While it may feel like summer is just kicking off, the monsoon season has officially started and that means some safety measures should be mixed in with your summer fun.  What is the North American Monsoon? The monsoon involves changes in seasonal winds that can cause extreme weather conditions including extreme heat, dust storms, sudden […]

For reasons that aren’t always clear, men simply don’t go to the doctor as often as women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women visit their healthcare provider 40% more often than men. That may be an explanation for what the Washington Post recently called a “silent crisis in men’s health.” Data […]

The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) is offering free lead screening of drinking water fixtures and faucets for Arizona schools and child care facilities as part of a nationwide program that was established by the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act of 2016, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. ADHS received about […]

Summer is right around the corner, and it’s time to get ready for the sweltering heat season from May to September, when Arizona becomes one of the hottest places on earth. No one is risk-free when it comes to deadly summer heat. Arizona hospitals saw an annual average of 2,858 heat related emergency department visits […]

A recent press release from CDC highlighted the increasing threat of Candida auris (C. auris) because it is often antimicrobial resistant (available treatments may not work), can cause severe disease, including death, and is spreading among healthcare facilities in the United States. Arizona identified its first clinical case of C. auris in 2020, and there […]

What happens when you combine the year’s most-watched sporting event – the Super Bowl, and in Arizona no less – with the year’s best-attended golf tournament: the WM Phoenix Open? In addition to an extended celebration, you get food – lots of it, at homes and events. Arizona hasn’t seen a week like this since […]

If you have a moderately or severely weakened immune system, it’s more important than ever to have a COVID-19 action plan. The Food and Drug Administration recently announced that the therapeutic agent  EVUSHELD is not currently authorized for emergency use in the U.S. This monoclonal antibody had been prescribed to people with moderately to severely […]

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 […]

During November, Arizonans who had received the updated Omicron booster were 14 times less likely than unvaccinated individuals to be hospitalized from COVID-19 and 49 times less likely to die from COVID-19. That’s according to our latest monthly look at COVID-19 outcomes by vaccination status. Those who were vaccinated, but hadn’t gotten the updated booster […]

People of all ages get sick with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, and COVID-19, but dealing with these diseases can be especially trying for parents of young children.  Fortunately, in most cases these viruses cause mild illness that can be treated at home by managing fever and pain and drinking lots of clear fluids. In […]