Be Smart about your Sexual Health
Don’t get a gift you won’t forget this Christmas! While enjoying the festive period, remember to practice safe sex and avoid getting a gift you won’t forget – that is the message from the Public Health Agency (PHA).
Conferences/Workshops
Conferences and workshops in health and social wellbeing improvment foster collaboration, share the latest research, and promote best practices.
Please find the past and upcoming events here:
Northern Ireland Needle and Syringe Exchange Service Conference 2024 - Enhancing Needle Exchange
- Wednesday 2nd October 2024
- 9.30am – 4.00pm
- Dunsilly Hotel, 20 Dunsilly Road, Antrim BT41 2JH
Speakers include:
PHA develops disability and equality action plans - Your response welcomed
The Public Health Agency has developed a draft Disability Action Plan and has also reviewed the actions identified as part of our audit of inequalities undertaken in 2010 and as a result produced a new draft Equality Action Plan. The purpose of our Disability Action Plan is to look at things we could be doing to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people and encourage their participation in our work areas. The Equality Action Plan looks at actions we could take to tackle inequalities across all equality categories.
Stillbirth Conference – Causes, Prevention and Management
Northern Ireland Maternal and Child Health (NIMACH), part of the PHA hosted a stillbirth seminar on Thursday 22 November, to bring together leading national and international experts to address clinical issues surrounding stillbirth.
Stillbirth is when a pregnancy has carried to 24 weeks or more, but sadly the baby dies before it is born. Reasons for a stillbirth are complex and not always understood.
HIV hasn’t gone away
The Public Health Agency (PHA) is marking World Aids Day on the 1 December by publishing the HIV surveillance in Northern Ireland 2011 report. This highlights the continuing increasing trend in the number of annual new HIV diagnoses seen in recent years. The number of new HIV diagnoses in Northern Ireland rose by 3%, from 80 in 2010 to 82 in 2011. There are now 522 people living with HIV infection in Northern Ireland, an increase of 10% on 2010.
Physical activity top of PHA’s Christmas list for children
Sixty minutes of exercise a day is recommended for all children. With this in mind the Public Health Agency (PHA) is highlighting the importance of physical activity this Christmas. In particular the Agency is urging parents to help children reach this target by choosing gifts that encourage physical activity and play.
£272,756 in grants to improve health and wellbeing
The Public Health Agency (PHA) recently issued over £272,000 in small grants to 64 statutory, community and voluntary organisations in the South Eastern area for projects which promote health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. Some 64 voluntary and community sector organisations shared funding of £272,756 to deliver a range of activities which support the Agency’s efforts to ensuring a decent standard of living for all and making healthier choices easier.
Smoking increases your risk of developing mouth cancer, PHA warns
In Northern Ireland approximately 185* people are diagnosed with mouth cancer every year, with more than one third dying from the disease. Although mouth cancer awareness month (1–30 November) is ending soon the Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging everyone to continue to be vigilant of the signs and symptoms of mouth cancer and is encouraging all smokers thinking about stopping smoking to make the decision to stop today.