With the holiday and travel season upon us, Arizonans are encouraged to continue to rebel against arboviruses like chikungunya, dengue, and Zika. Whether you are traveling to a galaxy far, far away or to lands much closer to home, we encourage you to “Fight the Bite” and support resistance efforts. If you have a bad [...]
Infectious agents are all around us. They can be found in the food we eat, in the water we drink, in the air we breathe, and on what we touch. Modern times have brought us solutions, such as vaccines and treatments, but also problems, like air travel and globalized food distribution, which can help spread [...]
We hosted a Zika Action Plan Workshop and Tabletop Exercise on June 20 as part of our Zika preparedness series that began with the Zika Action Plan Summit in May 2016. Approximately 80 partners representing more than 25 local, tribal, and state organizations attended the latest workshop. The workshop events included an overview of Zika [...]
Our Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) program works with various partners to improve patient safety across Arizona. On January 20th, the HAI program collaborated with the local Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology Grand Canyon Chapter (APIC) to host their annual State of the State meeting. This event took place at Health Services Advisory Group and was attended by more [...]
One of public health’s major partnerships is with practicing clinicians. In any threat to the public’s health – be it environmental, nuclear, infectious, chronic or substance-related – clinicians work with health departments to recognize and respond appropriately. Now it is easier than ever for them to find public health resources and guidelines in Arizona. On [...]
Even though Arizona temperatures are cooling down, it's still important to protect yourself against mosquitoes. Arizona is home to about 50 mosquito species including Aedes aegypti, a mosquito that can carry and spread diseases like the Zika virus. This mosquito is well-adapted to the Arizona climate. Their eggs can survive outdoors in the cold, dry [...]
Throughout the year, a multitude of agencies release annual reports that attempt to grade states on their preparedness to respond to public health emergencies. Some years these reports use similar indicators to assign state scores, but indicators often vary from year to year. These reports look at areas both within and outside of a health [...]
Last week we hosted a Zika Capability Assessment Workshop that was attended by more than 100 tribal, county, state, and federal partners as part of the Arizona Zika-preparedness collaborative. Attendees worked together to identify current response activities, document plans for future efforts, and identify areas for improvement. The workshop included presentations on the history of Zika [...]
Since the beginning of this year, public health, health care, and vector control partners have been working hard to prepare and protect Arizona communities. As of this week, 40 cases of Zika have been reported in Arizona, all in people who traveled to countries with ongoing Zika transmission. The CDC publishes a list of countries [...]
This week Governor Doug Ducey issued a proclamation for Arizona Blood Donation Week highlighting the importance of donating blood to save people’s lives. Back in 1969, an article titled "The Blood Bank as a Public Health Service" described blood donation as an altruistic service: one human helping another. The article suggested that benefits might extend to [...]
