Aedes Mosquitoes Can Survive the Winter
Even though Arizona temperatures are cooling down, it's still important to protect yourself against mosquitoes. Arizona is home to about 50 mosquito species including Aedes aegypti, a mosquito that can carry and spread diseases like the Zika virus. This mosquito is well-adapted to the Arizona climate. Their eggs can survive outdoors in the cold, dry conditions of winter, and adult [...]
RSV Cases on the Rise in Arizona
While influenza isn't spiking yet, we are seeing an early respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season in Arizona this year. RSV causes a respiratory illness that mainly affects infants and young children, and it generally circulates during the winter. Symptoms are similar to other respiratory illness including cough, runny nose, and fever. Arizona has seen more than twice the number of [...]
Don’t Let the Flu Get You
It’s a busy time of year when kids are out of school, some businesses are closing up shop for the holidays, and people are taking some quality time to spend with friends and family. The last thing you need right now is a case of the flu. The tiredness, achiness, fever, and congestion that comes with the flu [...]
School Garden Program is Budding with Change
Last month we launched new materials on our School Garden Program website. The Food Safety Plan was transformed from a pre-written template to a fillable PDF where applicants can easily input information about their garden and write their own policies and procedures. By writing their own food safety plans, garden leaders are empowered to proactively manage environmental health and food [...]
Stay Active for a Healthier New Year
Many of you may be thinking about making your health a priority in the New Year. Did you know that being physically active can help you increase your chances of living longer, feel better about yourself, decrease your chances of becoming depressed, sleep well at night, and stay at or get to a healthy weight? Adding activity into your [...]
Follow These Tips to Avoid Unintentional Injuries from Toys
As parents we need to be vigilant to keep our kids safe with their new holiday toys. Always double check to make sure toys are age appropriate. Many toys have small, moving parts that can become a danger. Sometimes it’s not the toy itself but something hidden, like a battery, that can be a choking hazard. If the toy comes with a [...]