As Northern Ireland schoolchildren get ready for the summer holidays, the Public Health Agency (PHA) and Cancer Focus Northern Ireland are reminding parents to ensure that their children are protected from skin damage that may result from sun exposure.

Exams are almost over for thousands of students – time for a welcome break and relaxation. The Public Health Agency (PHA) is also encouraging parents to use this opportunity to discuss the subject of alcohol use with their children. Many young people will be thinking about how to celebrate the end of exams and this provides a natural opportunity for parents to start a discussion about alcohol use.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has been supporting Community Relations Week by holding a healthy eating and cookery masterclass to celebrate cultural diversity. Members of ethnic minority communities brought together their healthy recipes in a workshop at Ballymoney Community Resource Centre, to share their cultural origins and food. The event was organised in partnership with the Networks Involving Communities in Health Improvement (NICHI), the Ballymoney Resource Centre and the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT).

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging all men aged 65 and over to seriously consider taking up the offer of having Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening. The aorta is the main artery that supplies blood to your body. It runs from your heart down through your chest and abdomen (belly). As some people get older, the wall of the aorta in the abdomen can become weak and balloon out to form an aneurysm, rather like a bulge in a worn tyre. This is called an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

The Food Standards Agency and safefood are urging the public to stop washing raw chicken The UK-wide research, launched today to mark the start of Food Safety Week, (June 16-22) shows that while 90% of people in Northern Ireland are familiar with the names of other bacteria like salmonella and E.coli, only 19% had ever heard of campylobacter (cam-pie-lo-bac-tor), which is commonly found in raw chicken.

How public health innovations, research and practice meet the diverse needs of our population will be the focus of the Public Health Agency’s (PHA) Annual Scientific Conference, taking place today [16 June]. Some people find it more difficult to enjoy their full health and minority groups can experience poorer health outcomes and have significantly lower access to services, so understanding the distribution of determinants of health within these groups is essential to reduce health inequalities.

The long-awaited World Cup is just about to kick off in Brazil and the Public Health Agency (PHA) is cheering on football fans to make good health their goal during the tournament.The PHA has produced some healthy tips for those watching the matches over the next few weeks.

During Carers’ Week (9–15 June 2014) the Public Health Agency (PHA) is reminding people who have been a carer for someone with a progressive medical condition which is unlikely to be cured to help improve patients’ experience by completing a major all-island survey of care experiences. The 'Let’s Talk About' survey is the first of its kind and continues until the end of January 2015. It is being led by the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care (AIIHPC) with support from the PHA and Health Service Executive (HSE) in the Republic of Ireland.

With over 75,000 adults in Northern Ireland affected by diabetes, during Diabetes Week (8 to 14 June) the Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging everyone across Northern Ireland to be aware of how type 2 diabetes can be prevented, the dangers it can cause to your health and what the signs and symptoms of diabetes are to help ensure early diagnosis. Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in the blood is too high. This is because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (or in some cases none at all), to help glucose enter the body’s cells.