Pinal County recently recorded this season’s first pediatric influenza death in Arizona. This heartbreaking news is a reminder that children younger than 5 who get influenza are among those at increased risk of complications including pneumonia, worsening of chronic conditions, encephalopathy, and sinus and ear infections. Quite simply, influenza is an unpredictable virus that can [...]
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study has found that the Omicron booster provided significant additional protection against symptomatic COVID-19 illness in people who had received at least two doses of a previous COVID-19 vaccine. The CDC notes that COVID-19 spread has increased during the last two winters. And Arizona cases have increased [...]
Improving our understanding of when and how to use antibiotics promotes health, fights the challenge of antimicrobial resistance, and helps ensure that antibiotics will be able to help generations to come. During U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week, ADHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are among organizations sharing the message that antibiotics can [...]
Given that today is Public Health Thank You Day in the U.S., you'd expect me to praise our team at ADHS and the many others who promote healthier and stronger communities in Arizona's counties, cities, towns, and tribal nations. And I will do that – briefly. Amid a global pandemic, the professionals in Arizona's public [...]
With cases of respiratory illness rising in Arizona, it's easy to overlook the possibility that Valley fever might be the reason for a cough, fever, or exhaustion. Caused by a fungus that can be carried by blowing dust, Valley fever is one of the most commonly reported infectious diseases in our state. Anyone who lives [...]
"Milestones," an award-winning public service announcement from the Arizona Smokers Helpline (ASHLine), begins with one man's decision to end dependence on commercial tobacco. It then follows the health benefits that multiply in the years after that last cigarette. This year's Great American Smokeout focuses on what gets someone to day one of life without commercial [...]
You might associate Crash Responder Safety Week more with our colleagues at the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Arizona Department of Transportation. But it's special to ADHS as well because of our role in supporting Arizona's emergency medical services and trauma system. From 2019 to 2021, there were more than 100,000 traffic-related crashes involving [...]
Today, Nov. 15, is World Cord Blood Day, which calls attention to how stem cells that remain in the placenta and umbilical cord after a child is born help doctors treat more than 80 life-threatening diseases. There have been more than 40,000 cord blood stem cell transplants since a French doctor first used the procedure [...]
Public health data helps ADHS tell the public where disease is occurring and who is most affected. An example is high COVID-19 death rates among seniors compared to other age ranges in Arizona. This helps people make informed personal decisions on how best to conduct their activities. That’s why I'm pleased to highlight Susan Robinson, [...]
No one knows a community better than the people who live there. Someone who has spent a lifetime in Tuba City, Seligman, or Yuma knows the people who live there, what makes the community unique, and what health care solutions are needed. That's the idea behind the Community Health Worker movement, which has roots in [...]
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