Prevention – Page 53 – AZ Dept. of Health Services News

Setback for Polio Eradication

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:17-07:00August 1st, 2013|Prevention|

As I’ve mentioned in past updates, global efforts to eradicate polio through widespread immunization campaigns have been incredibly successful. Back in May of this year, only three countries still had endemic polio cases – Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Unfortunately, for the first time since 2007, wild poliovirus cases are again being reported in Somalia. Currently, [...]

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Limit the Sun, Not the Fun- Be SunWise!

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:17-07:00July 31st, 2013|Preparedness, Prevention|

A recent report by the American Cancer Society, suggests what many Arizonans may have suspected, that skin cancer is on the rise. An estimated 82,770 Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in 2013. In Arizona, one in five of us is likely to develop some form of skin cancer. The most common cause is overexposure [...]

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The “Arizona Strip” Whooping Cough Cluster

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:17-07:00July 29th, 2013|Preparedness, Prevention|

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, has been increasing in Arizona and the rest of the nation for the last few years. Pertussis usually runs in a cycle, peaking every 3-5 years and then decreasing again. Symptoms include fits of cough, vomiting after the fits of cough, and a whooping sound during cough. Some complications include pneumonia, [...]

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Smoke Free Arizona at 6

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:18-07:00July 25th, 2013|Prevention|

Our Smoke Free Arizona program turned 6 last month. Voters approved the Act back in November of ’06 by a few percentage points. The Initiative language gave us a super-short turn-around time and we turned the key on the program by May of ’07. Implementation of the Initiative was smooth from the get-go and compliance with the [...]

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Pregnancy & Group B Strep

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:18-07:00July 24th, 2013|Prevention|

Decisions about what to do to protect babies born at home from Group B Streptococcus caused quite a stir as we were developing our final regulations for the practice of Midwifery in AZ. Group B Streptococcus bacteria are commonly found in healthy women. In fact, about 25% carry the bacteria. It doesn’t cause much of [...]

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Mid-Monsoon West Nile Update

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:19-07:00July 17th, 2013|Prevention|

Monsoon rain and humidity is great (at least I think so)… but with it comes mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus. Every year since West Nile virus was introduced to AZ in ‘04, we’ve had human cases of West Nile Virus (meaning it’s endemic now). The total number of cases bumps around every year from [...]

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Healthier School Lunches

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:20-07:00July 11th, 2013|Prevention|

There are more than 100,000 schools in the United States and last week, the USDA said that for the first time, they'll be ensuring that food sold in those schools will be held to stricter limits on fat, calories, sugars and sodium. This means all foods sold in schools, from the cafeterias to the vending machines. It's the result [...]

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Visit the New Teen Pregnancy Prevention Resource Center Today

By Will Humble|2013-07-05T08:52:10-07:00July 5th, 2013|Prevention|

HHS rolled out a new Teen Pregnancy Prevention Resource Center this week. The online Resource Center is designed for organizations working to prevent teen pregnancy across the country. The TPP Resource Center provides skill-building materials, including webinars, tip-sheets, e-learning modules, and podcasts, in an easy-to-use one-stop shop and provides resources and direct-service information on topics related to [...]

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The Rocket’s Red Glare; the Bombs Bursting in Air

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:20-07:00July 2nd, 2013|Preparedness, Prevention|

For many people, Independence Day wouldn’t be complete without fireworks. There are dozens of public fireworks shows around the state, but some people like shooting them. You’ve probably seen the fireworks displays in local stores and may even have kids asking you to buy some. We looked at fireworks-related injuries from Arizona hospitals in the [...]

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Your Health is in Your Hands

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:50:20-07:00June 28th, 2013|Prevention|

This week many of us are heading out for vacations or picnics to celebrate the nation’s birthday. And when we’re out of normal routines, we may forget basic health prevention – such as washing our hands. Even though we know that it is the best way to prevent spreading germs, a new study shows that [...]

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