As World Mental Health Day 2010 approaches on Sunday 10 October, the Public Health Agency (PHA) acknowledges the challenges facing individuals, communities, voluntary, statutory and government organisations in tackling mental ill health.

The Public Health Agency is urging poultry workers to take up the free flu vaccine that is available to them. The programme runs from October to December.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has welcomed the study led by University College London and its contribution to our growing understanding of the risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is warning parents about the importance of protecting their children against the serious infectious disease, measles, which can be life-threatening and spread to those who are unprotected. Although most common in children, it can occur at any age. Measles is very infectious and can be caught either through direct contact with an infected person, or through the air when the patient coughs or sneezes.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is giving smokers 4,000 reasons to give up smoking for good with a mass media campaign highlighting the thousands of chemicals contained within every cigarette.

The Public Health Agency welcomes today's study by US researchers stating babies are less likely to get flu if their mothers have had the vaccine during pregnancy.

The annual seasonal influenza vaccination campaign for winter 2010/11 is now underway and the Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging all those in ‘at risk’ groups to get their vaccine when invited to do so. All pregnant women are being offered the flu vaccine this year, regardless of their stage of pregnancy.

In today’s society more and more people who are diagnosed with cancer are surviving and many are able to live much longer with a better quality of life than before. However cancer survivors still need treatment and reconditioning to help them move forward. With this in mind, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is supporting LIVESTRONG Day, created by cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, on the 2 October 2010, and has invested in physical activity initiatives which could be linked to cancer prevention, as well as rehabilitation.

Today approximately 600 million people worldwide are aged 60 years and over. People are living longer than ever before and the proportion of older people in our society is growing.