Public health is the general health of all members of a community. The term also refers to a community's efforts to prevent and cure illness and maintain the health of its people.

The governments of many nations have established public health agencies. The functions of these agencies vary from country to country, depending on the nation's level of technological development and its specific health problems. In addition, international health organizations conduct research and work to solve public health problems throughout the world.

In the United States, agencies of the federal, state, and local governments take part in public health programs. The federal government supervises public health care through the agencies of the Public Health Service (PHS), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services. All the state governments and many local governments have a department of health or department of human resources that administers public health work. Voluntary health agencies and private health foundations also contribute to the field of public health.