Four Food Safety Tips for the 4th of July
Family, fireworks, food, and fun are four great reasons for a 4th of July celebration. It is also a great time to fire up the grill and prepare delicious summertime meals. Just don’t let foodborne illness spoil the fun. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1 out of 6 Americans will become sick this year and 128,000 will be hospitalized from foodborne [...]
Follow Safety Guidelines for Fireworks to Keep Your Family Safe
For many people Independence Day wouldn’t be complete without fireworks. There are dozens of public fireworks shows around the state, but some people like shooting them at home. Fireworks are legal in Arizona although some communities have banned them due to wildfire concerns . The best thing you can do to keep your family safe is to find a local [...]
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 [...]