Health Sciences In The Media

Fariba Donovan, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine with the UArizona Valley Fever Center for Excellence in Tucson, says it’s crucial, now more than ever, for people with symptoms to get tested for Valley fever, because the symptoms are so similar to COVID-19. In fact, a third of all pneumonia cases in Valley fever endemic areas, like Southern Arizona, are due to Valley fever.

Maricopa County says it is continuing to offer community-based vaccine events across the area with various partners. The goal is to make access to the vaccine as easy as possible. "Remember in science, we need to be more conservative in waiting for the data and the evidence before we make a pronouncement too early. So, we can really be certain that at this point, it really is safe and effective," said Shad Marvasti, MD, assistant professor of family community and preventive medicine at the College of Medicine – Phoenix.

Health officials are warning against using a drug called ivermectin for unapproved use as a medicine to prevent or treat COVID-19. The drug, which has been approved only as an anti-parasitic treatment for humans and animals such as livestock and horses, has been the subject of a spike in calls to the Mississippi Poison Control Center. The Banner Poison and Drug Information Center in Phoenix and the UArizona Poison and Drug Information Center in Tucson have seen an increase in calls about ivermectin exposure and human use.

Like most of the United States, the Navajo Nation in the southwest has suffered dramatically, perhaps disproportionately, from the COVID pandemic. A University of Arizona Center for Rural Health report found that “more than a third of the people live without electricity, paved roads, cell phone service, landlines, safe housing, or other essentials of modern life.”

The top U.S. public health officials announced this week that all Americans can get a booster shot starting the third week of September. The federal guidance says adults over the age of 18 will be eligible for another dose of Pfizer or Moderna eight months after their second dose. Deepta Bhattacharya, PhD, professor of immunobiology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, said getting a booster soon after a second shot “raises the possibility that it won’t work that well.” He explained that third doses will likely work much better after fully vaccinated people lose some of the antibodies in their systems.

A free webinar, “Preventing Cognitive Decline at Late-Life,” will be hosted by the Institute for Mental Health Research (IMHR) September 9. Jordan Karp, MD, a member of the IMHR Scientific Advisory Council, who is an internationally-recognized geriatric psychiatrist, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the College of Medicine – Tucson, will share his research on cognitive decline.

Melanie L. Bell, Ph.D., from the University of Arizona in Tucson and colleagues estimated the prevalence of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) -- defined as experiencing at least one symptom ≥30 days – and the prevalence of individual symptoms among 303 non-hospitalized individuals with a positive lab-confirmed COVID-19 test and mild or moderate disease with follow-up for a median 61 days.

COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise in Iowa, and among the health care workers who have been vital to caring for the sickest patients are nurses. Now just about a year and a half into the pandemic, many are at risk of burning out. "We, for so long, have really shied away from making legislation about staffing, for example, and really trying to address burnout," said Jessica Rainbow, PhD, RN, an assistant professor in the College of Nursing.

University of Arizona Health Sciences has announced it will launch HealthTech Connect, a consortium designed to build opportunities for companies and organizations to pursue cutting-edge innovations in health technology.

In his latest COVID-19 Update and Forecast published on Saturday, Joe Gerald, MD, PhD, associate professor of public health policy and management with the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, predicted that hospitals would experience reductions in services. “Undoubtedly, some medically necessary procedures will likely be postponed and rescheduled over the coming weeks to make room for critically ill COVID-19 patients,” said Dr. Gerald.