West Midlands Press Releases

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Tackling tuberculosis in West Midlands hotspots Release date: 21 March 2012
An initiative to tackle tuberculosis (TB) head on in TB hotspots will culminate this week in events to support World TB Day on Saturday 24th March.
Added/updated: 21 March 2012
Update on E. coli O157 at Friarswood Primary School Release date: 16 March 2012
A PRIMARY school closed to children following the discovery of the spread of E.coli infection is expected to reopen after the Easter holidays.
Added/updated: 16 March 2012
Cases of E.coli at a Staffordshire school Release date: 9 March 2012
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is working with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council to investigate three confirmed cases of E. coli O157 in children at Friarswood Primary School in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Added/updated: 16 March 2012
Whooping Cough Cases Increase Release date: 5 January 2012
Cases of whooping cough reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the West Midlands increased sharply last year, prompting health officials to issue a reminder of the signs and symptoms and the importance of vaccination.
Added/updated: 5 January 2012
HPA urges universal testing for HIV Release date: 29 November 2011
The number of new cases of HIV diagnosed among West Midlands residents increased in 2010, according to new figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
Added/updated: 29 November 2011
Beat the winter vomiting bug Release date: 16 November 2011
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has advised residential and nursing homes on how to avoid and prevent the spread of norovirus infection - the most common cause of vomiting and diarrhoea in the UK affecting 600,000 to one million people every year.
Added/updated: 21 December 2011
Wild mushroom caution urged by poisons specialists Release date: 16 September 2011
Wild food enthusiasts are being urged to take extra care when picking mushrooms, by the Health Protection Agency’s poisons experts.
Added/updated: 29 November 2011
Measles cases surpass 2010 total but mmr vaccine uptake continues at high levels in West Midlands Release date: 24 June 2011
Latest figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) reveal that across England and Wales 496 laboratory confirmed cases of measles have been reported up to the end of May this year, surpassing the 2010 total of 374 cases.
Added/updated: 27 June 2011
STIs drop for first time in a decade Release date: 15 June 2011
New figures released today (Wednesday) by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show for the first time in more than a decade a small decrease in the total number of STIs diagnosed in 2010 in England, most notably in young people.
Added/updated: 15 June 2011
Young and middle aged 'hit hardest' by flu Release date: 25 May 2011
Young and middle aged adults bore the brunt of influenza during the recent winter with more than 70 per cent of fatal cases hitting this age group, according to figures published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in its annual flu report today (Wednesday).
Added/updated: 13 June 2011
Increase in Midlands dengue fever cases Release date: 11 May 2011
Laboratory reports of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne infection, have increased in the West Midlands from 13 reported cases in 2009 to 35 in 2010, according to new figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
Added/updated: 11 May 2011
Tick Lyme disease off your holiday list Release date: 14 April 2011
The Health Protection Agency is reminding people to take care when visiting the great outdoors to prevent tick bites and reduce the risk of catching Lyme disease.
Added/updated: 14 April 2011
West Midlands TB - no room for complacency Release date: 24 March 2011
Efforts to control increases in cases of tuberculosis (TB) diagnosed in the West Midlands appear to paying off, according to figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
Added/updated: 24 March 2011
UK-acquired HIV cases treble in ten years Release date: 23 March 2011
New cases of HIV infection acquired in the UK have trebled in the region over the past decade according to new figures released today (Wednesday) by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the West Midlands.
Added/updated: 23 March 2011
Radon data published Release date: 8 March 2011
Millions of households across England and Wales can now access details about radon measurements in their area, in a new HPA report.
Added/updated: 8 March 2011
Young people in Evesham urged to check MMR vaccination level Release date: 16 February 2011
Evesham residents aged between 20 and 30 are being urged to make sure they have had the necessary two doses of the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.
Added/updated: 2 March 2011
Valentine’s essentials: Card, Chocolates, Condoms Release date: 10 February 2011
Health experts are urging romantics across the region to protect their loved ones and avoid passing on an unwanted gift this Valentine’s Day.
Added/updated: 10 February 2011
New online resource to help GPs and nurses care for migrant patients Release date: 26 January 2011
Primary Care practitioners can now access a broad range of information to help them look after patients who have come to live in the UK from abroad, following today’s launch of a free-to-use online resource by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
Added/updated: 26 January 2011
Add free flu jab to your Christmas shopping list Release date: 13 December 2010
Health experts in the region are urging people entitled to a free flu jab to add it to their Christmas shopping lists.
