Then, Now, Imagine:Heart Disease

THEN… Heart disease killed quickly and without warning.

NOW…Over the past 35 years, U.S. age-adjusted mortality from cardiovascular disease declined 50%.

IMAGINE…Eliminating preventable deaths due to heart disease.

Source: Health Affairs (2007)

Then, Now, Imagine:Alzheimer’s

THEN… Progressive problems with memory, language and behavior were considered an inevitable part of aging.NOW…Basic research is fueling the creation of new drugs for Alzheimer’s prevention and treatment.

IMAGINE…Alzheimer’s could be just a memory.

Then, Now, Imagine:Fluoridation

THEN… The damage caused by dental caries (tooth decay) was an inevitable fact of life for most people.NOW…Cases of dental caries in the permanent teeth of school aged children have been declining in the U.S. for approximately 20 years and fewer adults are having teeth extracted because of dental decay.

IMAGINE…Eradicating tooth decay completely and keeping your permanent teeth permanently.

Then, Now, Imagine:Tobacco

THEN… Smoking was considered a healthy, socially accepted behavior.

NOW…The dangers are well known and documented.

IMAGINE…If the 443,000 deaths each year due to tobacco products were prevented.

Then, Now, Imagine:Cataracts

THEN… Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world.

NOW…Cataract surgery has an overall success rate of about 98 percent with the majority of patients having the clouded lens replaced with a new, artificial one.

IMAGINE…Envisioning a future without visual impairments.

Source: National Eye Institute; Eye Surgery Council

Then, Now, Imagine:Influenza

THEN… in 1918, 20 to 50 million lives were lost worldwide to the influenza pandemic

NOW… research has led to the development of the flu vaccine, which can prevent 60% of hospitalizations and 80% of flu-related deaths among the elderly

IMAGINE… developing additional flu vaccines for pandemic flu virus threats

CDC: Questions & Answers: Reconstruction of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic Virus