Childhood vaccines protect against not just severe illness but prevent disease outbreaks that can interrupt classroom learning. That’s one reason why ADHS and our partners encourage parents to get their children current on required immunizations as well as COVID-19 vaccination. The pandemic has made it more difficult to stay current on routine medical care. With [...]
Nothing is more precious than our children, so I understand why many parents will have questions about kids and COVID-19 vaccination. That’s why ADHS has enlisted medical and public health experts to answer parents’ questions in a town hall-style video we plan to make available Wednesday, Nov. 17, on our social media channels and through [...]
A common question that has come up as the CDC has granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the COVID vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 is related to vaccine requirements for school and childcare attendance. Given the interest, I thought it would be timely to provide the details about how and why a vaccine [...]
Rabies is a virus spread by the bite of or contact with saliva of an infected animal. The disease causes damage to the nervous system and causes death once symptoms appear. In Arizona, bats, skunks, and foxes are the main sources of rabies. Rabies is not uncommon in Arizona wildlife, and the virus occurs naturally [...]
We are partnering with county health departments to conduct the Arizona Children’s Health Survey in their communities to learn about our children’s health and better understand the experiences of families in meeting their children’s needs across the state. Results of the survey will help identify what is currently working well in your community related to children’s health, [...]
Between April and September, the Arizona WIC Program's outreach efforts included a new project to increase awareness of the WIC Program and increase participation among eligible women, infants, and children. The project has been a success with an increase of more than 10,000 participants a month. In September, more than 153,000 individuals received WIC services [...]
Arizona ranks in the middle of the pack in infant mortality. We’re doing many things right to improve the health of our babies- but we have a way to go. Last fall we participated in a learning collaborative sponsored by the National Governors Association. About 160 folks met to begin the process developing a statewide [...]
Make healthy food choices. Grab a healthy snack such as fruit, nuts, or low-fat cheese. Be active. Try simple things such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Be active for at least 2½ hours a week. Children and adolescents should get at least 1 hour of physical activity each day. Find out more [...]
Minority populations often have poorer health outcomes than non-minority populations… but our new Power Me A2Z is doing something to change that. Power Me A2Z empowers women to take steps to promote good health for their families and their future children. It offers women a free 90-day supply of vitamins with folic acid and tools to help [...]
Fifteen years ago The Lancet published a case study that erroneously suggested that there could be a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. That letter has long since been discredited, and back in 2010 The Lancet retracted the article. Anti-vaccine advocates have been pointing to that long-since discredited 1998 case study to argue that there [...]
