This Save Your Vision Month [March], the Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging people to take steps to protect their vision, with more than half of sight loss being preventable. Dr Jackie McCall, Consultant in Public Health at the PHA, said: “Looking after your eyes at all stages of life is extremely important. One-in-five of us will experience sight loss in our lifetime, but more than half of these cases could be prevented. There are lots of ways you can keep your eyes in better shape such as regular eye tests, being physically active, eating healthily and stopping smoking. “A routine eye

With over one in five 11 to 16 year olds in Northern Ireland reporting having used an e-cigarette, the Public Health Agency (PHA) is working with partners to produce information to support discussion with young people on vaping, and raise awareness of the risks it poses given the rise in its popularity. Dr Joanne McClean, Director of Public Health at the PHA, said: “E-cigarettes, or ‘vapes’, are extremely addictive, so we want to highlight how this addiction can soon take a hold of young people. “These products are constantly evolving, and their marketing is opening them up to ever-increasing

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has been made aware of a confirmed case of measles in a resident of the Republic of Ireland who travelled on a flight from Abu Dhabi to Dublin, which arrived on Saturday 9 March 2024. Following a risk assessment with public health colleagues in the Health Service Executive (HSE), the PHA is asking any residents of Northern Ireland who were on Etihad Airways flight EY045 from Abu Dhabi to Dublin, which arrived in Dublin on Saturday 9 March 2024, to be aware of the signs and symptoms of measles and for those who are at greatest risk of severe illness from measles

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging pregnant women and the parents of young children to book an appointment for the pertussis vaccine to help protect their children after a significant rise in cases of whooping cough. A highly contagious and sometimes serious bacterial infection, there have been 72 confirmed cases of whooping cough (pertussis) so far this year in Northern Ireland compared with just two between 2021 and 2023. Louise Flanagan, Consultant in Public Health at the PHA, said: “Whooping cough spreads very easily and can make babies and young children in particular very ill, and