As students return to colleges and universities the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding students during Meningitis Awareness Week (16-22 September) to be aware of the signs and symptoms of meningitis as it could save a life. Teenagers and young adults (14 - 24 years old) are more at risk than older adults, especially when away from home with no parents around to look after them.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is aware that a healthcare worker who had worked in Maternity and Gynaecology hospitals throughout the UK has been diagnosed with hepatitis C infection. Although the risk of acquiring hepatitis C in this situation is very low, a ‘look back’ patient notification exercise is being undertaken.

The damaging impact smoking has on families is being highlighted in Northern Ireland’s new campaign to tackle smoking prevalence, which was launched today by the Public Health Agency (PHA). Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable illness, premature death and health inequality throughout Northern Ireland and 2,300 people die prematurely each year from smoking-related illnesses such as coronary heart disease, stroke and many cancers.

Summer is over for another year and as children settle back into school, parents across Northern Ireland will be breathing an exhausted sigh of relief. But they may be back at home before you know it, suffering from one of the many common illnesses that can be picked up in the school setting. The Public Health Agency (PHA) is therefore reminding parents about the importance of good hygiene for their children – both in school and at home.

The summer holidays are over and it’s back to class. So with this in mind the Public Health Agency (PHA) and safefood are reminding parents about the importance of packing a healthy lunchbox for children. Parents of Primary One children across Northern Ireland will receive a copy of the leaflet ‘Are you packing a healthy lunch?’ through their school, which is full of suggestions on how to make the contents of lunchboxes tasty and healthy.

This video answers some of the main questions you might have about the childhood flu vaccination programme which is being phased-in from September 2013. Dr Richard Smithson talks about the first two cohorts affected - two and three year olds and P6 pupils - and how they will be administered with the nasal vaccine. Click here to watch the video.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is today launching the first phase of a programme that will offer flu vaccine to all children aged two to 16 years inclusive. This will help protect children against flu and reduce its spread. This year the vaccine will be offered to children aged two and three years and to those in school year primary six.