ABSTRACT
Health is an issue rather like security: highly relevant to the individual but meaningfully analyzable almost exclusively as a statistical measure, and becoming an issue mainly just when its absence makes it conspicuously so. Diseases, not least through their obvious, negative 'naturalness' and through recent developments of globalization, are one major factor in considerations of health, sustainability and security. Immunization, prevention through education, together with modern medicine where it is best, do of course have a role to play. The paramount significance not just of disease prevention per se but of promotion of good health yet needs to be recognized more strongly: Both aspects of health would be contingent on the provision of adequate nutrition, safe water, hygiene, and other such basics, as well as the prevention of pollution, continuing functioning of ecosystem services, etc. Water, for example, is a major element of danger to health when functioning as a vector of disease and pollution.
