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UK Health Security Agency

What is the difference between Weather-Health Alerts and Severe Weather Warnings?

Posted by: Blog Editor, Posted on: 8 January 2026 - Categories: Health Protection
Car window and wing mirror as car is driven through snow

UKHSA's Weather-Health Alerts (WHAs) are separate from the Met Office's National Severe Weather Warning Service (NSWWS) - and understanding the difference matters.

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What is bird flu and how are we protecting people against it in the UK?

Posted by: Blog Editor, Posted on: 19 November 2025 - Categories: Avian Flu
Chickens in an enclosure

Avian influenza (bird flu) is an infectious disease that affects birds, caused by the influenza A virus. Birds are the hosts for a variety of influenza A virus subtypes, particularly waterfowl and shore birds. All birds are susceptible to avian …

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Should we be worried about the current COVID-19 variants? 

Posted by: Blog Editor, Posted on: 25 September 2025 - Categories: Coronavirus (COVID-19), UKHSA science
Illustration of the COVID-19 virus

As we enter autumn, rates of respiratory illnesses start to rise and people ask how the most common current lineages - or groups of genetically similar viruses - compare to previous COVID-19 variants.  

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How we protect the UK from vector-borne diseases like dengue and West Nile virus

Posted by: Blog Editor, Posted on: 21 May 2025 - Categories: Health Protection, Zoonoses
Aedes vexans mosquito © Anders Lindstrom

As West Nile virus is detected in mosquitoes collected in the UK for the first time, we take a look at how UKHSA is protecting the UK from vector-borne diseases

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