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Arizona joined the states asking CDC for laboratory testing for Enterovirus D68 on Friday. We’ve had an increase in the number of children hospitalized and treated for upper respiratory illness. Enterovirus is in the family with the common cold and illness is usually limited to cold symptoms (stuffy or runny nose and cough). There seem [...]
State government authority and policy is driven by laws that are established by the Legislature and carried out by the Governor through the Executive Branch. Sometimes laws are passed directly by the voters (called a voter initiative). Many state laws require state agencies to develop regulations to “flesh out” the laws they pass by giving [...]
We collect all kinds of surveillance about prevalence of disease, birth, causes of death, reasons for hospital visits, smoking rates and hundreds of other indicators to help us assess health indicators and design interventions to improve outcomes. For the first time ever, we now have a tool to explore this data and visualize it in [...]
For the first time, the US Preventive Services Task Force has released an e-book version of its Guide to Clinical Preventive Services which helps primary care clinicians and patients decide together what preventive services are right for a patient’s needs. The 2014 Guide includes all active Task Force evidence-based recommendations including 28 new and updated [...]
Just the idea of bed bugs makes folks squirm...which is understandable, but here in Arizona we have scarier bugs like Rhipicephalus sanguineus or Culex quinquefasciatus that actually transmit diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and West Nile virus. Bed bugs don’t transmit disease but they can cause skin reactions and psychosocial stress (e.g., anxiety and [...]
One of the key objectives of public health is to assess the cause of disease or bad outcomes so we can design interventions. In order to do that, we need to be able to tell the difference between when something is actually “causing” an outcome and when the exposure or condition is simply “associated” or [...]
Going to college is fun and exciting. As is the case with all life transitions, getting some helpful hints in advance can smooth out the adjustment time and help create a better and healthier outcome. Make it a point to review the following “life coach tips” with your young adult (like I’ve been doing with my [...]
Depression strikes more people than you might think. Some 300,000 people in Arizona live with major depression. It may take years from when symptoms first emerge and to when people finally get help. Less than one-third of adults with a diagnosed mental illness receive treatment. Often, it’s the friends and family of a person living [...]
2014 has already proven to be a very active year for rabies in Arizona. So far this year, there have been 70 animals reported positive for rabies. Last year at this time there were 40 animals reported positive. We’re seeing an especially high number of rabid skunks this year. 39 skunks have been reported so [...]
You’ve probably read about how we are working on the Arizona Health Improvement Plan to help us all live a better, healthier and longer life. But one of the most important things we can do as today’s leaders is to inspire tomorrow’s leaders. I had the opportunity to meet Cody Vasquez this week – he’s [...]
