Joint Public Health Annual Conference 2018 – Registration now CLOSED

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED - ALL PLACES ALLOCATED The Joint Public Health Annual Conference entitled ‘Early Intervention for Life’, will take place this year on Thursday 8 November 2018 in Riddel Hall, Belfast. Registration for this event is free and is now CLOSED. The programme is attached below. Please note, registration closed on Friday 2 November 2018. This annual event, organised by the Public Health Agency, is a collaborative partnership conference in conjunction with The Centre of Excellence for Public Health, Northern Ireland; The Institute of Public Health; the Department of Health

New adult flu vaccines launched

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging all eligible people whose health could be seriously affected by flu to get the free flu vaccine. GPs across Northern Ireland are offering flu vaccination to everyone over 65, pregnant women, and people under 65 with underlying health conditions. Last year, seasonal flu activity was the highest seen since the 2009 pandemic, with 119 cases of flu in intensive care/ high dependency units (ICU/HDU) – more than twice as many as the previous year – and a total of 22 deaths in ICU/ HDU in which a diagnosis of influenza was confirmed. This year sees two new and

Public reminded of safer sex messages as new STI stats revealed

The latest sexual health figures released today by the Public Health Agency (PHA) show an increase in cases of gonorrhoea, herpes and chlamydia, while numbers diagnosed with syphilis and genital warts are down. The ‘Sexually Transmitted Infection surveillance in Northern Ireland 2018: An analysis of data for the calendar year 2017’ report shows that there was a 1% overall increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) diagnosed through Genitourinary Medicine (GUM) clinics compared with 2016. The report shows: 5,726 new STI diagnoses were made in 2017, compared with 2016 (5,719); New

PHA promotes a range of local and regional initiatives to celebrate World Mental Health Day

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is today marking World Mental Health Day (10 October) by highlighting some of the varied initiatives it has supported which are being undertaken by numerous groups and organisations to promote the importance of talking about mental health, breaking down stigma and encouraging people to seek support by speaking to friends, family and local services. The PHA is particularly focusing on projects that are addressing the issue by developing capacity from within the targeted communities. The projects also have the ability to have an impact on raising awareness of

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: lumps aren’t the only sign of breast cancer

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging women to be aware that lumps aren’t the only sign of breast cancer to look out for. The call comes at the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, as the PHA highlights the less well-known signs of breast cancer by partnering with Menarys, who will be hosting a unique set of mannequins within a number of their stores’ lingerie departments. The lifelike mannequins depict some lesser-known signs of breast cancer to raise awareness and encourage women to keep an eye out for them. Dr Louise Herron, Consultant in Public Health at the PHA, said: “While breast