Last week our HIV Prevention Program, the Ryan White Part B Program, and the Ryan White Part A Program of Maricopa County presented the third annual HIV symposium. More than 260 people attended, representing state and local health departments, community-based organizations, clinical providers, community leaders, and people living with HIV. Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton kicked [...]
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 [...]
Public health agencies around the world recognize World AIDS Day on Thursday, Dec. 1 to show support for people living with disease, and to remember those who have passed. The special day was established in 1988 to create an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV. More than 17,000 Arizonans are [...]
Our HIV Epidemiology Program just released their 2016 Arizona HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Annual Report, documenting HIV/AIDS incidence and prevalence trends at both the state and county level throughout Arizona. In 2015, there were 17,349 Arizonans living with HIV/AIDS, of which 730 were newly infected. The number of HIV-related deaths has been decreasing from 309 deaths in [...]
Two scientific advances have provided the tools needed to end the HIV epidemic. First, for people who are not infected with HIV, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) can reduce the risk of HIV infection by more than 90%. Second, people living with HIV who get into medical care, take their HIV medicine and become virally suppressed are [...]
Our HIV Prevention and HIV/AIDS Care & Services Programs, in collaboration with Maricopa County’s Ryan White Part A Program are hosting the second annual 2016 Integrated HIV Symposium on March 1 and 2 at the Black Canyon Conference Center in Phoenix. This free event will feature exciting presentations from individuals who have been locally and nationally recognized for their work to [...]
For more than 20 years, public health advocates and clinical practitioners have been meeting in the Southwest to talk about what's new in TB and HIV. Earlier this month, Arizona’s public health and clinical representatives joined our federal and four-corner-state counterparts in Durango, Colorado. At this 21st conference, presentations ran the gamut from TB case [...]
Our HIV Prevention Program in the Bureau of Tobacco and Chronic Disease launched Arizona's first statewide HIV prevention media campaign in late October. The media campaign uses the tagline “Its Only Dangerous When You Don’t Know It’s There” and is designed to positively promote and support HIV-related public health and safety. The campaign features people running [...]
In 2013 the Oklahoma State Department of Health was notified of a potential hepatitis outbreak associated with poor infection prevention practices in a dental office in Tulsa. This spurred testing of more than 4,000 patients who could have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV. When the investigation concluded, it marked the first documented spread of [...]
CDC’s 2013 Prevention Status Reports have just been released publicly on CDC’s website. You’ll find reports specific to Arizona on topics like nutrition, physical activity, teen pregnancy, tobacco use, HIV, heart disease, motor vehicle crashes, and prescription drug abuse. Reports include a few data indicators of how we compare to the U.S., as well as [...]
