Pinal County recently recorded this season’s first pediatric influenza death in Arizona. This heartbreaking news is a reminder that children younger than 5 who get influenza are among those at increased risk of complications including pneumonia, worsening of chronic conditions, encephalopathy, and sinus and ear infections. Quite simply, influenza is an unpredictable virus that can [...]
The 2015 Arizona Health Status and Vital Statistics Report, also known as the “Big Book,” is now available. The Big Book presents an annual update of information on vital statistics and the health status of Arizona residents . It provides statewide numbers and rates of vital events such as births, stillbirths, and deaths, and population-based data on pregnancies, [...]
Traumatic brain injury is involved in about 1/3 of all injury-related deaths- it’s clearly a public health issue. That’s why we created Arizona's Excellence in Pre-hospital Injury Care project- which is aimed at improving brain injury outcomes in AZ. The National Institutes of Health chose AZ as the only state to evaluate the national standards [...]
Last year we welcomed about 87,000 newborns to Arizona. Our Newborn Screening Program (in our State Lab) ensures that each are tested for 28 inherited disorders and hearing problems. The goal is to help kids avoid illness, developmental delays and even death. Teamwork, communication and coordination are critical in making this program effective. A quick [...]
The effectiveness of a State’s EMS and Pre-Hospital & Trauma System makes the difference when it comes to saving lives (and quality of life) from injuries. Injuries are the leading cause of death for Arizonans from age 1 to 44- so you can see how important it is for states to have an effective EMS & [...]
Each year in the US there are 1.7 million health care associated infections that cause approximately 99,000 deaths in US hospitals. There are lots of germs that can cause health care associated infections, but 16% are in the really bad category because they’re resistant to antibiotics. These multidrug-resistant organisms pose huge problems once they get [...]
The vast majority of deaths among kids and young adults in the US are preventable- and many involve the choices theymake. Car crashes are responsible for 30% of deaths, unintentional injuries 16%, murder 16%, and suicide 12%. Teen pregnancy causes a wide range of social problems, and there are more than 9 million cases of [...]
