The Public Health Agency (PHA) welcomes European Immunisation Week (23 – 30 April 2011) as an opportunity to highlight to parents the importance of their children completing the childhood immunisation programme, to help prevent serious disease and illness. It is also a chance to celebrate the very high uptake levels for childhood vaccines being achieved in Northern Ireland.

In Northern Ireland over 300 people are currently waiting for organ donation. With this in mind, the Public Health Agency (PHA), on behalf of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), is hosting an organ donor stand at this year’s Balmoral Show, to increase awareness of this emotive issue and to help improve rates of organ donation in Northern Ireland.

To mark Cancer Prevention Week (9–15 May 2011) the Public Health Agency (PHA) has highlighted that although around 9,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year in Northern Ireland, one third of cancers are preventable and early detection helps successful treatment. The PHA has outlined some steps that can reduce the risk of getting cancer:

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is sending out a clear message – SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands. The PHA is supporting the World Health Organization (WHO) in their global campaign to improve and sustain excellent levels of hand hygiene. This campaign focuses on the reduction of healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) by emphasising the vital role played by all health and social care workers in keeping hand hygiene a top priority.

Young children, parents and grandparents in the Southern area recently attended a ‘Healthy steps for life’ workshop in the newly opened Seashell Centre, Kilkeel. The workshop highlighted the importance of promoting healthy eating and being active for the under fives. ‘Healthy steps for life’ is a Public Health Agency (PHA) funded programme to promote healthy lifestyles in early years and to reduce the growing rates of childhood obesity.

**Press release issued by Sport Northern Ireland** Did you know that at least one in five adults in Northern Ireland may suffer from some form of mental health disorder in any year, and that one in four people in Northern Ireland are likely to experience depression? These statistics prompted Sport Northern Ireland to launch Active People: Healthy Minds, a factsheet endorsed by the Public Health Agency (PHA), designed to promote the mental health benefits of being active.

Would you take an organ if you needed one? Nearly everyone would, but only one in four of us in Northern Ireland has joined the Organ Donor Register.In an effort to increase sign-up, the Public Health Agency (PHA) has teamed up with public sector union UNISON to promote a workplace initiative to encourage organ donation. With over 40,000 members, the partnership with UNISON provides an ideal opportunity to mobilise the workforce to boost the donor register.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) and Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT) have made arrangements for approximately 50 pupils who attend St Michael’s Grammar School in Lurgan to be offered screening for tuberculosis (TB) on Wednesday 20 April.This action is being taken as a precautionary measure in line with standard guidance following confirmation that a pupil at the school is being treated for TB.