Arizona’s Maternal Mortality Review Program Receives National Recognition
The ADHS Maternal Mortality Review Program was recently recognized at the Maternal Mortality Review Information Application User Meeting hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA in June, 2019. The team was recognized for their integral role in conducting maternal mortality reviews in Arizona and for providing data to a recently published national report on [...]
Hepatitis A Outbreak Dashboard and Resources are Live
We recently launched an interactive dashboard and a number of resources to support the hepatitis A outbreak response efforts of county and tribal health departments, health care providers, and correctional facilities in Arizona. Tracking when and where the outbreak is occurring and who it is affecting is critical to the response. There have been more than 300 outbreak cases since [...]
Vaccinating People Most at Risk Can Help Curb National Hepatitis A Outbreak
Arizona, along with 18 other states, is currently experiencing an outbreak of hepatitis A. There have been more than 245 cases, mostly among individuals who are experiencing homelessness and/or use drugs. Currently over two-thirds of the cases are in Pima County. The disease has also spread to five other counties. More than 80 percent of individuals in this outbreak have been [...]
ADHS Publishes 2019 Arizona State Health Assessment
Today, we are very excited to announce that we have published the 2019 Arizona State Health Assessment! The Assessment highlights both successes and challenges in our state with the intent of driving data for action. The Assessment also identifies key social, economic, and environmental factors contributing to the health of Arizonans. Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) utilizes an evidence-based [...]
Arizona State Lab has Vital Role in Protecting Public Health
At the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), we have about 100 public health laboratory staff who work hard every day to detect critical infectious diseases, test suspicious substances, screen drinking water for contaminants, conduct early identification of genetic and metabolic disorders in newborns, inspect and license clinical and environmental labs across Arizona, and work to ensure our laboratory is [...]
Increased Use of Immunization Exemptions Put Arizona At-Risk for an Outbreak in 2019
In the midst of nationwide outbreaks of measles, and increases in Arizona cases of vaccine-preventable diseases, Arizona’s vaccine coverage rates continue to decrease. This places more Arizona children, families, and communities at risk for vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. For the third year in a row, non-medical exemption rates--the percentage of students exempt from one or more vaccines--increased across all age categories. [...]