Washing your hands remains as important as ever

AZ DHS 12/3 6:58A Jessica Rigler

From the time most people were children, parents and teachers stressed the importance of washing our hands. In the nearly two years since COVID-19 appeared, health officials around the world have...

Arizona has plenty of vaccine for COVID-19 vaccine boosters and first doses

AZ DHS 12/2 9:55A Jessica Rigler

I’m glad to see the ADHS data dashboard showing increased demand lately for COVID-19 booster shots and primary vaccinations. Federal officials and ADHS have advised repeatedly that vaccination is the...

ADHS Bureau of Vital Records becomes nation’s third to obtain accreditation

AZ DHS 12/1 5:33A Don Herrington

Arizona icon and Senator Barry Goldwater was just 6 months old in July 1909 when the Bureau of Vital Records began keeping track of births and deaths throughout Arizona.  T oday, the Arizona...

CDC strengthens its recommendation on COVID-19 booster shots

AZ DHS 11/30 4:45A Don Herrington

If you’re fully vaccinated and age 18 or older, you’re likely due for a booster dose of safe, free, and highly effective COVID-19 vaccine.  On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

Where we stand following discovery of a COVID-19 variant called Omicron

AZ DHS 11/29 8:30A Don Herrington

On Tuesday, Nov. 23, ADHS and medical leaders appealed for Arizonans to do the following to curb the spread of COVID-19: Get vaccinated, and get kids ages 5 and older vaccinated:...

An appeal from our medical community: ‘Help us help you’

AZ DHS 11/26 4:49A Don Herrington

This week, hospital medical leaders and I joined Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th U.S. Surgeon General and special adviser to Governor Ducey on public health emergency preparedness, to share ways we can...

It’s a week to get to know more about antibiotics

AZ DHS 11/23 10:54A Jessica Rigler

U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week is an annual event that occurs this year from Nov. 18-24 to raise awareness of the importance of appropriate antibiotic use to decrease the spread of...

Take steps to keep foodborne illness from spoiling holiday gatherings

AZ DHS 11/22 5:16A Jessica Rigler

The holiday season that begins on Thanksgiving and continues through New Year’s means many things to many people. One thing it means to most of us is food . Meals and appetizers with family and...

Arizona needs everyone’s help to flatten the COVID-19 curve

AZ DHS 11/19 9:22A Jessica Rigler

The 5,070 COVID-19 cases added today to the ADHS dashboard don’t have an asterisk. COVID-19 cases are rising.  We can’t say exactly why this increase is happening even before the holiday season,...

National news about overdose deaths is a call to action for all Arizonans

AZ DHS 11/17 8:41A Sheila Sjolander

Today’s grim national news about overdose deaths amid the pandemic strikes a chord in Arizona, where opioid overdose deaths have continued to rise amid increased illegal use of counterfeit fentanyl. ...

The benefits of quitting smoking begin almost immediately

AZ DHS 11/17 7:11A Sheila Sjolander

In the 15 years since voters approved the Smoke Free AZ Act, Arizona has made significant progress in the battle to reduce smoking and improve public health in our state. When the measure passed in...

COVID-19 was Arizona’s third-leading cause of death in 2020; See ADHS Annual Report

AZ DHS 11/16 6:38A Don Herrington

Any death from COVID-19 is one too many. As public health professionals and public servants, we want Arizonans to have the information they need to protect themselves, including information on...

Cord blood a key to saving lives, treating diseases

AZ DHS 11/15 8:08A Jessica Rigler

A joyous occasion for parents around the world – the birth of a baby – can bring something just as miraculous to patients. Cord blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord after a child is...

Addition of 5-11 affects dashboard percentage for ‘eligible people vaccinated’

AZ DHS 11/10 5:34A Jessica Rigler

With the welcome addition of 5- to 11-year-olds to those eligible to receive the safe, free, and highly effective COVID-19 vaccination, starting today you’ll see a short-term decrease in the “Percent...

Increase in COVID-19 cases drives home the need to continue mitigation

AZ DHS 11/9 7:49A Don Herrington

After nearly two years, I don’t blame anyone for feeling done with the COVID-19 pandemic. The unfortunate truth, however, is the pandemic isn’t done with us.  Recent case numbers bear this out. After...