Winter is coming and so are the respiratory illnesses that circulate during this time of the year so the message from the Public Health Agency (PHA) is don’t let your protection fade and get your flu and COVID-19 vaccines if eligible. The life-saving vaccination programme, which will help protect the community against deadly viruses ahead of winter, commences on Monday 7 October. It will see flu and COVID-19 vaccines offered to over a million people in Northern Ireland before the end of the year, starting with those in care homes, who are some of the most vulnerable members of our community

A new Living Well campaign – ‘Looking after your sexual health’ – has been launched in community pharmacies across Northern Ireland, helping to raise awareness of the importance of practising good sexual health. Living Well is offered in over 500 pharmacies across Northern Ireland and provides information and advice on public health issues. It is delivered in partnership with the Public Health Agency (PHA), Community Pharmacy NI (CPNI), and the Department of Health (DoH). Dr Rachel Coyle, Consultant at the PHA, said: “Sexual health and wellbeing is important, and looking after it can have a

On World Contraception Day (26 September), the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding people where they can access contraception, and find out more about the different types available, to help make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health. Dr Rachel Coyle, Consultant at the PHA, said: “Access to both contraception and advice on the different types has never been easier, giving people the information, they need to choose the right contraception for them, allowing them to take control over their fertility and their body.” Whether you are looking for alternative contraception

This National Eye Health Week (23 – 29 September 2024), the Public Health Agency (PHA) is highlighting the importance of looking after your eyes through all stages of life, and this includes booking your regular eye test. Dr Jackie McCall, Consultant in Public Health at the PHA, said: “One-in-five of us will experience sight loss in our lifetime, but more than half of sight loss can be prevented. There are lots of ways you can keep your eyes in better shape such as attending regular eye tests, being physically active, eating healthily and stopping smoking. “A routine eye examination can often

This Organ Donation Week (23 – 29 September) we are celebrating the fact that the NHS Organ Donor Register has been saving and transforming lives for 30 years through the gift of organ donation. The Organ Donor Register was set up to promote organ donation and allow people to record their decision to donate . Since its creation in 1994, thousands of lives have been saved thanks to people agreeing to donate their organs after death by confirming their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register. However, more people than ever before are in need for a life-saving transplant across the UK, with more

As young people prepare to start university or college, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding those going for the first time to get the meningococcal vaccine if they didn’t receive it at school to help protect against potentially deadly illness. The MenACWY vaccine is routinely offered as part of the school-based vaccination programme. It helps protect against meningococcal disease, which new university or college students are at higher risk of contracting in the first weeks of term, when they will come into contact with many new people of a similar age. If you missed getting it at

The Public Health Agency (PHA) and Health and Social Care (HSC) organisations have launched this year’s HSC mental health and emotional wellbeing campaign urging people to prioritise workplace mental health. Between now and World Mental Health Day on 10 October the five local HSC Trusts, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) and the PHA are encouraging people to take 10 minutes for mental health self-care using the ‘Take 5 steps to wellbeing’. Fiona Teague, Regional Lead for Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing at the PHA, said: “No matter the workplace environment you are in, whether