health systems and a lack of consistency between the recommendations of experts and politicians, which resulted in a loss of public confidence. This difficult situation in which all countries in the world find themselves may be a good lesson for future threats.

In the absence of effective drugs that could be used in the treatment of infection caused by SARS-CoV-2, behavioral methods of preventing infection have become important in counteracting the epidemic, including wearing protective masks. A historical overview of the epidemic and the introduc­tion of the mask order allows an epidemic to be better understood not only as a biological event, but also as a social process. Many countries have enforced the wearing of masks in public despite conflicting opinions about whether their use could prevent transmission of the coronavirus from one person to another. In Poland, the content of the official message on the effectiveness of wearing masks was changing, ultimately introducing the obligation to cover the mouth and nose with masks or an element of clothing in generally accessible places.