Preparedness

/Preparedness

Items in the Preparedness category will cover everything from Emergency Medical Services to vaccination programs. This division at ADHS tracks contagious disease, coordinates emergency preparedness activity, licenses EMTs and Paramedics, regulates ambulance companies, authorizes special hospital designations like cardiac care center and Level IV trauma center, issues birth and death certificates, and tracks critical health data through various sources including hospital discharge information.

Vaccinating People Most at Risk Can Help Curb National Hepatitis A Outbreak

By | May 9th, 2019|Preparedness|

Arizona, along with 18 other states, is currently experiencing an outbreak of hepatitis A. There have been more than 245 cases, mostly among individuals who are experiencing homelessness and/or use drugs. Currently over two-thirds of the cases are in Pima County. The disease has also spread to five other counties. More than 80 percent of individuals [...]

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Arizona State Lab has Vital Role in Protecting Public Health

By | April 25th, 2019|Preparedness|

At the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), we have about 100 public health laboratory staff who work hard every day to detect critical infectious diseases, test suspicious substances, screen drinking water for contaminants, conduct early identification of genetic and metabolic disorders in newborns, inspect and license clinical and environmental labs across Arizona, and work [...]

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Increased Use of Immunization Exemptions Put Arizona At-Risk for an Outbreak in 2019

By | April 12th, 2019|Preparedness|

In the midst of nationwide outbreaks of measles, and increases in Arizona cases of vaccine-preventable diseases, Arizona’s vaccine coverage rates continue to decrease. This places more Arizona children, families, and communities at risk for vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. For the third year in a row, non-medical exemption rates--the percentage of students exempt from one or more [...]

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Public Health Agencies Working to Prevent the Spread of Measles

By | March 11th, 2019|Preparedness|

Late on Friday, working with Pima County Health Department, our Arizona State Public Health Laboratory confirmed Arizona’s first case of measles of 2019. A family and their young child traveled  internationally to an area with active measles cases and the child became sick with measles. The child’s health is improving now, but the work of [...]

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Arizona’s Treat and Refer Recognition Program Makes Strides to Improve EMS Services

By | March 8th, 2019|Preparedness|

The Rio Rico Medical and Fire District recently became Arizona’s sixth emergency medical services (EMS) agency to be recognized as a Treat and Refer EMS agency by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). The Treat and Refer Recognition Program increases patient access to primary and preventive care. The program recognizes EMS agencies that demonstrate [...]

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CDC Releases Interim Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Report

By | February 22nd, 2019|Preparedness|

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) performs studies each year to determine how well the influenza (flu) vaccine protects against flu. They recently released the 2018–2019 interim influenza vaccine effectiveness results that highlight how the vaccine helps to protect our communities from the disease. Overall, the vaccine was 47% effective in preventing individuals [...]

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ADHS conducts drinking water screening in child care facilities across the state

By | February 19th, 2019|General, Preparedness|

Childhood lead poisoning is considered the most preventable environmental disease among young children. Lead poisoning can negatively affect children’s intelligence, behavior, hearing, and development. The most common sources of elevated blood lead levels in Arizona are lead-based paint found in homes built before 1978, imported goods such as spices, makeups, and ceramic pottery, lead in [...]

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Annual State-by-State Report on Public Health Preparedness

By | February 12th, 2019|Preparedness|

Every year, Trust for America’s Health releases a report that shows their rankings of states’ public health preparedness. Like most years, this year’s report uses a combination of measures that may or may not be under the control of state health departments to develop their state rankings. Arizona shows up in the bottom tier of this year’s [...]

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Measles outbreaks highlight the importance of vaccination

By | January 29th, 2019|Preparedness|

Earlier this week, the State of Washington declared a public health emergency due to a measles outbreak that has infected nearly 40 people to date. Luckily, no Arizonans have been infected with measles associated with this outbreak, but the fact that measles outbreaks still occur underscores the importance of up-to-date vaccination for all children. ADHS [...]

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STDs are on the rise in Arizona

By | January 29th, 2019|Preparedness|

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 [...]

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