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Underlying Cause of Death 4/14

The aim of public health is to prevent premature deaths. In order to do this, it is necessary to break the chain of events leading to death. The most effective public health objective is to prevent the precipitating or underlying cause of death. The Underlying Cause of Death is defined by the World Health Organization as “the disease or injury which initiated the chain of morbid events leading directly to death or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury.”