To Game or not to Game? The Dilemma of Zika and the Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics will soon take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a Zika-affected country. This has created a lot of discussion about the risk for travelers and their families. CDC and the WHO have both affirmed that travel to the Olympics is not any riskier than non-Olympic-related travel to Zika affected areas. The only groups recommended to avoid [...]
Adults Need Vaccines, Too!
Every year, tens of thousands of adults in the United States suffer serious health problems, are hospitalized, or even die from diseases that could have been prevented by vaccination. Arizona has had 22 cases of measles in adults this year, making it the biggest measles outbreak of 2016 in the US. To celebrate the importance of immunizations throughout life—and to [...]
Strengthening Infectious Disease Training in Arizona and Beyond
Last week, we hosted our seventh annual Arizona Infectious Disease Training and Exercise, where nearly 400 partners from a wide variety of organizations joined together to learn and share about current infectious disease trends in Arizona and surrounding states. We hosted speakers from local Arizona jurisdictions, other states, CDC, and even from Sonora, Mexico. Our agenda details each of the [...]
Partners Exercise Response Plans during a One Health Scenario
Last week, more than 150 local, state, tribal, and federal partners working throughout Arizona participated in a tabletop exercise as part of the seventh annual Arizona Infectious Disease Training and Exercise. Participants were from diverse professional arenas including public health, environmental health, public health preparedness, infection prevention, nursing, veterinary services, and academia. The exercise was based on an animal-borne and foodborne outbreak of Brucellosis, [...]
Today Kicks off the Start of World Breastfeeding Week
We will be celebrating World Breastfeeding Week August 1 through 7. The week is an opportunity to showcase the benefits of breastfeeding, and what international support looks like for pregnant and breastfeeding women all over the world from various organizations and community groups. We will be hosting an event called LATCH-AZ, which will offer breastfeeding education to more than 300 community [...]
World Hepatitis Day Brings Awareness to the Disease
The World Health Organization is calling on everyone to "Know hepatitis - Act now" this World Hepatitis Day on July 28. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver and is often caused by a virus. The three most common viruses that cause viral hepatitis in the U.S. are hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Hepatitis B and C can [...]