Vaccines provide a high level of protection against COVID-19. That’s one of the findings of an ongoing research study following health care workers, first responders, and other essential workers in Arizona. Jeff Burgess, MD, MPH, professor and associate dean of research at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, discusses the AZ HEROES study, why the rise of the delta variant in Arizona is worrisome and why it is critical to study the COVID vaccine in people who have been vaccinated.

Pathogens and bacteria can survive in the bathroom for hours, weeks, or months. "Aerosols can spread anywhere from one to six feet, an average of three feet," said Kelly Reynolds, PhD, MSPH, professor and director of the Environment, Exposure Science and Risk Assessment Center at the University of Arizona.

Data from a University of Arizona Health Sciences longitudinal study on COVID-19 shows that 67% of people with mild or moderate COVID-19 infection develop long COVID, with symptoms that last more than 30 days after a positive test.

The UArizona Center for Rural Health has received a five-year, multi-million dollar grant from state and federal sources to continue their mission of providing health care, education, technical assistance, data analyses and more to rural communities throughout the state.

A review by researchers from the College of Medicine – Phoenix finds Arizonans experience five times as many encounters with scorpions as residents of any other state. The team tabulated 57,168 reported scorpion encounters statewide between 2010 and 2015, compared to just 9,695 cases in second-place Texas.

Janko Nikolich-Žugich, MD, PhD, an immunologist and professor of medicine at the College of Medicine – Tucson, said recent findings from the CDC that vaccinated people who are infected with the delta variant could spread the virus just as easily as unvaccinated individuals should prompt behavioral changes across the board. “What we do not know at this point is whether the virus produced in vaccinated people is still at the same level of infectivity, or whether the presence of antibodies in these people may make the virus less infectious,” he said. “Until we learn about that, the delta variant behavior should mandate a change in strategies and approaches.”

A new clinical trial will assess the impact of inspiratory muscle training on blood pressure in adults with obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension.

UArizona Health Sciences International is expanding access to education to support the next generation of health care professionals – wherever they have an internet connection.

When Dr. Taylor Riall was diagnosed with lung cancer, navigating her diagnosis became a pivot point in her life.