Whooping cough: my daughter spent the third week of life in an induced coma
In this blog post, Jenny, from Hampshire, shares the story of her daughter Layla and her struggle with whooping cough at 3 weeks old.
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What is cryptosporidium, and how can you avoid it in the water or on the farm?
Cryptosporidium [pronounced krip-toe-spuh-RID-ee-um] is a microscopic parasite that can cause an unpleasant – and sometimes dangerous – illness called cryptosporidiosis. This nasty bug lives in the intestines of infected humans and animals and is passed out in their poo. It …
Whooping cough: One mother's story of love, loss and action
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Children and Young people, immunisations, Uncategorized
Whooping cough cases (also known as the '100 day cough') are rising sharply across England. Between January and March 2024 there have sadly been 5 infant deaths. Vaccination is the best protection. In this blog post, Catherine Hughes, Founding Director at The Immunisation Foundation of Australia, shares the story of her son Riley Hughes and …
What is UKHSA doing about antibiotic resistance?
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when medicines used to fight infections lose their effectiveness because the organisms they target – whether bacteria, fungi, viruses or parasites – have evolved or acquired adaptations to survive. In 2019, AMR was directly responsible for …
How to have a fun and healthy farm visit with the kids this Easter holiday
This blog post was reviewed and updated in April 2025. Visiting a farm is one of the most enjoyable and educational experience outdoor activities for kids, but it carries a risk of infection from animals or the environment. Farm animals …
How did singing and dancing pills raise awareness of antibiotic resistance?
In 2017, the Keep Antibiotics Working campaign targeted groups who were most likely to use antibiotics (mothers of children aged 0-16, and people aged over 50), and healthcare professionals dealing with patient care and prescribing. In this blog post, we look at a peer-reviewed study investigating the impact of the campaign.
Who’s eligible for the 2024 COVID-19 vaccine?
For information about the 2024 COVID-19 autumn/winter vaccination, visit our relevant blog post. As we move into spring, protection from any earlier COVID-19 vaccination you may have had will be starting to wane. For those who are more likely to …
What is whooping cough and is there a vaccine?
This blog post was last checked and updated in September 2024. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection that mainly affects the lungs and airways. Whooping cough is sometimes known as the 100-day cough because …
What is Lyme disease and why do we need to be tick-aware?
To help you stay safe this spring and summer, we've compiled a guide to protecting yourself from tick-borne infections. In this blog, you'll learn how to avoid tick bites, how to recognise the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease and TBE and when to seek medical assistance.
Inside Britain’s Deadly Fungus Collection
Housed near Bristol, UKHSA’s National Collection of Pathogenic Fungi (NCPF) is home to more than 4,500 isolates of potentially deadly fungi isolates, gathered over the last century. In this blog post, we’ll cover the history of the NCPF: why it was set up, what it houses and how it continues to play an important role in …