Before the first case of influenza was reported in the Flagstaff area this fall, public health researchers from ADHS and Coconino County Health and Human Services already knew it was coming. How? By testing wastewater for signs of influenza. Wastewater surveillance for signs of specific diseases is a new and growing tool for 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 [...]
Every year, Trust for America’s Health releases a report that shows their rankings of states’ public health preparedness. Like most years, this year’s report uses a combination of measures that may or may not be under the control of state health departments to develop their state rankings. Arizona shows up in the bottom tier of this year’s [...]
On September 28th, partners around the globe will celebrate the 10th anniversary of World Rabies Day to raise awareness about the impact of rabies and how to prevent the disease. Rabies is a virus that can cause serious damage to the nervous system of humans and animals, and is almost always fatal once symptoms develop. [...]
Starting this month, ADHS will be launching a project to screen water in many licensed child care facilities for lead. Our Child Care Licensing surveyors will collect water from a sample of drinking water sources at facilities while they’re out to conduct facility inspections. The surveyors will bring the water samples to our Arizona State [...]
The State Public Health Lab Newborn Screening Program started testing for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) syndrome on August 9. SCID is the name for a group of inherited disorders that cause babies to be born without a working immune system, putting them at risk for getting serious infections and death. Governor Doug Ducey signed legislation [...]
We continue to make steady progress in addressing the statewide opioid epidemic. Last week we expanded blood screening at the State Public Health Lab, announced a $505,104 grant award from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and issued emergency rules for licensed healthcare facilities. The State Public Health Lab is now screening blood samples [...]
While summer may be in full swing, the influenza season is lingering longer than usual here in Arizona. In June, we typically see around 200 laboratory confirmed influenza cases. This year there were nearly 1,300 confirmed influenza cases in June . Our ADHS disease detectives and county health departments monitor influenza activity all year. In [...]
Throughout the year, a multitude of agencies release annual reports that attempt to grade states on their preparedness to respond to public health emergencies. Some years these reports use similar indicators to assign state scores, but indicators often vary from year to year. These reports look at areas both within and outside of a health [...]
Our Public Health Laboratory has been authorized by the CDC to begin testing for the Zika virus. We received a Zika virus testing validation panel from the Laboratory Response Network at CDC late last week, passed the proficiency testing panel and were authorized to test for Zika virus this past Monday. Using this test we can run up to 100 [...]
