Archive for the ‘Preparedness’ category

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Doce Pit Fire

June 19th, 2013

The dry conditions in the Prescott National Forest have provided great fuel for the wildfire that started there yesterday.  You can monitor conditions on the Forest website.  And don’t forget to check in with the state’s Emergency Information Network.

We play a significant role in response where there are wildfires in Arizona – our licensing folks are monitoring the need for evacuation of places where people live or stay for long periods of time – like hospitals, assisted living and behavioral health facilities.  Our environmental health folks are watching to see where the smoke goes and ensure people in those areas are aware of any health dangers.  And our emergency preparedness staff supports local public health for any support we can give to protect the health of people who need to be evacuated and in surrounding areas. You can read more in our Wildfire Smoke and Your Health brochure and in our ADHS Wildfire Plan.

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Posted in Behavioral Health, Licensing, Preparedness

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Families are the First First-Responders

May 30th, 2013

Our country’s disaster preparedness system is really a matrix that starts with families and goes all the way to a coordinated federal response.  In between are local first-responders, county public health and emergency management, and state public health and emergency management.  But really- the real first first-responders are moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas and even kids.  That’s why family preparedness is so important.  The family is the first link in the preparedness chain.  

Last week’s tornadoes illustrate the need for personal and family preparedness.  Arizonans don’t typically encounter massive tornados, but we are vulnerable to many other kinds of disasters such as power outages, extreme heat, wildfires, pandemics, floods, and severe weather.   The best way to prepare for any kind of disaster is to be informed, make a plan, build a kit, and get involved.  You can get started with your family plan by using the resources at www.ready.gov.  Also, be sure to work with your family, friends, and the vulnerable people in your community to ensure that you have the information, plans, and supplies in place to survive, respond to and recover from the unexpected.  

Take a minute and talk with your family about personal and family preparedness.  You may even want to take the Pledge to Prepare by joining the National Preparedness Coalition.  As I mentioned before, it’s important to stay informed during a disaster, so be sure to visit the AZ Emergency Information Network for real-time emergency updates, and preparedness resources. 

 

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Successful Public Health Symposium

May 28th, 2013

A special thanks to our team that worked the US Public Health Service’s Scientific and Training Symposium this week.  Several of our staff hosted informative booths during the Symposium.  A special thanks to Clarisse Tsang who hosted a break out session related to newborns and Hepatitis B. 

It was a special treat to have 3 Surgeon’s General at the Symposium- which was dedicated to the work of C. Everett Koop who served as the Surgeon General from 1982-1989.  Also attending were Joycelyn Elders (1993-1994); David Satcher (1998-2002); and Richard Carmona (2002-2006).  Dr. Satcher headed the CDC from 1993 to 1998 before taking the Surgeon General Post in 1998.  Dr. Elders was in my job in Arkansas before becoming the Surgeon General.  I’m sure you know about Dr. Carmona’s biography with his deep AZ roots.  All 3 had inspiring stories to tell (as well as helpful hints) about their time at the Surgeon General post.

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SARS… A 10-Year Retrospective

May 10th, 2013

This Spring marks 10 years since Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) arrived on the global public health scene.  It started as a mystery illness in SE Asia- without name, origin, or cure in February of 2003.  The CDC immediately began working with the World Health Organization to investigate the outbreak.  Public health scientists across the globe scrambled to understand and contain this health threat… which ultimately infected more than 8,000 people- killing about 10% of them. 

By March of 2003, the CDC had confirmed that the disease wasn’t caused by an influenza virus, but they didn’t know the culprit…  so they named it after the symptoms (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) rather than the causative agent (it turned out to be a new Coronavirus).  March of ’03 also marked the time when the CDC figured out that the virus was spread via face-to-face human contact.  That’s also when the CDC and WHO recommended strict infection control measures including hand washing, gloves, avoiding sharing household items, and limiting interaction between ill patients and others. 

