Take Precautions to Protect your Family and Pets from Rabies
Rabies is a virus spread by the bite of or contact with saliva of an infected animal. The disease causes damage to the nervous system and causes death once symptoms appear. In Arizona, bats, skunks, and foxes are the main sources of rabies. Rabies is not uncommon in Arizona wildlife, and the virus occurs naturally in these animals, usually at [...]
Keep Your Family Safe from Disease while Swimming
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health recently issued a press release alerting the community of a parasitic illness called Cryptosporidiosis, or Crypto, that was linked to recreational water facilities in the county. Since June 1, 2016, 131 confirmed and probable cases of Crypto have been reported statewide, from multiple counties. Historically, an average of 11.6 cases was reported during this [...]
A Healthy Start: Reasons to Vaccinate Your Young Children
Immunization gives parents the safe, proven power to protect their children from 14 serious and potentially deadly diseases before they turn two years old. To celebrate the importance of immunizations for a healthy start and throughout our lives, and to make sure children are protected with all the vaccines they need, we continue to join with partners nationwide in recognizing [...]
Using Technology to More Effectively Manage Outbreaks
In Arizona, outbreaks are reported and managed by local public health departments using a module in our electronic disease surveillance system, MEDSIS. Outbreak Module’s integration into MEDSIS allows users to easily link existing infectious disease cases to an outbreak and retrieve outbreak data for analysis. The data collected in this module has replaced our paper-based outbreak summary form, so all reporting [...]
A Healthy Start: Pregnancy and Vaccines
As we continue our recognition of August as National Immunization Awareness Month, we want to take this week to remind pregnant women about the importance of immunizations to protect themselves and their babies. During pregnancy, you are often thinking about baby names, nursery colors, and prenatal vitamins, but you should also be thinking about vaccines. Vaccines during pregnancy not only protect [...]
Tribal Cancer Collaborative Conference Celebrates Milestone
The Arizona Tribal Cancer Collaborative Conference will celebrate its tenth year in November of 2016! The conference has been held annually for ten years, but the active collaborations and learning about one another truly began two years prior to the first conference. CDC provided Arizona Department of Health Services and the Arizona tribes receiving Cancer Prevention and Control funding with [...]