No Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine This Year
In public health, we know that flu is unpredictably affecting different populations at different times with different strains (remember the drift in 2014). Last week, CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that due to low vaccine effectiveness, the nasal spray flu vaccine not be used this upcoming flu season. Once finalized by CDC, these recommendations will be published in the Morbidity and Mortality [...]
Say Adios to Aedes and Ciao to Culex Mosquitoes
Mosquito season is upon us, which means it’s time to find ways to prevent and control mosquitoes around your home. Let’s all mark National Mosquito Control Awareness Week this week by protecting our families and communities from mosquito-borne disease. Arizona is home to more than 40 different types of mosquitoes, including the Culex and Aedes species of mosquito, which can [...]
Career Recruiting Events to be Held this Summer
Our Human Resources team will be hosting on-site career events at the Arizona State Hospital (ASH) as well as increasing our recruiting efforts for the rest of the agency. The career events at ASH will be recruiting for critical positions including: Registered Nurses, Behavioral Health Technicians/MHPS 3's and Hospital Security at ASH; Epidemiologists in Public Health Prevention and Preparedness; and [...]
Partnering to Improve Surveillance for Disease Prevention
Last week we hosted a two-day workshop on improving surveillance capacity for diseases spread by mosquitoes with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the International Society of Disease Surveillance (ISDS). ISDS's mission of bringing ideas to actions with measurable impact on public health practice, helped our Office of Infectious Disease Services to develop new ways to better inform our response to dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. The meeting pulled together [...]
Youth Tobacco Rates Continue to Drop in Arizona
We’re seeing a downward trend in Arizona with youth tobacco prevalence that is similar to the national trend , according to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey. The percentage of Arizona’s high school youth who have ever tried smoking has decreased from 46.5 percent in 2011 to 37 percent in 2015, a decrease of almost 20 percent. When we look at [...]
Learn the Signs and Symptoms of Heat-Related Illnesses to Stay Safe
The high temperatures over the past few days have resulted in 13 out of 15 Arizona counties to be under an Excessive Heat Warning. Exposure to these temperatures can put you at additional risk for a heat-related illness. Most vulnerable are adults age 65 and older, those who work or exercise outdoors, infants and children, the homeless, low income families, and [...]