District 5 Supervisor Lena Fowler — Construction underway for the Tuba City Bashas’ Shopping Center parking lot

Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) has achieved national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). The national accreditation program works to improve and protect the health of the public by advancing and ultimately transforming the quality and performance of the nation’s state, local, tribal and territorial public health departments.

“We are pleased and excited to be recognized for achieving national standards that foster effectiveness and promote continuous quality improvement,” said CCHHS Director Thomas Pristow. “The accreditation process ensures that the programs and services we provide are as responsive as possible to the needs of our community. With accreditation, Health and Human Services is demonstrating increased accountability and credibility to the public, funders, elected officials and our partner organizations.”

The national accreditation program, which is jointly supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, sets standards against which the nation’s nearly 3,000 governmental public health departments can continuously improve their performance and quality of services. To receive accreditation, a health department must undergo a multi-faceted, peer- reviewed assessment process to ensure it meets or exceeds a set of quality standards and measures.

CCHHS is one of fewer than 300 health departments that have achieved accreditation through PHAB since the organization launched in 2011.

Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) officials confirmed a second mosquito pool has tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV). The mosquito sample was taken from the Cheshire area in northwest Flagstaff.

Recently, a mosquito sample from an area south of Lake Mary Road in Flagstaff tested positive for WNV. No human cases have been reported in Coconino County since 2010 when two human cases where identified.

CCHHS staff has applied a non-toxic larvicide treatment to reduce mosquito populations in water pools in the affected areas and in other locations in the County. CCHHS will continue trapping and testing mosquitoes in areas where there is mosquito activity until colder weather returns. Although these are the only areas where mosquitoes have tested positive this year, WNV is endemic to the region and could be present in other areas throughout the County.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, insect repellent containing DEET, Picaridin, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus or PMD (the synthesized version of oil of lemon eucalyptus) and IR3535 typically provide reasonably long-lasting protection.

People should continue taking preventive measures until cold weather returns and mosquito activity diminishes in the fall.

Most people (8 out of 10) infected with WNV do not develop any symptoms. Symptoms and signs of West Nile Virus include fever, headache, body aches, skin rash and swollen lymph nodes. If people experience symptoms, they should contact a healthcare provider.

There is no specific treatment for WNV other than supportive care, and there is no vaccine available for humans. A WNV vaccination is available for horses. CCHHS encourages horse owners to discuss vaccinations with their veterinarian.

For more information or to report any concerns, call the Coconino County Health and Human Services Environmental Health office at 928-679-8750 or toll free 1-877-679-7272.