The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging everyone who is eligible to book their COVID-19 vaccine now; you don’t need to be invited. Over one million COVID-19 vaccine doses have now been administered in Northern Ireland since the Department of Health launched the vaccination campaign at the end of 2020, helping to save lives and protect a great many others from serious illness. Currently people over the age of 40 are eligible for the vaccine; they can book online at one of the regional vaccination centres or directly with a participating community pharmacy. If you’re unable to book online, a

More than one million people have now taken part in COVID-19 research across the UK, including over 26,000 participants in Northern Ireland, with resources – both staff and funding – provided by the Northern Ireland clinical research infrastructure and HSC R&D Division within the Public Health Agency (PHA). The first case of COVID-19 in Northern Ireland emerged at the end of February 2020, since then the Northern Ireland research community has played a key role in supporting the development of vaccines, as well as identifying new treatments for COVID-19. This remarkable feat, achieved by

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding everyone of the dangers of vaping unregulated substances as it has again received information about young people becoming ill after vaping ‘spice’. Reports have suggested that those affected thought they were purchasing THC or cannabis oil, but they were unknowingly supplied with and had taken the synthetic drug ‘spice’, the effects of which required hospital treatment. All drugs, whether illegal drugs or prescription medication, carry risks. The PHA strongly recommends that you do not take anything unless it has been prescribed to you by a medical

The eight week pre-consultation on suicide prevention and post-vention services being undertaken by the Public Health Agency (PHA) will close on Sunday 11 th April. The PHA is encouraging people to complete the online survey before the consultation closes in order to capture the views about current services, which are under review, from service users, local communities and other organisations delivering services. The online survey is part of an eight week pre-consultation process which opened in February 15 th and also included online engagement events within each Health and Social Care Trust

The ‘Distance Aware’ social distancing campaign recently launched by the Department of Health is being promoted widely in over 500 community pharmacies through the ‘Living Well’ service. Living Well is a programme that provides information and advice to pharmacy customers on public health issues. It is delivered in partnership with the Public Health Agency (PHA), the Health and Social Care Board (HSCB) and Community Pharmacy NI (CPNI). The Distance Aware campaign uses a consistent and instantly recognisable symbol, the Distance Aware Shield, to help remind people to maintain social distance

April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and the Public Health Agency (PHA) is using this opportunity to raise awareness of signs and symptoms and encourage people to take part in the screening programme when invited. “Over 1,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year in Northern Ireland,” said Dr Christine McKee, Public Health Registrar at the PHA. “Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among people in Northern Ireland. About 1 in 20 people will develop bowel cancer in their lifetime and it is more common in older people, particularly men. It is important that

Visiting a farm is an enjoyable and educational experience for many people, particularly children. However, visiting a farm carries a small risk of catching infection from animals or the environment. As restrictions begin to ease and the weather improves the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding people of simple steps they can take to keep safe and well. Dr Philip Veal, Consultant in Heath Protection, said: “Farm animals can be the source of several bugs that can be passed from animals to humans and cause illness. Some can be particularly serious for children or pregnant women. “All animals

The non-invasive saliva-based LAMP (Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification) test is designed to find asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic cases so they can be isolated, along with their contacts, as quickly as possible, therefore reducing the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in schools. The LAMP testing programme began with five pilot schools in February 2021. This has now been rolled out to all special schools and will run until June 2021. The programme is sponsored by the Department of Health and the Department of Education. The Education Authority (EA) and The Public Health Agency (PHA) are