Exactly 10 years ago today CDC figured out that there were some “super-spreaders” that were a particular problem with the growing epidemic.  May ’03 also marked the month in which the investigation and public health and clinical interventions matured- bringing the full weight of the global public health and clinical management system to bear on the virus.  Interventions like concise case definitions and reporting standards, laboratory diagnostic tests, travel restrictions, and clear clinical management and infection control guidelines all worked together to eradicate the virus by the Summer of 2003. 

The forensic investigation continued for a few months after the virus was eradicated.  The investigation kept pointing toward an animal called a Civet as the source of the new Coronavirus.  A SARS-like virus had been isolated from civets captured in areas of China where the SARS outbreak originated and sold in live animal markets.  It’s a mammal with a catlike body, long legs, a long tail, and a masked face resembling a raccoon or weasel.  By January of ’04 it was pretty clear that a Civet was the probable source, and the CDC issued a  “Notice of Embargo of Civets”, which banned the importation of civets into the US. The ban is currently still in effect.  China also implemented some control measures on them. 

Interested in the whole story?  Check out “Remembering SARS: 10 Years Later” on the CDC’s website.

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Measles & International Travel

April 30th, 2013

Guest Blog from Ken Komatsu, State Epidemiologist

With over 1 billion people crossing international borders each year, vaccine preventable diseases not usually found in Arizona, can arrive at any time.  Earlier this month a young child from Pima County became ill with a rash illness while visiting Asia.  This region of the world has had over a thousand cases of measles reported in the last six months as shown on this world map of measles.  Also, there was a community outbreak of measles in the town the child was visiting at the time.  While her older siblings were already immunized, the child did not receive measles vaccine prior to travel because of age.  The child was diagnosed with measles while in Asia, but continued traveling to London, New York and finally to Phoenix.

 

The child’s diagnosis was confirmed by our state public health laboratory after arrival, our epidemiologists followed up with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Global Migration and Quarantine.  CDC worked with the airlines to get names of all the passengers exposed on the two flights to the state health departments where each lives.  Health departments followed up on 53 passengers with possible exposure across the country:  5 from Arizona, 3 from Florida, 1 from Maryland, 1 from Massachusetts, 1 from Michigan, 12 from New Jersey, 24 from New York and 1 from North Carolina.

 

Luckily, no new measles cases among the exposed have been reported and the child was probably less infectious since he/she had already been ill for a few days during travel.  While our routine vaccination schedule does not recommend measles vaccination until 12 months of age, infants as young as 6 months should receive measles vaccine prior to international travel.  This child’s illness and all the hours of follow up by our epidemiologists, CDC, and seven other states, could have been prevented with one shot.  Another great reason for immunizing our children and adolescents since these diseases are still only a plane ride away.  For more information on health issues during international travel, please see the CDC Yellow Book.

 

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H7N9 Influenza Test Negative

April 26th, 2013

Just as we expected, the sample that we tested for H7N9 influenza today was negative.  Thanks to our Lab team for staying a little late this evening to run the test.  Even though it was very likely to be negative from the beginning- it’s still important to follow up on every lead.  After all, vigilance on the part of the international public health system is a cornerstone of public health readiness.
Have a healthy and safe weekend…

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ADHS Lab Set to Test for H7N9 Influenza

April 26th, 2013

China is continuing to report more and more cases of the new H7N9 Influenza virus.  So far they’ve confirmed 108 cases with a death rate of about 20% (21 deaths)   All the cases appear to have jumped from birds to humans- meaning that there’s no human-to-human transmission (which is good).  One concern is that if a person becomes infected with a seasonal influenza strain and the new H7N9 strain at the same time the viruses could exchange RNA and create a new strain that could be communicable humans to human (which would be bad).

Our Arizona State Laboratory ordered the H7N9 influenza test kits from the CDC this week- and we’ll receive them this morning.  Our team will run the first H7N9 test on a sample that came in Thursday evening from a sick AZ resident with a travel history to the parts of China that have been reporting H7N9 influenza.  It’s a very low suspect case.

