Our Health Emergency Operations Center activated last week as part of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station annual emergency drill. Federal regulations mandate Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station and its emergency response partners conduct regular preparedness drills and exercises. During a public health emergency, the Health Emergency Operations Center activates to support state emergency management [...]
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that can affect people and animals. The bacteria can be found in soil and water and can be carried and spread in the urine of infected animals (including rodents, wildlife, pets, and livestock). Dogs can become infected with leptospirosis. Symptoms in dogs include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, [...]
You might be surprised to learn that what we add to our coffee and tea may be adding up when we count our calories for the day. A recent study in the scientific journal, Public Health, found that about two thirds of coffee drinkers and one third of tea drinkers add something to their drinks. [...]
Practicing good sun safety is important at any age, but it is especially important for children since much of a person's lifetime exposure to the sun occurs before age 18. Arizona residents are at risk for developing skin cancer because our sunny state has areas of high environmental exposure and limited protection. It's hard to [...]
When you work in public health, you know it’s scary to get stuck by a needle in a trashcan, bathroom or another unexpected place. While needles and syringes are used for the medical treatment of multiple conditions such as arthritis, psoriasis, diabetes, and cancer, there is always the fear that a discarded needle also carries blood [...]
For years, it has been recommended that everyone consume less sugar. New information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives a clear picture of just how much sugar our kids are getting from sugar-sweetened beverages. Almost two-thirds of the young ones and teens (ages 2 through 19 years) are drinking at least one [...]
A top priority for our department is to develop prevention programs, services and public education campaigns that help Arizona families make choices that will improve their health and wellness. A major focus of many of our initiatives is preventing heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both women and men in [...]
Public health is always hard at work identifying and solving outbreaks. In the case of foodborne diseases, public health epidemiologists, nurses, and lab scientists are teaming up at local, state and federal levels to find out what food made people sick. When two or more people with the same foodborne disease get sick from the [...]
Our Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) program works with various partners to improve patient safety across Arizona. On January 20th, the HAI program collaborated with the local Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology Grand Canyon Chapter (APIC) to host their annual State of the State meeting. This event took place at Health Services Advisory Group and was attended by more [...]
In Arizona, healthcare providers identify hundreds of children each year with elevated blood lead levels, which our Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) monitors. Although there is no safe blood lead level, interventions are initiated at blood lead levels ≥ 5 µg/dL, the CDC reference value. When a child is identified with elevated blood lead [...]
