It’s Mosquito Season; Take Precautions to Stay Safe from Diseases
Back in July, Arizona’s first case of West Nile virus was confirmed in Maricopa County. Unfortunately, the disease hasn’t stopped there. We’re continuing to see an increase in mosquito-borne illnesses statewide. So far this year, 46 cases of West Nile virus and 12 cases of Saint Louis encephalitis (another virus spread by the same mosquito that causes West Nile) have been confirmed in Arizona. We expect to see [...]
Healthy People Building Healthy Communities Across Arizona
The Arizona Health Improvement Plan (AzHIP) Steering Committee, an advisory group of 20 statewide leaders (which I'm fortunate to co-chair), met last week to discuss progress on the working draft for the AzHIP and Arizona's leading health priorities. As a refresher, the purpose of the Arizona Health Improvement Plan is to move the dial on important health outcomes. The priorities were [...]
New Campaign Highlights Safe Sleep Awareness
Today ADHS, the Safe Sleep Task Force, and several community partners launched a new public awareness campaign to teach parents and care givers of infants about safe sleeping environments. The numbers show heartbreaking statistics. In 2013, 74 infants died suddenly and unexpectedly, often referred to as SUID—sudden unexpected infant death. The cause of death for 64 of the children occurred while the [...]
Celebrate National Immunization Awareness Month
Each year in August National Immunization Awareness Month provides an opportunity to highlight the value of immunization across the lifespan. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) immunizations are one of the top 10 public health accomplishments of the 20th century. While immunizations have significantly reduced the incidence of many serious infectious diseases, vaccination rates for some diseases are not [...]
Blood Lead Screening to Identify at Risk Children
In Arizona more than 800 children each year are identified with elevated blood lead levels (EBLL). Even at low blood lead levels, children’s intelligence, behavior, hearing and growth can be irreparably damaged. Most children will not have any symptoms. The only way to detect lead poisoning is through a blood test. All children living in high-risk zip codes should receive a blood [...]
Tips for Parents as Kids Head Back to School and Childcare
As parents prepare for children to return to school or child care, Bureau of Child Care Licensing has some helpful hints for you to keep in mind to better ensure that your child will be safe and well-cared for in your absence. You can check out a facility’s track record regarding compliance with licensing regulations by going to AZ Care [...]