Health protection involves the prevention and control of threats to health from communicable diseases and the environment. In New South Wales (NSW) in 2016 these functions were carried out by a range of groups, including the Communicable Diseases and Environmental Health branches within Health Protection NSW and the NSW Ministry of Health’s Population and Public Health Division, Public Health Units (PHUs), clinicians, Local Health District (LHD) services, local government, other government agencies, and communities.
In this report we highlight the major health outcomes and achievements related to Health Protection NSW’s activities in 2016.
Effective health protection for the NSW population is dependent on the skills, experience and advocacy of health protection workers across the state in identifying, responding to and communicating health threats.
Protecting the health of the community is a collaborative effort, involving Public Health Units, clinicians, laboratory scientists, affected communities, and other government and community-based organisations. We thank all those involved for the role they played in NSW in 2016.
