Public Health in East and Southeast Asia: Challenges and Opportunities in the Twenty-First Century

“This volume is unique in its comprehensive investigation of the changing face of public health in East and Southeast Asia. The region’s countries have experienced major challenges resulting from colonialism, conflicts, economic and technological development, varying levels of government stability, widening disparities between social classes, uneven distribution of wealth, emerging epidemics, chronic diseases, occupational hazards, and changing health services. All of these issues are ably addressed by the authors, firsthand experts in their respective countries and fields. With its useful summaries and wealth of international sources, it will be an excellent resource for scholars and practitioners seeking an introduction to the region’s complex context and development.” Chitr Sitthi-amorn, former president, International Epidemiological AssociationPublic Health in East and Southeast Asia presents an overview of the state of public health across this vast region and considers the challenges and prospects for its future advancement. It pays particular attention to how rapid economic progress has brought accelerated change, both demographic and epidemiological, to an area already marked by great heterogeneity in health status and public health systems. In comparative and thematically oriented chapters, leading scholars consider such issues as changes in values and lifestyles, infectious diseases, nutrition, tobacco, chronic diseases, accidents and injury, environmental health, occupational health, the effect of globalization, and health services.Roger Detels is Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases and Chair of Epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the former president of the International Epidemiological Association. Sheena G. Sullivan is an epidemiologist at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza and was previously with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Chorh Chuan Tan is President of the National University of Singapore and was previously the Director of Medical Services in Singapore’s Ministry of Health, in which capacity he was responsible for the medical response to the SARS epidemic in 2003.Contributors: Rajesh Bhatia, Chien-Jen Chen, Wen-Ta Chiu, Roger Detels, Binh Y. Goldstein, Anthony J. Hedley, Ling-I Hsu, Elizabeth A. Jahncke, Sunbaunat Ka, David Koh, Ee Heok Kua, Tai Hing Lam, William Lavely, Ting Heung Leung, Sarah M. McGhee, Jai P. Narain, Lu Pai, Donald Maxwell Parkin, Saumik Paul, Samlee Plianbangchang, Ramkishen S. Rajan, Adeline Seow, Judy Sng, Sheena G. Sullivan, Chorh Chuan Tan, U Than Sein, Kraisid Tontisirin, Shin-Han Tsai, Thomas Tsang, Kumnuan Ungchusak, Lilian W. C. Wan, Pattanee Winichagoon, Zuo-Feng Zhan