Public Health Scotland Update

PHS welcomes 2025 Boardroom Apprentice

The Public Health Scotland (PHS) Board is delighted to welcome our 2025 Boardroom Apprentice, Oluwagbemileke Taiwo (Leke) who started his twelve-month board learning and development placement Programme with us as of 1 January 2025.

Vaccination remains best protection against serious illness from flu

New figures published show that flu is still circulating at high levels in Scotland, although case numbers and hospital admissions have started to decline.

Public Health Scotland publishes four-year Research Strategy

The PHS Research Strategy will enable PHS to become a recognised research-active organisation. Its purpose is to:

• demonstrate the importance and value of research and our commitment to public health research
• set out the vision for research within PHS
• outline what is needed to achieve our vision of PHS being a known and renowned organisation that undertakes, leads, facilitates and enables high-quality research.

How to stay safe and informed amidst the ongoing bird flu outbreak

In our latest blog, Professor Dominic Mellor, Consultant in Veterinary Public Health, provides an update on the ongoing outbreak of bird flu that has swept across the globe and offers helpful advice to both the public and those who keep birds that can help minimise the risk of the virus being spread.

Gaining the best value for local economies and health through Community Wealth Building in Scotland

Dr Fiona Scott, Public Health Registrar at NHS Tayside joined PHS for a year to work on the health impact assessment of community wealth building. Here, she reflects on the importance of the economy for health in local communities.

HPV – cancers, warts and all

In November 2024, the International Papillomavirus Society held its global conference in Edinburgh. Its theme was ‘Equitable, Evidence-Based Approaches to HPV Disease’ and the experts’ messages were clear – the widest possible uptake of the HPV vaccine and cervical screening are critical to eliminating many preventable cancers and genital warts. Dr Claire Cameron, Consultant in Health Protection at PHS, writes about the virus and how Scotland has committed to its eradication.

Viral respiratory diseases (including influenza and COVID-19) in Scotland surveillance report

This weekly release by Public Health Scotland presents epidemiological information on respiratory infection activity, including COVID-19, across Scotland. Due to the dynamic nature of all datasets included in this report, figures contained within each update may be subject to change in future releases. 

Surveillance of hepatitis C in Scotland

This release presents on key progress made in tackling hepatitis C virus (HCV) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact thereafter on HCV prevention, diagnosis and treatment services.

Laboratory reports of norovirus in Scotland

This report presents provisional information on laboratory reports of norovirus in Scotland up to the end of week 4 (week ending 26 January 2025) compared to the same time last year and the average for the same time period of years 2015 to 2019.