If you're like most people, you've been busy the past few months. Fall is such a busy time for many people, and now we're in the middle of the holiday season and all its activities. It's understandable if you haven't had the chance to get your annual flu shot. But there's still time. In fact, [...]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) performs studies each year to determine how well the influenza (flu) vaccine protects against flu. They recently released the 2018–2019 interim influenza vaccine effectiveness results that highlight how the vaccine helps to protect our communities from the disease. Overall, the vaccine was 47% effective in preventing individuals [...]
International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) occurs globally from October 14 - 20 and raises awareness of the role infection prevention plays in improving patient safety. The 2018 theme, “Protecting Patients Everywhere,” emphasizes how keeping patients safe from infection is everyone’s responsibility. Whether you’re in a healthcare facility or in the community, there are things you [...]
The 2018–2019 influenza season has arrived in Arizona! Since the beginning of October, Arizona had 56 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza reported from 10 counties, compared to 16 cases typically seen at this time of year. This means if you and your family have not been vaccinated for this season, now is the time. The influenza [...]
Flu is now widespread in Arizona. As of this week, there have been 2,976 cases of flu reported compared to 347 for the same time period in 2016, which is a 758 percent increase in flu activity. This is the highest number of seasonal cases this early since influenza tests became reportable. During the past [...]
National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) was established in 2005 by the CDC to highlight the continuing need to vaccinate for influenza through the holiday season and beyond. This year, NIVW is being observed December 3 through 9. Influenza causes mild to severe illness, and even death. Every season, roughly 4,000 Arizonans are hospitalized and 700 [...]
Influenza activity is now widespread in Arizona with more than 750 cases reported in Arizona last week. That’s more than double the number of cases from last week. There have been nearly 3,300 lab-confirmed cases reported this influenza season in our state, but we know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. We tend to see our [...]
It’s a busy time of year when kids are out of school, some businesses are closing up shop for the holidays, and people are taking some quality time to spend with friends and family. The last thing you need right now is a case of the flu. The tiredness, achiness, fever, and congestion [...]
Influenza season has officially started in Arizona with the first locally-acquired case confirmed late last week. If you and your family haven't been vaccinated for influenza this season, the time is now. The CDC recommends annual influenza vaccination for everyone six months and older. Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent influenza, but it [...]
As we continue our recognition of August as National Immunization Awareness Month, we want to take this week to remind pregnant women about the importance of immunizations to protect themselves and their babies. During pregnancy, you are often thinking about baby names, nursery colors, and prenatal vitamins, but you should also be thinking about vaccines. Vaccines [...]