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Public Health Conference Offers a Chance to Hear from National Public Health Expert

April 23rd, 2013

The Arizona Public Health Association will hold the 2013 Spring Conference on Wednesday, April 24…  focusing on how we can address removing barriers to access healthcare, integrate primary care and mental health, and strengthen Arizona’s capacity to improve health equity. The Conference will feature a keynote address from one of the nations most decorated and well-respected health experts.  Headlining the Spring Conference will be Dr. Richard Carmona, who served as the 17th Surgeon General of the US.  Dr. Carmona is a highly trained trauma surgeon, a decorated combat Special Forces Vietnam Veteran, one of the most honored police officers in Arizona known for his SWAT expertise, a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Public Health Program, and one of the nation’s premier experts on public health and the healthcare system. 

Dr. Carmona will deliver his Keynote Address at 8:45 a.m. on April 24th and will be the featured guest at a reception on April 23. For those of you who haven’t had the chance to meet Dr. Carmona or hear him speak, the Spring Conference and the reception are the perfect chance to meet him and hear his dynamic keynote speech. You don’t want to miss this opportunity.  Sessions will feature Integration of Care, the Network of Public Health Law, and Community Participatory Research.  There will also be displays and exhibits from many of our public health partners.  The full conference is from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 24 at the University of Arizona Phoenix Campus, 550 East Van Buren Street. Registration costs are between $75 and $135. 

A reception for Dr. Carmona will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on April 23 at 1130 The Restaurant, 455 North 3rd Street.  Tickets for the reception are only $45 and all the proceeds will go to the AZPHA Lloyd E Burton Student Scholarship Program- which helps to educate the next generation of public health professionals.

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Posted in General, Preparedness, Prevention

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AzPHA Membership Helps You Grow as a Public Health Professional

April 23rd, 2013

Public health is a vast network of community partners that includes government agencies, medical professionals, community groups, advocates, private industry, and individual citizens- all working together to make our communities healthier.  The Arizona Public Health Association is a key Stakeholder by pulling all the partners together.  They’re a non-profit organization that’s been around since 1928. 

AzPHA provides a way for members to network with other public health and medical professionals from around the state, enhance their skills by attending professional development trainings, and advocate for a better public health system in Arizona.  The AzPHA holds an annual conference every fall and a spring conference that gathers public health and community leaders to work on issues that help make Arizona a healthier state and to bolster professional development. Next week’s spring conference (April 24) will focus on health equity and will feature a keynote address from Dr. Richard Carmona, who served as the 17th Surgeon General. 

Members of AzPHA also have the chance to have their work and accomplishments recognized by several awards given out by the Association.  The AzPHA also gives back to the community by offering scholarships to our future public health workforce…  and offer discounted memberships for those working for the state as public health professionals.  Take a look at their website to learn about all the benefits of joining and the discounted memberships.

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First Aiders Save Lives

April 19th, 2013

The events in Boston and in West, TX highlight the important role of our EMS Agencies and trauma centers in helping badly injured victims…  but they also remind us that each of us may be unexpectedly needed to help during an emergency.   But where can you start to bring up your first aid skill set so you’ll be effective?

A quick web-search for “First Aid Training, Arizona” will give you links to tons of resources and websites where you can learn more about becoming better prepared to help in an emergency.  Another option is to apply to be a part of your local Certified Emergency Response Team that may be called to assist during a local emergency.  Here’s a link to the 39 different CERT Teams located here in Arizona.  And remember, if you haven’t prepared a Family Emergency Plan take the time to do it- and while you’re at it review the other great resources available on the Just in Case, Arizona website.

BTW: Arizona has a robust Good Samaritan Law  (ARS 32-1471), which protects folks that provide first aid or other assistance at an emergency scene from getting sued…  so the only thing standing in the way of you providing first aid  during an emergency is your skill set.

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