The PHA (Public Health Agency) along with trust vaccination teams are running student immunisation catch-up programmes in colleges and universities across Northern Ireland, giving students who missed getting the vaccines in school during the COVID-19 pandemic the opportunity to receive the vaccines now. Teenage immunisations include the 3 in 1 teenage booster (Tetanus, diphtheria and polio), the MenACWY, which protects against four strains of meningococcal bacteria which cause meningitis and blood poisoning (septicaemia) and the HPV vaccine (human papilloma virus) which protects against

From 1 June 2023, all adults in Northern Ireland will be considered potential organ donors unless they choose to opt out or are in an excluded group. The Department of Health has now been able to confirm the date for the introduction of Dáithí’s Law’, following the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Organ and Tissue Donation) Bill receiving Royal Assent on 28 February 2023. The Bill included a provision which allowed the Department of Health to lay the final regulations on organ donation changes today, 1 March 2023, without the need for an Assembly vote. The Organ and Tissue Donation

No Smoking Month is fast approaching, and the Public Health Agency (PHA) and Cancer Focus Northern Ireland are encouraging smokers to plan ahead to ‘Make March Your Month to Quit’. Kelly McCartney Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Manager, with the PHA, said: “March is No Smoking Month and a fantastic opportunity to make the commitment to stop smoking and improve your health. “Stopping smoking is one of the best steps you can take to improve your health and protect people around you from harmful second-hand smoke. Quitting will also save you money which is significant as people face

The Public Health Agency (PHA) are carrying out a review of the effectiveness of the key aspects of the Winter Vaccination programme 2022/23. The purpose of the review is to learn lessons that can be adopted to improve future vaccination programmes. They want to seek your feedback and would be grateful if you would complete the following survey by 3 March 2023. The survey can be found here .

Immunisation is the safest and most effective way of protecting against serious diseases. The Public Health Agency (PHA) strongly recommends that babies and children are vaccinated according to the Routine Childhood Immunisations Schedule; and are urging parents to check their child’s red book to see if vaccinations are up-to-date. Vaccination rates have seen a slight decrease over recent years and the additional disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have caused some of the decreases in vaccine coverage. It is important vaccination coverage is improved as soon as possible to