Arizona Department of Health Services, Director’s Blog

Water Screening in Child Care Facilities

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 […]

By | September 18th, 2017|Licensing, Preparedness|Comments Off on Water Screening in Child Care Facilities

The United States and Canada Experiencing Cyclospora Outbreak

Currently, the United States and Canada are experiencing an outbreak of Cyclospora, a foodborne parasite. People who swallow this parasite become sick with ongoing diarrhea, often going away and coming back (relapsing), loss of appetite, gas, stomach pain, and fatigue. Symptoms usually start a week after the parasite is swallowed, but […]

By | September 13th, 2017|Preparedness|Comments Off on The United States and Canada Experiencing Cyclospora Outbreak

Prevent Childhood Obesity with Small Steps

One in three children in the United States are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems that were once seen only in adults, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. The good news is that childhood obesity can be prevented. In recognition of National […]

By | September 12th, 2017|Prevention|Comments Off on Prevent Childhood Obesity with Small Steps

Strengthening Binational Partnerships Through Surveillance

Binational surveillance allows public health on both sides of the border to investigate potential exposures and cases of infectious diseases. Our relationship with our border state of Sonora, Mexico has been long standing and we have had shared a surveillance system since 2007.

In early August, representatives from the Office of Border Health and […]

By | September 11th, 2017|Preparedness|Comments Off on Strengthening Binational Partnerships Through Surveillance

Take the Fruits and Veggies–More Matters Pledge

September brings not only the hope for cooler weather but a chance to eat more fruits and vegetables as we celebrate Fruits and Veggies-More Matters Month. The latest Dietary Guidelines and the nutrition recommendations from ChooseMyPlate are specific in how many fruits and vegetables each of us should eat each day, but most of us fall short.

To get […]

By | September 8th, 2017|Prevention|Comments Off on Take the Fruits and Veggies–More Matters Pledge

Home HIV Test Pilot Project Was Successful

The HIV Prevention Program just completed a pilot project that provided free home HIV test kits by mail or in-person pickup. People who had never had an HIV test, or who had not tested in a year or longer, qualified to receive a kit. A simple, 20-minute home test, OraQuick, was chosen as […]

By | September 7th, 2017|Prevention|Comments Off on Home HIV Test Pilot Project Was Successful