In the last two years, the tick-borne disease Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis (R. parkeri) has been identified in two Arizona residents. Both were bitten by ticks in the mountainous regions of Southern Arizona. Only 40 cases of R. parkeri have been reported in the United States since the disease was first recognized in 2004. The tick responsible for the Arizona cases [...]
Our staff will be hitting the road this week, along with local and federal public health partners, to provide in-person refresher education to healthcare providers about Rocky Mountain spotted fever. These presentations include an overview of the history and epidemiology of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Arizona, clinical presentation, recommendations for diagnosis and treatment, and [...]
One Health and Animal Disease Surveillance Did you know that many of the diseases that make people sick can also affect animals? “One Health” is the idea that the health of humans, animals, and the environment are tightly connected, and all affect each other. A better understanding of diseases in animals can help predict disease [...]
A new report published by our Office of Infectious Disease Services examines the epidemiology of selected infectious diseases in recent years. The report contains an overview of Arizona's surveillance system, graphs and maps on more than 25 different reportable conditions and links to other ADHS tables and reports for 2008-2013. Among many other topics, the [...]
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), a disease spread by the bite of an infected tick, was first identified in Arizona in 2003 and continues to be public health threat. Since 2003, there have been over 330 human RMSF cases identified in Arizona with 20 fatalities. For several years, we’ve been coordinating with Arizona’s tribal communities, [...]
The monsoon season marks the tick season here in Arizona, and one of most important tick-borne disease threats in the state is Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The symptoms usually start with a fever of two or more days and can lead to a nasty “spotted” rash (although the rash is not always present in the cases [...]
I’m happy to announce that we rolled out our state-of-the-art Arizona Clinician Website this week. The site provides a one-stop-shop for Arizona clinicians. The new Clinician Website is designed specifically for clinicians, so they can go to one website and access information directly from the site. With our old system, if a physician wanted to [...]
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is the most serious tickborne disease in the US. AZ has recorded 38 cases so far this year compared to 17 in all of 2010. Most of the cases are in the eastern part of the state. The disease’s symptoms include a nasty “spotted” rash that usually starts 2-5 days after a fever starts. Early [...]
