Has public health improved over the past century?

Yes. Improvements in sanitation, clean water access, vaccination, and health systems have transformed global public health. For example, child mortality rates have dropped by more than 60% since 1990, according to UNICEF. Malnutrition, once a leading killer, has also declined thanks to better food distribution and fortified diets. Challenges like obesity and lifestyle-related diseases have grown, but overall progress in reducing preventable deaths is undeniable. Media literacy helps contextualize health scares against this backdrop of improvement. Evidence-based insights reveal that the world has become much healthier over the past century.