Newborn Screening Program Adds SCID Testing to Program Today
The State Public Health Lab Newborn Screening Program started testing for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) syndrome on August 9. SCID is the name for a group of inherited disorders that cause babies to be born without a working immune system, putting them at risk for getting serious infections and death. Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation in May to allow the [...]
Opioid Update: Blood Screening, Grant Funding and Emergency Rule for Licensed Facilities
We continue to make steady progress in addressing the statewide opioid epidemic. Last week we expanded blood screening at the State Public Health Lab, announced a $505,104 grant award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and issued emergency rules for licensed healthcare facilities. The State Public Health Lab is now screening blood samples from suspected overdose cases for [...]
Arizona Celebrates National Farmers Market Week
Did you know there are more than 80 farmer’s markets in Arizona? We are celebrating National Farmers Market Week from August 6-12, 2017. Farmers markets support healthy communities by increasing access to nutritious food, stimulating local economies, and preserving farmland and rural livelihoods. The Arizona Nutrition Network has launched a new interactive map to make it easy to find a [...]
Improving Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response in Arizona
Last week, we hosted our eighth annual Arizona Infectious Disease Training & Exercise (AZID2017), where about 400 partners from a wide variety of organizations joined together to learn and share about best practices and current infectious disease trends in Arizona and surrounding states. We hosted speakers from local Arizona jurisdictions, other states, CDC, and Universities. We had presentations on a [...]
Partners Exercise Response Plans During a Hepatitis A Outbreak Scenario
Our Food and Waterborne Teams in the Office of Infectious Disease Services led a foodborne outbreak investigation tabletop exercise for almost 110 public health partners last week. Individuals in attendance came from tribal and county health departments, hospitals, state universities, and federal agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This year’s all-day exercise explored an outbreak of hepatitis A [...]
2017 Healthy Swimming Poster Contest Winners Announced
The Office of Infectious Disease concluded its 5th annual Healthy Swimming Poster Contest. This year we had 60 healthy swimming posters submitted from kids all across Arizona. All posters submitted suggested ways to swim healthy and avoid getting a recreational water illness. Examples of these messages include: · Never swim when sick, especially with diarrhea · Keep pee and poop [...]