Measles Outbreak Update: Is the End in Sight?
For the past several weeks, local and state public health have identified cases of measles in both detainees and staff members at a federal detention center in Eloy, Arizona; however no cases have been identified in community members unrelated to the facility. For the past week we have been holding steady at 22 confirmed cases. Measles can take up to [...]
As weather heats up, flu winds down in Arizona
Over the past few weeks, flu activity across the state has been decreasing. It’s not a break for the flu team though. Flu cases still occur and surveillance activities continue throughout the summer; however, activities are different in the non-peak activity (summer) and peak activity (winter) seasons. During the summer, case investigations are performed on all flu cases reported to public health, [...]
E. coli Outbreak Linked to Flour and Dough Products
Is it really true? Could cookie dough make us sick? If you’ve been watching or reading the news lately, you may have heard about a new outbreak that is linked to dough made with contaminated flour. What is unusual about this outbreak is that the source was not from the usual suspect, raw egg, but rather from flour that was [...]
Moving Forward in Arizona’s Dialysis Facilities
This year marked the fourth year that our Bureau of Medical Facilities Licensing partnered with stakeholders to provide a day-long educational session for end-stage renal dialysis (ESRD) providers in Arizona. This year we saw an increase in attendees from other states. Approximately 135 participants attended the 2016 ADVICE Collaborative to identify data-driven opportunities to improve dialysis services in Arizona and [...]
Naloxone is an Important Tool in Combating Narcotic-Related Deaths in Arizona
Unintentional drug overdoses reigns as the leading cause of accidental death nationally and in Arizona. We have worked with several organizations for the past four years to help implement the Arizona Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse Initiative. We recently welcomed United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy to conduct Grand Rounds with clinicians and others at the University of Arizona [...]
Arizona’s Treat and Refer Recognition Program Launch
Our Bureau of EMS and Trauma System recently launched the Arizona Treat and Refer Recognition Program by publishing the manual and application on its website. This innovative program is the result of several months of collaboration between ADHS, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), and EMS stakeholders. Treat and Refer programs are an important change for Arizona . EMS [...]