The Port Health Organization, Visakhapatnam was established during the year 1942 with the purpose of ensuring prevention of international spread of communicable diseases as par International Sanitary Regulations (later on known as ‘International Health Regulations’) and according to which the Govt. of India had framed the Indian Port Health Rules 1955 basically incorporating the provisions of International Health Regulations under statutory Notification as per Indian Ports Act 1908 . At present functions as a subordinate office of the Directorate General of Health Services under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Dept of Health.