Mental health and bio-terror threat highlighted in CMO report

The Chief Medical Officer's annual report into the state of the province's health, which was published today, has identified mental health and the emerging threat of bio-terrorism as key areas for the future.

The "major burden" placed on family and friends as a result of mental illness must be addressed, according to Dr Campbell, as up to 300,000 people at any one time will suffer from poor mental health.

“Good mental health is something which should be valued by all of us as it impacts significantly on our sense of wellbeing and quality of life," she said. "It also affects how we view ourselves and others around us.”

The report also highlighted how coping with serious illness can affect mental health – underscoring the importance of psychological support as "an essential part of the overall care".

Dr Campbell also pointed to the emerging threat of bio-terrorism which has taken on a "new degree of urgency" and detailed the steps taken by the department and the emergency services to protect the public from this threat.

On the issue of smoking-related diseases, Dr Campbell said that tobacco use remains a "major preventable cause of premature death and ill health".

She added: "Environmental tobacco smoke is also a danger to the health of non-smokers and unborn babies. To increase life expectancy even further comprehensive action is needed to tackle tobacco use.”

However, the report also contained positive news on the general state of the north's health as life expectancy continues to increase – a male born today can expect, on average, to live for 74.8 years and a female for 79.8 years.

Also, the campaign to protect older people from influenza has been "most successful" over the past year with around 72% of people over 65 receiving the vaccine.

She added: "Protecting older and vulnerable people from influenza is not only very important for their own health but also reduces the need for hospital admissions over the winter months."

(GMcG)