Year in review: health protection in NSW, 2011.

Health protection involves the prevention and control of threats to health from communicable diseases and the environment. Health protection is achieved through a complex array of activities involving multiple agencies. Health protection activities include: • immunisation • the provision of safe environments including clean water, food and air • disease surveillance, epidemiological investigations, risk assessments, capacity building, quality assurance, providing expert advice • the development and application of legislation, regulations, policies and guidelines, distributing resources, and monitoring of program performance and outcomes.