During Breast Cancer Awareness Month (1– 31 October) the Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging women to be breast aware and to become familiar with the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. While breast cancer can occur at any age, the risk of developing it increases with age. Most breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50. If it is found early, there is a better chance that treatment will be successful. “There were almost 1,500 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in Northern Ireland in 2019,” said Dr Louise Herron, Consultant in Service Development and Screening at the PHA. “Most women

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging everyone who falls into an eligible group to get the free flu vaccine, with the aim of boosting your immunity this winter. The call comes as the agency launches this year’s flu vaccination programme, offering vaccines which are specially formulated to tackle the strains of the virus which are expected to be circulating this winter. The ‘Boost your Immunity this Winter’ campaign combines the flu vaccine programme with the COVID-19 vaccine programme to help reduce the spread of flu and COVID-19 and lower hospital-related admissions for both. This is

A new 12-week weight management programme for Health and Social Care (HSC) staff is being launched this week. The new system – Florence or ‘Flo’, developed by Simple Shared Healthcare a NHS member organisation, is named after Florence Nightingale and is designed to be easily accessible for busy HSC staff. The self-directed programme offers staff the opportunity to lose weight safely and gradually with support. The Flo pathway for weight management was developed by the Public Health Agency (PHA) and the Public Health Dietitians Group from across the health trusts. In Northern Ireland, the Flo

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the common viruses that cause coughs and colds in winter. It usually causes a mild respiratory infection in adults and children, but it can be severe in infants who are at increased risk of acute lower respiratory tract infection. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis in children aged under 2 years. The Public Health Agency has produced a number of resources on RSV: You can download a factsheet here or a leaflet here.

Today (Monday 20 September) marks the start of Organ Donation Week, a national celebration of organ and tissue donation and transplantation which saves and transforms hundreds of lives each year. We are delighted to be able to launch the week with news that the Northern Ireland Assembly has agreed to the Second Stage of the Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Bill. This gives great focus to the aim of Organ Donation Week in encouraging conversations across generations to get everyone talking about organ donation, and to inspire new registrations to the Organ Donor Register. Last year in