UKHSA is urgently investigating a number of monkeypox cases recently identified in the UK. You can find our updates on this GOV.UK page. Monkeypox is a viral infection usually associated with travel to West Africa. This is the first time …
Since January 2022, we have detected an increase in the number of acute (sudden onset) hepatitis cases in the UK in children aged 10 and under. This blog looks at the symptoms of hepatitis, how to avoid spreading childhood infections and what to do if your child is unwell with symptoms of a viral infection.
Changes to how we carry out and support COVID-19 testing mean that ‘Pillar 2’ testing data, which includes community LFD and PCR testing of both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases, will no longer provide the same volume of data; it will therefore not be the key component of our weekly reports, which will be dominated by ‘Pillar 1’ test results from the NHS.
Lyme disease is an infection caused by a type of bacteria that is carried by some species of ticks. People can get the disease if bitten by an infected tick. This blog looks at what Lyme disease is, how it is treated and how we can avoid it.
Learning to live with COVID relies on us all taking sensible actions to help stop the spread of the virus and other respiratory infections, which in turn will help to protect those who are most vulnerable.
This blog looks at the current picture for TB in England and the work being carried out to drive down cases.
In this blog we focus on the activities of our Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology (MEZE) team. That’s our scientists responsible for assessing the emerging risk posed by arthropods (in the UK’s case, primarily ticks and mosquitoes), that can carry and transmit the bacteria, viruses and parasites that cause disease.
The scientific capabilities and technologies at our health security laboratories, including those in our science campuses at Porton Down, Chilton and Colindale and our regional labs co-located with the NHS, are at the core of our mission to protect people from all health hazards.
Disease surveillance is one of UKHSA’s most essential functions. We ensure that we gather the right information at the right time – and present this information clearly and accurately to inform public health decisions in response to emerging or ongoing threats of disease.
We know the pandemic is not over, so it’s important we continue to take simple and effective actions that will protect our families and communities, particularly those at the greatest risk of severe illness.
