At this time of year many people look forward to warm days and sunshine, but hot weather can affect our health. This blog looks at how to stay safe in hot weather and who is most vulnerable.
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.
After more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, all corners of our lives have been impacted by the virus whether it’s our health, work, education, or social lives. But we learned very early on that some communities felt the consequences of COVID-19 harder than others, and although the picture has improved, that’s still as true today as it was two years ago.
This blog looks at the current picture for TB in England and the work being carried out to drive down cases.
Our scientists study the health effects of climate change, provide early warning and response to extreme weather events, quantify the health impacts of air pollution and monitor the risks posed by changes in the distribution of vector-borne disease or disruptions within the food system.
Thunderstorm asthma: As spring blossoms and we approach the season for these events, in this blog we take a look at the interplay between the weather and our health and how we can use our scientific surveillance systems to inform future public health responses.
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.
Today marks the start of British Science Week, a celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths, and an opportunity to highlight health protection science and UKHSA’s contribution as an organisation with science at its heart.