Added/updated: 14 December 2010
HIV cases continue to fall Release date: 26 November 2010
The number of new cases of HIV diagnosed among West Midlands residents continued to fall in 2009, according to new figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
Added/updated: 29 November 2010
Stay well this winter Release date: 24 November 2010
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the West Midlands is encouraging people to take simple steps to avoid illness and stay well this winter.
Added/updated: 24 November 2010
Antibiotics don’t work on the common cold Release date: 18 November 2010
Antibiotics don’t work on viral illnesses such as colds, flu and most coughs and sore throats and should not be prescribed for these ailments. This inappropriate use of antibiotics is contributing to the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections that are extremely difficult to treat.
Added/updated: 19 November 2010
Reduce your risk of carbon monoxide poisoning this winter Release date: 15 November 2010
To mark the start of Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week, the Health Protection Agency is today advising people to have their fossil fuel and wood burning appliances - such as boilers, heaters and cookers - checked by an appropriately registered engineer before the winter sets in.
Added/updated: 19 November 2010
West Midlands TB figures stabilise but remain high Release date: 4 November 2010
Health experts are warning that the number of people diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) is still too high in parts of the region, despite the rise seen in recent years beginning to stabilise.
Added/updated: 29 November 2010
Health advice to pilgrims Release date: 1 November 2010
PILGRIMS making their way to Makkah to take part in Hajj or Umrah are being urged to take the necessary health precautions in order to have a healthy trip.
Added/updated: 19 November 2010
October - Flu Season and HPA Flu Surveillance Begins Release date: 8 October 2010
The beginning of October marks the start of the annual ‘flu season’ which will continue through to April 2011. Flu epidemics usually occur in the colder months of the year but, as seen in the 2009 pandemic, they can occur in other months too.
Added/updated: 19 November 2010
Bean sprouts linked with Salmonella Bareilly cases Release date: 7 October 2010
Microbiologists at the Health Protection Agency’s Centre for Infections (CFI) in London have confirmed the link between contaminated bean sprouts and 141 cases of Salmonella Bareilly in the UK, with 18 in the West Midlands.
Added/updated: 19 November 2010
Immunisation recommendations for students Release date: 1 September 2010
The Health Protection Agency is calling on universities and further education colleges to encourage students to check that they have previously been fully vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella and Group C meningococcal infection.
Added/updated: 19 November 2010
Sexually transmitted infections reach almost half a million across the UK: young people at risk Release date: 25 August 2010
New figures released today by the Health Protection Agency in the West Midlands show that young people continue to be the group most affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Added/updated: 19 November 2010
New online snapshot of health published Release date: 15 September 2010
At-a-glance health information has been published today as part of a new online resource showing the pattern of vaccine uptake, key infections and other health information in the West Midlands.
Added/updated: 15 September 2010
West Midlands flu response centres win emergency planning award Release date: 15 July 2010
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has scooped a prestigious accolade at this year’s Emergency Planning Society Awards in recognition of its work in the region during last year’s swine flu outbreak.
Added/updated: 15 September 2010
“Simple steps” can avoid food poisoning Release date: 2 June 2010
PEOPLE across the region are being reminded to take care when preparing and cooking food this summer in a bid to avoid the seasonal rise in cases of food poisoning.
Added/updated: 2 June 2010
Bromine spill at Burton school Release date: 24 May 2010
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is liaising with Staffordshire County Council and the emergency services following a small spillage of a chemical called bromine at Abbot Beyne School in Burton on Trent.
Added/updated: 1 June 2010
Increase in Hepatitis C figures reported in the West Midlands Release date: 18 May 2010
THE number of cases of Hepatitis C infection has increased in the West Midlands in 2009 according to figures published by the Health Protection Agency to mark World Hepatitis Day (19 May 2010).
Added/updated: 1 June 2010
Be tick aware when visiting the great outdoors Release date: 6 May 2010
The Health Protection Agency is reminding people to take care when visiting the great outdoors to prevent tick bites and reduce the risk of catching Lyme disease.
Added/updated: 1 June 2010
Tuberculosis cases rise at lowest rate for years Release date: 16 March 2010
Cases of Tuberculosis (TB) in the West Midlands have increased at their lowest rate for five years according to figures released today by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
Added/updated: 1 June 2010