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War and public health

Victor W. Sidel, MD, Albert Einstein Medical College and Montefiore Medical Center, Distinguished University Professor of Social Medicine, 111 East 210th Street, Bronx, New York, NY 10467, 718 920-6586, vsidel@igc.org and Barry S. Levy, MD, MPH, Adjunct Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine, P. O. Box 1230, Sherborn, MA 01770.

In this session, contributors to War and Public Health (Oxford University Press, 1997; APHA, softcover updated edition, 2000) and others will present papers on current issues of the impact of war on public health and on the ways public health workers can prevent war and its public health impact. Along with papers that discuss the health impact of recent specific wars there will be discussion of the relationship between war and "terrorism" and of the efforts of public health workers and community organization to prevent war. Challenges include addressing factors that may lead to war, controlling weapons, preventing diversion of resources to war from those needed for health and human needs, and improving public health and medical care system capabilities to respond to all needs. The role of public health workers in addressing these challenges and in opposing politically-motivated efforts to restrict civil liberties and human rights will be stressed. Current issues that will be addressed will include the war in Iraq and its aftermath, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, civil wars in Africa, and the impact of military expenditures on the U.S. federal budget.

Learning Objectives: Participants will learn to

Keywords: Gulf War, Iraq

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

War and Public Health

The 132nd Annual Meeting (November 6-10, 2004) of APHA