Preparedness

Items in the Preparedness category will cover everything from Emergency Medical Services to vaccination programs. This division at ADHS tracks contagious disease, coordinates emergency preparedness activity, licenses EMTs and Paramedics, regulates ambulance companies, authorizes special hospital designations like cardiac care center and Level IV trauma center, issues birth and death certificates, and tracks critical health data through various sources including hospital discharge information.

Is Your Healthcare Facility Ready for Ebola?

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:28-07:00October 17th, 2014|Preparedness|

Two Ebola virus disease cases have been identified among healthcare workers in Texas, underscoring the importance of maintaining strict adherence to infection control precautions when working with Ebola patients. We know that the general public in the US isn't at risk - but we also know that healthcare workers have the highest risk. The good news is that the risk of transmission can be dramatically [...]

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Ebola Preparedness: Public Health Priorities

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:28-07:00October 16th, 2014|Preparedness|

As Ebola cases continue to rise worldwide and in the US, ADHS is redoubling our efforts to ensure Arizona's healthcare and public health systems are prepared to respond to potential Ebola cases. Right now, our top priorities are ensuring the rapid identification and prompt isolation of cases in order to reduce disease spread to healthcare workers and [...]

AZ Ebola Readiness Gap Analysis Underway

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:28-07:00October 14th, 2014|Preparedness|

The CDC developed an Ebola self-assessment tool for states last week called Top 10 Ebola Response Planning Tips: Ebola Readiness Self-Assessment for State and Local Public Health Officials. The self-assessment (which is posted on the CDC’s Ebola Website) provides a tool for states to evaluate their overall Ebola readiness. Our team has been going through the [...]

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ADHS Lab Ready to Test for Ebola

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:28-07:00October 10th, 2014|Preparedness|

Our ADHS Public Health Laboratory has been authorized by the CDC to begin testing blood samples for the Ebola Virus as needed. We received an Ebola test kit on Tuesday, completed our proficiency testing Wednesday, and were approved yesterday (Thursday). The kit can test up to 9 clinical samples for the Ebola Virus. We used a few of [...]

AZ’s Role in the Ebola Response

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:29-07:00October 2nd, 2014|Preparedness|

This week the CDC confirmed the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the US. The person had traveled from Liberia to Dallas. The patient didn’t have symptoms when he left Liberia, but developed them 5 days after arriving in Dallas on September 20 - meaning that folks on the plane have no risk of developing Ebola [...]

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The Ebola Intervention Roadmap

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:29-07:00September 23rd, 2014|Preparedness|

The pace of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has quickened over the last few weeks. There have now been over 4,900 cases and 2,400 deaths (half in the last month). The WHO has warned that by October, we may see the number of Ebola cases doubling every three weeks. For several months now, the [...]

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Influenza Preparedness

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:29-07:00September 22nd, 2014|Preparedness|

It’s coming up on the harvest season for infectious diseases, and many of our ADHS teams are gearing up. We’re monitoring the number of flu cases reported across the state (we’ve only had 1 in the last couple weeks), supporting distribution of flu vaccines, encouraging healthcare workers and the public to get vaccinated, and testing influenza [...]

Ebola Outbreak in West Africa

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:33-07:00August 8th, 2014|Preparedness|

As you’ve probably seen in the news, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is still on the march. The outbreak started back in March and is currently the largest Ebola outbreak in history, with the WHO reporting 1,603 cases and 877 deaths as of August 1st. Most of the cases have occurred in Sierra Leone, Guinea, [...]

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Ebola Health Advisory Issued

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:33-07:00August 1st, 2014|Preparedness|

The CDC issued a health advisory today regarding the Ebola outbreak in West Africa underscoring the potential for travel-associated spread of the disease and the risks to healthcare workers in the area. The possibility of infected persons entering the US from the ourbreak area is still low - but the CDC also provided guidance to clinicians on evaluating [...]

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Monsoon Food Safety

By Will Humble|2017-02-10T09:49:35-07:00July 4th, 2014|Preparedness, Prevention|

With the monsoon comes an increase in foodborne illnesses in Arizona. While outdoor pool parties, barbeques, and family gatherings are cool, it’s important to remember some tips for handling food safely to protect your family and guests from a nasty bout of foodborne illnesses. According to the CDC, reducing foodborne illness by just 10% would keep 5 million Americans [...]

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