Last week CDC released 2015 vaccination coverage data for teens collected through the National Immunization Surveys (NIS). These surveys are sponsored annually through the CDC, and for teens, they attempt to estimate the level of coverage for three important adolescent vaccines: Tdap, Meningococcal, and HPV vaccine. There is good news for Arizona in this year's [...]
September is National Falls Prevention Month and in Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has issued a proclamation calling for community partnerships to promote a falls free Arizona. Our most recent data from 2015 shows more than half of falls-related hospitalizations end up in skilled nursing facilities. People 85 and older have the highest rates of fatal [...]
In the 1980s, a subset of children were noted to have an abrupt onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder, along with neuropsychiatric symptoms triggered by an infection of some kind. This lead to the development of diagnoses of PANS (Pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome) and PANDAS (Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections). For decades, understanding how [...]
Since February, public health, health care, and vector control partners have been working together to prepare for and protect Arizona communities against Zika virus. One of our recent accomplishments was the Arizona Zika Action Plan Summit, held on May 24th, 2016. The summit aimed to share our current knowledge about Zika virus and provide a [...]
This month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services highlights a December 2015 Arizona preparedness collaboration between ADHS, the Arizona Pediatric Disaster Coalition and Arizona schools. We conducted an emergency preparedness exercise to improve the relationship between hospitals and schools in order to streamline emergency care for vulnerable pediatric populations. Using a whole community [...]
More than 40 high school students gathered on August 16 for an interactive One Health Career Exploration Day to learn about the connection between human, animal, and environmental health. The event was led by representatives from the Vector-borne & Zoonotic Disease Program and Food Safety Program at the Arizona Department of Health Services, Maricopa County Department [...]
The Arizona Department of Health Services, Maricopa County Department of Public Health, and the University of Arizona will kick-off the second Great Arizona Mosquito Hunt this week. The Great Arizona Mosquito Hunt began as a collaborative project in 2015 to teach high school students about mosquito biology and emerging mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue, chikungunya, [...]
As parents, we know making sure our kids eat healthy, are physically active, get plenty of sleep, and have regular physicals is crucial to their overall health. But did you also you know preteen and teens need vaccines that protect against serious and potentially life-threatening diseases like meningitis, whooping cough and cancers caused by the [...]
The Department accepted applications for medical marijuana dispensary registry certificates during the last two weeks in July. In an impressive effort, the team processed 750 applications within a five-day timeframe. We anticipate issuing 31 dispensary licenses after evaluating the complete and compliant applications. The Medical Marijuana Program staff completed the work efficiently and with great [...]
Rabies is a virus spread by the bite of or contact with saliva of an infected animal. The disease causes damage to the nervous system and causes death once symptoms appear. In Arizona, bats, skunks, and foxes are the main sources of rabies. Rabies is not uncommon in Arizona wildlife, and the virus occurs naturally [...]
