Chief Health Officer and Health Protection

Acting Director: Dr Rosemary Lester
Enquiries: Tel (61 3) 9096 5174
Email: Chief.Healthofficer@health.vic.gov.au

The role of the Health Protection Branch is to protect the community (or any part of the community) against hazards resulting from or associated with communicable disease, food, water or the environment.

Branch structure

The Health Protection Branch consists of four units:

• Office of the Chief Health Officer
• Environmental Health Unit
• Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Unit
• Food Safety and Regulatory Activities Unit

Office of the Chief Health Officer
The Office of the Chief Health Officer incorporates Emergency Management, Partner Notification and Support and Senior Medical Advisors. The Chief Health Officer is the Governments media spokesperson on disease prevention and control and has various statutory roles defined under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008.

Environmental Health Unit
The aim of the Environmental Health Unit is to prevent ill health arising from environmental factors, to respond to major threats to public health and promote the health and wellbeing of the Victorian community.

Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Unit
The Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Unit aims to reduce the risk of current and emerging infectious diseases in Victoria through the implementation of patient focussed and population focussed control strategies based on surveillance and risk assessment.

Food Safety and Regulatory Activities Unit
The role of the Food Safety and Regulatory Activities Unit is to protect the community from food related harm and the harmful effects of pesticides; to support public health through strategic regulatory policy analysis and development, and to influence thinking, policy and programs, to achieve a healthier community.

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Related sites

Chief Health Officer
Environmental Health
Infectious Diseases Epidemiology & Surveillance
Food Safety