The Public Health Agency (PHA) has welcomed the recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccination programme for pregnant women should continue for a further five years. The advice comes after two new research papers were published which showed that the vaccination campaign has been very effective since its introduction and also provided further reassurance that the vaccine is very safe when given in pregnancy.

With the bank holiday approaching, many new mums will be out and about enjoying time with their families. But what do they think about breastfeeding in public and what are local businesses doing to help? Northern Ireland has the lowest breastfeeding rates in UK and one of the lowest in Europe – 64% of mothers start breastfeeding compared with 81% in the rest of the UK, but by six weeks of age this reduces to 33% in Northern Ireland, compared with 55% in the rest of the UK.

Now that the summer festival season is in full swing, and people from across Northern Ireland are heading out to enjoy themselves, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding revellers that taking drugs is always a risk. The PHA is also specifically warning about of the risk of taking Para –Methyl-4-Methylaminorex (4,4’-DMAR), which has been linked to a number of recent deaths in Northern Ireland.

Thousands of young people across Northern Ireland will receive exam results in the coming days and ahead of this the Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging parents to have a chat about alcohol and drugs with their children. Lots of young people will go out socialising with their school friends after they receive results and it is important they are aware of the dangers associated with the use of alcohol and drugs.

Transplant athletes from Northern Ireland are set to compete for gold at the Westfield Health British Transplant Games, taking place in Bolton, England from Thursday 7 August – Sunday 10 August, and the Public Health Agency (PHA) has extended its best wishes to the Belfast team.

World Breastfeeding Week runs from 1-7 August and the Public Health Agency (PHA) is highlighting how new mums can really benefit from the support of other mothers who have breastfed. The theme of this year’s world breastfeeding week is ‘Breastfeeding: A winning goal – for life’ and aims to highlight the importance of increasing and sustaining the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding.

WHO has declared that the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa fits the criteria under International Health Regulations (IHR) of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This declaration will trigger a WHO internationally coordinated response to countries with cases in order to assist them to take measures to contain and control the outbreak. Cases have been identified in four countries in West Africa - Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. To date there have been no reported cases in the UK.