Lead Poisoning Prevention Week Helps Families Stay Safe
This week, we acknowledge National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week and this year’s important theme: Lead Free Kids for a Healthy Future. The Arizona Department of Health Services is participating in this event along with CDC, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other state childhood lead poisoning prevention programs. Childhood lead poisoning is [...]
New National Childhood Immunization Data Released
The National Immunization Surveys (NIS), sponsored by CDC, are a group of surveys used to monitor immunization coverage across the country. The Child National Immunization Survey assesses data for children, ages 19-35 months of age. Data from 2015 were released earlier this month. For 2015, the NIS shows that Arizona has reached the Healthy People20/20 target for polio, hepatitis B, [...]
Arizona Releases Community Plan to End Local HIV Epidemic
Two scientific advances have provided the tools needed to end the HIV epidemic. First, for people who are not infected with HIV, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) can reduce the risk of HIV infection by more than 90%. Second, people living with HIV who get into medical care, take their HIV medicine and become virally suppressed are 96% less likely give HIV [...]
Influenza Season Has Started
Influenza season has officially started in Arizona with the first locally-acquired case confirmed late last week. If you and your family haven't been vaccinated for influenza this season, the time is now. The CDC recommends annual influenza vaccination for everyone six months and older. Getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent influenza, but it takes about two weeks for [...]
It’s Arizona Infection Prevention Week
International Infection Prevention Week, October 16 to 22, raises awareness of the role infection prevention plays to improve patient safety. The 2016 theme, "Break the Chain of Infection", emphasizes how easily infections and germs can be spread from person to person, and ways to break the chain at each link. The chain of infection has six links, which consist of: [...]
Preventing Bullying is a Critical Component to a Child’s Development
There is a common misconception that bullying is just a part of growing up. The reality is children who bully and those who are bullied can experience negative health outcomes that may last into adulthood. Bullying, like other forms of violence, is about power and control, and that power can be based on popularity, size and strength and intellect. Children [...]