With the holiday and travel season upon us, Arizonans are encouraged to continue to rebel against arboviruses like chikungunya, dengue, and Zika. Whether you are traveling to a galaxy far, far away or to lands much closer to home, we encourage you to “Fight the Bite” and support resistance efforts. If you have a bad [...]
Monsoon season is fast-approaching and with it thunderstorm activity that will continue through September, during which more than half of Arizona’s yearly rainfall will occur. You and your family will be able to enjoy some great views of Arizona’s extreme weather, but it is also important to be aware that thunderstorms may result in alerts for flash flooding, high winds, and lightning. This [...]
While some mosquitoes can be active throughout the year in parts of Arizona, peak season is usually April through October. So as we head into the warmer months, public health and vector control professionals have been attending training to ensure they are prepared to prevent and control mosquito-borne diseases, such as West Nile and Zika [...]
With the holiday season upon us, you may be planning to travel to visit family and friends or to see different climates. Whatever the reason, it is important to take steps to stay safe while traveling. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website to view any travel notices and to check areas of [...]
Mosquito season is upon us, which means it’s time to find ways to prevent and control mosquitoes around your home. Let’s all mark National Mosquito Control Awareness Week this week by protecting our families and communities from mosquito-borne disease. Arizona is home to more than 40 different types of mosquitoes, including the Culex and Aedes [...]
As expected, the first case of Zika has finally been confirmed in Arizona. Yesterday, our Arizona State Public Health Laboratory identified Zika virus in a specimen sent to us for testing. The case, an older adult woman in Maricopa County, was infected with the disease while traveling in a country with known Zika virus transmission. [...]
A few weeks ago I blogged about Zika virus, a disease spread by mosquitoes that was newly detected in several Central and South American countries. This week, the CDC confirmed the first case virus of Zika in the United States. The virus was found in a person who lives in Texas, but who had traveled [...]
Our state has experienced some powerful storms over the past month with the most recent hitting the Greater Phoenix Area last night. After the storm passes, the threat to public health can continue. Fortunately, there are simple actions you can take to prevent the spread of these health risks, including mosquito-borne disease, flood water runoff [...]
Back in July, Arizona’s first case of West Nile virus was confirmed in Maricopa County. Unfortunately, the disease hasn’t stopped there. We’re continuing to see an increase in mosquito-borne illnesses statewide. So far this year, 46 cases of West Nile virus and 12 cases of Saint Louis encephalitis (another virus spread by the same mosquito that causes West Nile) have been confirmed in [...]
Monsoon rain and humidity is great (at least I think so)… but with it comes mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus. Every year since West Nile virus was introduced to AZ in ‘04, we’ve had human cases of West Nile Virus (meaning it’s endemic now). The total number of cases bumps around every year from [...]
