Protecting People and Pets against Plague in Arizona
Summertime in Arizona can bring outdoor fun for people and their pets, but also a risk for exposure to diseases, such as plague. Plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, and usually circulates between fleas and wild rodents, including prairie dogs. People and animals can be exposed to plague by handling blood or tissues of infected wild rodents or [...]
Arizona Cancer Programs Secure Increased Funding for the State
The Arizona Cancer Registry and Office of Cancer Prevention and Control received good news last week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – their grant application was approved for a total of $3,930,027 per year for the next five years. This represents a 13.5% increase in funds of $466,909 per year. The five-year grant period extends through [...]
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 [...]