With many getting ready to head off on their summer holiday’s the Public Health Agency (PHA) is taking the opportunity to remind travellers about the risk of catching rabies from animals. Rabies is an acute viral infection and it is essential to get treatment if you have been bitten, as rabies is almost certainly fatal. The infection causes swelling of the brain and symptoms usually start 2–8 weeks after being bitten or scratched. Dr Frances Chan, Public Health Doctor at PHA, said: “Rabies is spread through animal saliva, usually a bite, but it can also be spread through a scratch or by an

The Community Pharmacy Living Well service is launching a new summer campaign on breastfeeding which will run during July and August 2022. The breastfeeding campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of breastfeeding, encourage support for breastfeeding mums and help to normalise breastfeeding. Living Well is offered in over 500 pharmacies and provides information and advice on public health issues. It is delivered in partnership with the Public Health Agency (PHA), Department of Health and Community Pharmacy NI (CPNI). Dr Hannah Dearie, Senior Health and Social Wellbeing

The Public Health Agency (PHA) would like to take this opportunity to encourage people with a weakened immune system to continue to book or visit a walk-in clinic for their COVID-19 vaccines. All individuals aged 12 years and over who are immunosuppressed are advised to receive a spring booster dose of the vaccine, typically six months after their last dose. COVID-19 is still out there and the vaccine offers the best defence against becoming seriously unwell, staying out of hospital and passing on the virus to loved ones and others around you. It is safe, effective and free for everyone. The

Community and voluntary groups are being encouraged by the Public Health Agency (PHA) to apply for a short-term funding programme which can be used to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities, with a particular focus on improving mental and emotional wellbeing. The funding programme will also support a range of strategic themes and priorities under the ‘Making Life Better’ public health framework, in particular, mental health, emotional wellbeing, suicide prevention and self-harm. Shauna Houston, Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Manager at the PHA said: “We are all aware of

The Farm Families Health Check Programme is celebrating its 10th birthday this week having helped more than 21,600 people in its decade of success. The initiative is a one-stop mobile health clinic that visits farmers’ marts and local community settings offering free health assessments and advice tailored specifically for the farming community. The Farm Families Health Checks Programme is funded through the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA) Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation (TRPSI) Programme and the Public Health Agency (PHA) and delivered by the

Following the detection of Poliovirus in sewage from North and East London the Public Health Agency (PHA) is taking this opportunity to remind parents to make sure their child’s immunisations are up-to-date. Rachel Spiers, Immunisation and Vaccination Programme Manager at the PHA said: “Many childhood diseases that were common in the UK prior to the introduction of vaccination have been dramatically reduced or have disappeared altogether. However, once a disease fades from prominence, it is easy to forget how serious they could be. Unless vaccine uptake remains high in Northern Ireland, many

This Northern Ireland Alcohol Awareness Week (20-26 June) people are being encouraged by the Public Health Agency (PHA) to take a closer look at their drinking habits and to give themselves an “alcohol audit”. Four-fifths (81%) of adults here drink alcohol so the PHA and Northern Ireland’s five Drug and Alcohol Coordination Teams (DACTs) are asking people to check how much they drink and look at the impact it could be having on their health and wellbeing. Kevin Bailey, the PHA’s Regional Lead for Drugs and Alcohol said: “Many of us enjoy a drink, but we need to remember that alcohol is a