Vaccination Coverage rates for teens are improving across the country and in Arizona
Last week CDC released 2015 vaccination coverage data for teens collected through the National Immunization Surveys (NIS). These surveys are sponsored annually through the CDC, and for teens, they attempt to estimate the level of coverage for three important adolescent vaccines: Tdap, Meningococcal, and HPV vaccine. There is good news for Arizona in this year's report. Our Tdap coverage rates [...]
We’re Celebrating Falls Prevention Awareness Month
September is National Falls Prevention Month and in Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has issued a proclamation calling for community partnerships to promote a falls free Arizona. Our most recent data from 2015 shows more than half of falls-related hospitalizations end up in skilled nursing facilities. People 85 and older have the highest rates of fatal and nonfatal fall injuries. Falls [...]
PANS/PANDAS: Now there’s a Treatment Center of Excellence
In the 1980s, a subset of children were noted to have an abrupt onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder, along with neuropsychiatric symptoms triggered by an infection of some kind. This lead to the development of diagnoses of PANS (Pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome) and PANDAS (Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections). For decades, understanding how to diagnose and treat PANS/PANDAS [...]
Arizona Celebrates Success and Continues Statewide Zika Preparedness Activities
Since February, public health, health care, and vector control partners have been working together to prepare for and protect Arizona communities against Zika virus. One of our recent accomplishments was the Arizona Zika Action Plan Summit, held on May 24th, 2016. The summit aimed to share our current knowledge about Zika virus and provide a forum for coordinated, statewide planning [...]
Arizona Exercise Focusing on Planning for Pediatric Safety Featured on National Website
This month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services highlights a December 2015 Arizona preparedness collaboration between ADHS, the Arizona Pediatric Disaster Coalition and Arizona schools. We conducted an emergency preparedness exercise to improve the relationship between hospitals and schools in order to streamline emergency care for vulnerable pediatric populations. Using a whole community approach, local schools, law enforcement, [...]
One Health Champions in the Making
More than 40 high school students gathered on August 16 for an interactive One Health Career Exploration Day to learn about the connection between human, animal, and environmental health. The event was led by representatives from the Vector-borne & Zoonotic Disease Program and Food Safety Program at the Arizona Department of Health Services, Maricopa County Department of Public Health, Arizona Department [...]