Children ages 5 and older may now receive the updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters targeting Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 as well as the original coronavirus. This is important news for parents of kids in this age group who are vaccinated, as this bivalent booster includes protection against the highly transmissible and immune-evading variants that dominate [...]
Arizona may not be among six states experiencing an outbreak of disease from listeria bacteria linked to brands of cheese sold nationwide, but the episode provides a reminder about the importance of taking steps to avoid foodborne illness. So far in 2022, there have been four cases of listeriosis in Arizona unrelated to the current [...]
Nearly 200,000 Arizonans have received new COVID-19 boosters designed to guard against current Omicron subvariants that have dominated around the country. Even with millions in our state fully vaccinated, that number needs to be much, much higher to protect our most vulnerable against severe outcomes. There has been considerable news coverage nationally about lower-than-hoped-for uptake [...]
AARP Arizona has been a tremendous partner throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Our collaborations to promote public health have included virtual town halls for AARP members on COVID-19 vaccines and COVID-19 boosters. At 3:05 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 29, we’ll join AARP Arizona for a virtual town hall on the new Omicron booster doses that target the [...]
Would you know what to do if you become one of the approximately 30 people in Arizona exposed to rabies each year? Sept. 28 is World Rabies Day, and ADHS joins partners around the globe working to raise awareness about prevention and the impact of rabies. The theme from the Centers for Disease Control and [...]
In Arizona and nearby areas in the Southwest, there's a strong likelihood that a person who develops a fungal infection is facing Valley fever. After all, roughly two-thirds of the nation's Valley fever cases are diagnosed in Arizona. There have been more than 7,000 cases diagnosed in our state this year. However, there are many [...]
Knowing your HIV status gives you the power to live as your true self. Because when you know, you know. That's the focus of a new campaign available at azhealth.gov/WhenYouKnow and in a public service announcement that will air across Arizona. Getting tested is easy and is the only way to know for sure whether [...]
Today's report of three measles cases in Maricopa County is a sobering reminder that this rare and highly contagious disease can flare among those who aren't vaccinated. Before the U.S. introduced a vaccination program, measles was a common illness in infants, children, and young adults. It can be severe: Approximately two out of 1,000 people [...]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has always been clear on who should get a seasonal influenza vaccine when it becomes available each year: everyone 6 months and older. For some people, though, the risk of having severe complications is higher than it is for the rest of the population, the CDC reminded [...]
While the monsoon rain Arizona has seen of late is welcome in so many ways, the standing water that follows – often in places you don’t think about around the yard – can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and the diseases they carry. The most-common mosquito-borne disease is West Nile virus. Most of those [...]
