As of this week, more than 19,000 people in Arizona have died from COVID-19. I grieve for all of them, and for the families and loved ones who endure their loss. Those of us in public health have worked constantly since January 2020 to help Arizonans protect themselves from COVID-19. We take these unfortunate milestones [...]
There are now multiple types of COVID-19 tests available, including Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and serology (antibody testing). Both test types are becoming increasingly available in our communities. The PCR test is a diagnostic test that looks for the presence of viral nucleic acids and tells if a person is currently infected with the virus. [...]
Our Food and Waterborne Teams in the Office of Infectious Disease Services led a foodborne outbreak investigation tabletop exercise for almost 110 public health partners last week. Individuals in attendance came from tribal and county health departments, hospitals, state universities, and federal agencies including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This year’s all-day exercise explored [...]
Poisoning (including alcohol and prescription drugs) causes more deaths than car crashes in AZ. Committed folks across the state are taking action on this issue. We’re part of the Arizona Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse Initiative, a multi-agency, multi-systemic approach to addressing the epidemic. As part of this initiative, new guidelines have been issued for prescribing [...]
You’ve no doubt heard about the multi-state outbreak of fungal meningitis among patients who received an epidural steroid injections recently. Here’s what we know right now: Starting sometime in September some shipments of a steroid sometimes used to relieve back pain were contaminated with a fungus called Aspergillus fumigatus. Shortly thereafter patients in 23 states [...]
Today the FDA released the new, graphic warning labels that will be on cigarette packs. The labels educate smokers and others, including kids, about the dangers of tobacco use and encourage smokers to quit. Using this proven techique, the U.S. joins 43 other countries that already require pictures or images on cigarette packs. The warning [...]
