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Subjects and methods: This article analyzes the scope of the rules that form the legal field Public Health Law and examines its characteristics. It further reviews the relationship between law and public health practice and analyzes the legal basis of public health. The article also examines the roles of the legal actors in public health practice and their means. Results: Law grants the necessary powers to the states and governments, and law also distributes these powers among the state institutions. Law and Public health build an important relationship in the interest of the population's health. Based on law and on legal authorization, states establish and fund public health agencies and bestow them with powers vis-à-vis citizens to pursue public health goals. A number of legal fields can be found that aim to protect and promote the public's health. The entirety of these legal fields build the superordinate field "Public Health Law." Public health law can be defined as the sum of all legal rules that directly or indirectly aim to safeguard or promote the population's health. These rules may result from statutory law, administrative regulations and acts, customary law and common law. Conclusions: Law is essential for the infrastructure and functioning of public health. The legal basis of public health is rooted in the basic rights of the people to health, safety and life. Based on these basic rights, the people and the population they form have the right to self-defense. In states, people mandate the state and the state powers to safeguard and promote their health. Therefore, the population's basic right to health, safety and life, and their corresponding right to self-defense are the basis and justification for the general existence of public health activities of states. Public health is a duty of the state vis-à-vis the people from whom all state powers derive.

This first annual report of the Director of Public Health highlights the many public health challenges that affect people in Northern Ireland and how thepublic health team tackles this complex agenda by working with many statutory, community and voluntary partner organisations across health, local government, education, housing and other sectors. The report refers to core tables throughout, these tables provide key statistical data on population, birth and death rates, mortality by cause, life expectancy, immunisation and screening. The report and the core tables are available below.

pt. 1. Introduction / Fiona Sim and Jenny Wright -- pt. 2. Public health functions / Fiona Sim and Jenny Wright -- pt. 3. Settings for public health practice / Fiona Sim and Jenny Wright -- pt. 4. Getting into public health / Fiona Sim and Jenny Wright -- pt. 5. How to proceed from here / Fiona Sim and Jenny Wright.

<i>Background:</i> Public health genomics is a new field that brings the findings of research in genetic and molecular technologies together with public health. The purpose of this paper is to examine the interface between this new emerging field and that of public health intelligence. We describe the possible areas of integration between genomics and public health, suggesting a future potential role for the Public Health Observatories. <i>Methods:</i> A small group comprising of a public health geneticist and representatives from Public Health Observatories met and discussed the ways in which the public health information and intelligence community might contribute to the developing agenda of public health genomics. <i>Results:</i> The results of the deliberations are presented in this paper, and a combination of short, medium and longer term possibilities are described. Also, necessary changes and additions to routinely collected data are proposed. <i>Conclusions:</i> The emerging field of public health genomics has implications for the collection, management and analysis of routine data. The benefits of this will accrue over time, but changes need to be made now in order to make the best use of these developments. A possible supporting action plan for the development of public health genomics within Public Health Observatories is proposed.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Figures, Boxes and Tables -- List of Contributors -- Acknowledgements -- List of Abbreviations -- 1 Introduction -- The aims of the text -- What is public health? -- History of public health -- Threats to public health -- Challenges for public health -- The solutions to public health problems? -- Themes and subjects -- Guiding public health principles -- References -- 2 Public Health Research Tools -- Introduction -- Evidence-based public health? -- Biological, biochemical, microbiological, pharmacological research approaches -- Health needs assessments and health impact assessments -- Epidemiology -- Focus groups -- Participatory research -- Conclusion -- References -- 3 International Influences on Public Health -- Introduction -- Factors that influence public health -- Economic factors -- The Bretton Woods Institutions -- International trade: World Trade Organisation (WTO) -- The debt problem for developing countries -- Measures introduced to resolve the debt problem -- Poverty reduction in the twenty-first century -- Conclusion -- References -- 4 Doctors in Public Health - Who Needs 'em -- My route to public health -- Describing public health -- Health services policy -- On being a DPH -- Public health doctors: who needs them? -- References -- 5 The Role of Nurses in Public Health -- Introduction -- Nurses and public health -- A social model of public health -- Population/community approach -- Strategic and planned approach -- Developing alliances -- Features of alliances building -- Tackling inequalities in health: a nursing perspective -- Promotion of health - prevention of illness -- Primary care and public health nursing interfaces: a problematic past and partnership future? -- Collective action -- Refocusing health visitors as public health nurses.