Public Health Merit Badge
Eight requirements, mostly explanations of disease, immunization, vectors and pollution. Three take doing or arranging: a demonstration of two ways to make water safe to drink at camp; a visit to a wastewater or solid-waste facility or a food service facility; and a visit to a public health agency or a study of its website. Both visits need your parent or guardian's and counselor's approval first.
The plan behind this
Two visits, each approved first
Requirements 5 and 7 both begin "With your parent or guardian's and counselor's approval". Ask before you arrange either.
| requirement | choice | then |
|---|---|---|
| 5 (one of two) | (a) a municipal wastewater treatment facility or a solid-waste management operation, or (b) a food service facility such as a restaurant or school cafeteria | the numbered parts of the one you chose, ending with a discussion of your visit with your counselor |
| 7 | 7(a): visit your city, county, state or federal public health agency, or familiarize yourself with a health agency's website | 7(b), all three parts: leading causes of death and disease in your community, the agency's role in outbreaks, and public assistance in disasters |
Requirement 1: the diseases
| part | which diseases | what to explain |
|---|---|---|
| 1(b) | E. coli, tetanus, AIDS, encephalitis, salmonellosis, Lyme disease and coronavirus (COVID-19) | how each is contracted |
| 1(c) | any four of gonorrhea, West Nile virus, botulism, influenza, syphilis, hepatitis, emphysema, meningitis, herpes or lead poisoning | how each is contracted and possibly prevented |
| 1(d) | "all 10 diseases from 1(c)" | the type or form, possible vectors, prevention of exposure or spread, and treatments |
Requirement 2(c) returns to the 1(b) list: which of those currently have no immunization available.
Requirement 3 is shown
Discuss safe drinking water and the spread of disease, then demonstrate two ways to make water safe to drink that can be used at camp. In the demonstration, explain how dishes and utensils should be washed, dried and kept sanitary at home and in camp.
What this page is
The Public Health merit badge, drawn so the two approved visits and the water demonstration stand out from the explanations, with the choices in requirements 5 and 7(a) drawn as questions and the parts that build on earlier lists linked to them. It is not a copy of the requirements: each step is a short label with a link to the official requirements, which are what actually governs and which change from year to year. The free official pamphlet is the fuller guide.
Sources for this page
- Public Health Merit Badge Requirements, Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-12-31 · The requirements themselves, and the free official pamphlet linked from them.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 7.0.0.3 · The process every merit badge is earned through, which this page does not repeat.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 7.0.4.3 · Which version of a changed requirement applies to a Scout who has already started.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 4.0.0.1 · Why the requirements are not in the Guide to Advancement and are expected to change annually.
Last checked against its sources on .