The Public Health Agency (PHA) supports the Chief Medical Officer’s first UK-wide physical activity guidelines, launched today. Dr Carolyn Harper, Director of Public Health for Northern Ireland, said: "The PHA welcomes the new guidelines which highlight the established link between physical activity levels and reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke and obesity.

Issued on behalf of NHS Blood & Transplant Belfast residents were kept entertained during yesterday’s morning commute and throughout the day as part of activity for National Transplant Week 2011. This was to highlight that over 2001 people in Northern Ireland are waiting for an organ transplant2. NHS Blood & Transplant (NHSBT) and Health & Social Care NI (HSCNI) teams hit the streets with entertainers including Joby Fox, singer & songwriter, and pupils from Newtownards-based Pauline Walker Dance & Stage School.

As the holidays approach, with long summer nights, parties, barbeques and relaxing in the warm weather, the Public Health Agency is encouraging people to know their limits and not to overindulge when drinking alcohol. Enjoying the summer means taking care of yourself and others and, if you choose to drink, staying within safe alcohol limits.

A recent ‘Walk@work’ seminar led by Dr Nick Gilson of the University of Queensland, Australia was hosted by the Public Health Agency (PHA) and the Physical Activity and Health Research Group at the University of Ulster.

The international research co-led by Queen’s University, Belfast, that has developed a radical new treatment for cystic fibrosis was enabled by significant research infrastructure investment from Health and Social Care Research and Development (HSC R&D), a division of the Public Health Agency (PHA). The new drug, a landmark achievement, will benefit people who have the ‘celtic gene’, a genetic mutation which is particularly common in Ireland.

Figures from the Public Health Agency (PHA) show that across Northern Ireland, a remarkable 33,833 smokers took the first step to a healthier life by availing of ‘stop smoking’ services (April 2010 to the end of March 2011). This is an increase of 44% from the previous year.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is supporting this year’s National Transplant Awareness Week, which runs from 4-10 July with the theme ‘What are you waiting for?’ Everyday people complain about waiting for buses or waiting in a queue for lunch, but what if you were waiting for something that your life depended on… like an organ? This Transplant Awareness Week aims to increase the understanding of organ donation and the issues that surround it by focusing on how long people are currently waiting to receive a transplant.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is warning holiday makers and travelling students about the risk of catching rabies from animal bites when travelling abroad.