In just the past 22 years, the rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Arizona has more than tripled, with more than half of all cases affecting those 25 and younger. During STI Awareness Week, I’m calling attention to three critical steps: Talk. Test. Treat. All three can help protect your health and your partner’s [...]
Last year, more than 100 babies were born with syphilis in Arizona, including nine who were stillborn. Syphilis is completely preventable through timely testing and treatment. Testing should take place three times during pregnancy – at the first prenatal care visit, early in the third trimester (around 28-32 weeks), and at delivery. In Arizona, there [...]
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) have surged for a fifth consecutive year, reaching an all-time high nationwide. What is most concerning is the rise in syphilis, which has led to multiple stillbirths and many more babies spending their first 10 days of their life hospitalized for syphilis treatment. Last year, Arizona reported 61 cases of syphilis [...]
We’ve just released our 2017 STD Annual Report, which shows that the number of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) reported in Arizona continues to increase. The latest data indicates a 16% increase in STDs from 2016 to 2017, with STDs in Arizona on the rise for over a decade. Over 54,000 STDs were reported in Arizona [...]
Did you know that syphilis can cause serious health problems if left untreated or isn’t treated correctly? These serious health problems, like syphilis of the eye, are increasing among both men and women. Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease, but can also be spread from a mother to her unborn baby, known as congenital syphilis. [...]
With our Annual Report coming up soon, I was surfing the web to get some ideas last night and ran across our 1920 ADHS Annual Report. Call me a public health geek, but I couldn’t put my iPad down. The Annual Report covers our agency activities that year- things like our new (1919) Midwifery regulations, [...]
Every so often- you run into a resource guide that stands above the rest. I discovered one of those a couple of weeks ago when I was at a conference with the people in my job from around the country. It’s called the Guide to Community Preventive Services – and it’s a free resource to [...]
Issues regarding the vaccine that prevents infection with the human papillomavirus (also called HPV) have been in the news lately- so I thought I’d do a thumbnail sketch on it this week. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Most people with HPV don’t have symptoms or health problems from it- and 90% of the time the [...]
