Preliminary estimates and forecasts of the population prevalence of self reported of hypertension, of ischaemic heart disease and stroke in the Republic of Ireland from 2005 - 2015

Ireland and Northern Ireland’s Population Health Observatory (INIsPHO) recently published estimates of the population prevalence of diabetes in 2005 and forecasts to 2010 and 2015 for the island of Ireland, at the national and sub-national levels. These estimates are based the PBS Model developed by York and Humber Public Health Observatory (YHPHO), Brent NHS Trust and the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR).The Department of Health and Children (DoHC) has requested additional estimates and forecasts for hypertension.This paper outlines the results from preliminary work from the initial steps towards a more systematic approach to monitoring the prevalence of other chronic diseases on the island.

UK Strategy for Rare Diseases (PDF 1.88MB)

UK Strategy for Rare Diseases

Infectious Diseases - Childhood Immunisation

Infectious Diseases - Childhood Immunisation

Directory of Lung Cancer Specialist Teams

The Directory of Lung Cancer Specialist Teams has been produced under the auspices of the Northern Ireland Regional Advisory Committee on Cancer. It contains details of the full membership of the clinical teams providing care in each of Health and Social Services Board Area. Lead Clinicians for Lung Cancer Services (PDF 74 KB) EHSSB (PDF 140 KB) NHSSB (PDF 106 KB) SHSSB (PDF 115 KB) WHSSB (PDF 126 KB)

The prevention of transmission of blood-borne diseases in the health-care setting

  The risk of transmission of blood-borne pathogens in the health-care setting has become a matter of increasing concern in Ireland in recent years. Health-care workers undertaking exposure-prone procedures are at risk of contracting blood-borne diseases from the patients they are treating and there is also a small risk that patients who are undergoing such procedures may become infected by the health-care workers who are treating them. An Advisory Group on the Transmission of Infectious Diseases in the Health-Care Setting was established in 1995 to advise the Minister for Health on the prevention of the transmission of such diseases. The Advisory Group published its report in 1997. It was realised at that time that this matter would need to be kept under review and a Standing Advisory Committee was established. Guidelines on this subject were published by the Advisory Committee in June1999. In the current document, these guidelines have been substantially revised in the light of recent information and technical developments and are now considered to be a Code of Practice in the area of prevention of the transmission of blood-borne pathogens in the health-care setting.    

Tackling Chronic Disease - A Policy Framework for the Management of Chronic Diseases

Tackling Chronic Disease – A Policy Framework for the Management of Chronic Diseases Chronic diseases are recognised as a major health challenge. In the healthcare system, they represent the major component of service activity and expenditure, as well as the major contributor to mortality and ill-health in this country. Given the population projections which predict a doubling of the elderly population over the next 30 years, this will give rise to a significant increase in chronic diseases with the consequent burden on society, the healthcare system and individuals. Click here to download PDF 1.8mb

PHA urges parents to get 'at risk' children vaccinated against seasonal flu

The Public Health Agency is urging Northern Ireland parents to make sure children in 'at risk' groups get their flu vaccine early.The message has been issued to parents and carers of children as the PHA's seasonal flu vaccination programme gets underway for 2011/12.It is very important that children with any condition that puts them more at risk of the complications of flu get the vaccine.These 'at risk' conditions include:chronic lung conditions such as asthma;chest infections that have required hospital admission;chronic heart conditions;chronic liver disease;chronic kidney disease;diabetes;lowered immunity due to disease or treatment such as steroids or cancer therapy;chronic neurological conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis or a condition that affects the nervous system, such as cerebral palsy;hereditary and degenerative diseases of the central nervous system or muscles.Children who attend special schools for severe learning or physical disabilities are considered to be particularly at risk, as well as those with other complex health needs.The PHA has written to principals of local special schools, as well as parents of children at these schools, to raise awareness of the importance of getting vaccinated early.Dr Richard Smithson, PHA Flu Vaccination Lead, said: "For many people, flu is a short, unpleasant illness, but it does not usually cause any serious problems. However, for others, it can have very serious complications including, in rare cases, being fatal."We have been particularly reminded over the last two winters that children with chronic neurological problems and other complex health needs are very vulnerable to these complications. We have seen children become very seriously ill and, tragically, there have even been a few deaths in children who attend special schools."For this reason, we recommend that all children who attend special schools for severe learning disability, and special schools for physical disability, are offered the flu vaccine early in the autumn, before the flu viruses start circulating."The vaccine is now available from GP surgeries and the PHA recommends that parents check arrangements with their own GP's surgery so that their child can get the jab.The earlier you get vaccinated the better, as it takes the body about 10-14 days after the jab to develop antibodies. These will then protect you against the same or similar viruses if the body is exposed to them. The vaccine contains three strains of the flu virus, which are considered the most likely to be circulating this winter, including the H1N1 (swine flu) virus."Your child needs to get the flu jab every year - the protection it gives only lasts for one winter, so even if they got it last year, they still need to get it this year," added Dr Smithson."Also, if your child has been diagnosed with flu or swine flu in the past couple of years, they will still need the jab this year as there are different types of flu that the jab will protect against. Getting the flu jab is the best way to protect your child against flu and we would strongly recommend that you arrange for them to have it."Although the vaccine gives good protection, no vaccine gives total protection, so if your child develops flu-like symptoms (such as fever, cough, aches and pains, and sore throat) you should contact your GP for advice. If your child has any of these symptoms, they should be kept at home until they feel better."For more information on seasonal flu, go to www.fluawareni.info and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Infectious Intestinal Diseases on the Island of Ireland

It is increasingly recognised that the burden of infectious intestinal diseases (IID) in a population is an important indicator of food safety. This report has examined four bacterial infections that frequently cause IID on the island of Ireland (IOI). Over the decade covered by this report, levels of Salmonella have declined substantially while levels of Campylobacter remain a real problem for Food Safety professionals on the IOI. Although much less common, the verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157 (VTEC O157) and Listeria infections present an on-going challenge because of their severity and associated long-term sequelae. Northern Ireland (NI) has a higher reported crude incidence rate of three of the included pathogens (Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria) than the Republic of Ireland (ROI), while VTEC 0157 was the exception. This may reflect differences in health seeking behaviour and reporting between the two jurisdictions and/or actual differences in incidence rates.