Pima County Health Department
Vaccine Preventable Disease Program
Invites You and/or Staff
To Attend
Satellite Broadcast Course
“Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases”
January 25, and February 1, 8, 15, 2007
10:00 am -2:00 pm local time

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides this free four-part series via live, interactive satellite broadcast. This comprehensive overview will discuss vaccination principles, recommendations, strategies, and more.

Place: Kino Teen Center Classroom
2801 E. Ajo Way
Tucson, Arizona

If you are interested in attending or plan to have any staff members attend, please contact
Grace McGothlin
Phone: 740-3755
Email: Grace.McGothlin@pima.gov

Reference Book required: “The Pink Book” 9th edition. Handouts of presentations will be provided.

For a complete broadcast description and on-line registration:
1. Visit the Public Health Training Network at www.phppo.cdc.gov/PHTN
2. You must use the on-line system to register and to receive continuing education credits for these programs.
3. Call 1-800-41-TRAIN for assistance using the website

Midvale Park Neighborhood

Officers assigned to work the Midvale Park Neighborhood received information from residents that led them to a house in the 1900 block of W. Nava.

A search warrant was served at the house yesterday at approximately 4:30 p.m. Detectives recovered several items indicative of trafficking in narcotic drugs. Among the items seized was an AR15 assault rifle, a 20 gauge shotgun, a 22 rifle, one quarter pound of marijuana, $11,500.00 in currency, a money counter, and plastic wrapping materials.

Two undocumented Mexican nationals were in the residence at the time that the warrant was executed. Both individuals are currently in the custody of the United States Border Patrol.

The investigation is continuing and charges may be issued at a later time.

The Tucson Police Department will continue to work with the residents of the Midvale Park Neighborhood to suppress crime in that area.

On January 5, 2007, deputies responded to a showcase home in the North Central Foothills area for a reported burglary.  Upon arrival, deputies discovered a Tucson Museum of Art Designer Show House that had apparently been burglarized late in the evening hours of January 4th or the early morning hours of January 5th.  The valuable items were borrowed from various designers in Southern Arizona with proceeds from sales to benefit the Tucson Museum of Art.

Among items stolen were:

Two Quartz Crystal metal mounted lamp posts valued at $7,000 each;
Scholar stones valued at $3,500;
Stone carved Chinese Urn valued at $4,200.
Other valuable items stolen inside the residence included beds and frames, mirrors, two wine cellars, picture of Marlon Brando, and a marble kitchen counter top measuring approximate size of 18”x6’.  Many of the items stolen were heavy and unique.

Photographs of stolen items will be made available at the Sheriff’s Administration Building located at 1750 E. Benson Hwy.  Anyone with information or anyone who may have recognized any of the items listed are asked to contact Detective Kingery with the Burglary Unit at 351-4891 or 88-CRIME.

Public Information Officer
Pima County Sheriff’s Department

PIMA COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
1750 East Benson Highway
Tucson, Arizona 85714
(520) 741-4600

FATAL TUCSON TRAFFIC ACCIDENT
28th St. / Jones Blvd.

On January 14, 2007, at 5:19 p.m., Tucson Fire Department and Officers from Operations Division Midtown responded to a traffic accident at 28th St. and Jones Blvd. Two vehicles had collided and one of the vehicles rolled over. The three occupants of the overturned vehicle were transported to the hospital where passenger, Olando Trujillo, 15 was pronounced dead. The driver suffered minor injuries and the other passenger received serious injuries. The driver and sole occupant of the other vehicle was not seriously injured.

Detectives responded and determined the three occupants were travelling west on 28th St. in a 1996 Pontiac Firebird and failed to stop for the stop sign at Jones Blvd. The second vehicle, a 1995 Pontiac Grand Prix with one occupant, was northbound on Jones Blvd. The vehicles collided in the intersection and the Firebird rolled over. Failure to stop for the stop sign and speeding were the cause of the collision. Detectives are still investigating the possibility of drugs or alcohol being involved.

On January 4th, 2006 the Tucson Police Department met with residents of the Midvale Park Neighborhood and community leaders, including Councilman Jose Ibarra. As a result of that meeting an action plan was created and the Police Department has begun a series of initiatives aimed at suppressing crime in that neighborhood. Additional officers have been deployed to augment police presence in that area.
 
Today at approximately 01:00 a.m., officers tasked with patrolling the Midvale Park Neighborhood saw a vehicle in the area of Valencia/Oak Tree. They made a traffic stop on the vehicle for an equipment violation near Mission/Valencia. During a search of the vehicle, officers located three handguns, a ski mask, handcuffs, and a folding knife among other items.
 
The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, Erick A. Robles, 21 years old, is a prohibited possessor and was subsequently arrested on weapons misconduct charges. Detectives are still trying to determine if Mr. Robles is tied to any other crimes. Mr. Robles was booked into the Pima County Jail. His photograph is available for release through the Public Information Section.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has been advised of a threatening email that has been sent to citizens in Tucson and the rest of Pima County.

The email is sent from a listing of me/@/unknown.com and the subject heading is Happy New Year. The contents of the email is as follows:

“I want you to read this message very carefully, and keep the secret with you till further notice, you have no need of knowing who I am, where I am from, till I make out a space for us to see, I have been paid $50,000.00 in advance to terminate you with some reasons listed to me by my employer, its one I believe you call a friend and someone you do business with everyday, I have followed you closely for days now and have seen that you are innocent of the accusation. Do not contact the police or try to send a copy of this to them, because if you do I will know, and might be pushed to do what I have been paid to do,  beside this is the first time I turned out to be a betrayer in my job.

Now listen, I will arrange for us to see face to face but before that I need the amount of $80,000.00 you have nothing to be afraid of, I will come to your office or home, so determine when you wish we meet, do not set any camera to cover us or set up any tape to record our conversation my employer is still in control now, $20,000.00 will be paid to the account I will provide you after our conversation I will give you the tape that contains his request for me to terminate you, which will be enough evidence for you to take him to court (if you wish to) then the balance will be paid. You don’t need my phone contact for now till am assured you are ready to comply good. NOTE: I have your whole details and will not entertain any question from you until I receive the part payment and I call you on your private phone numbers before we see. I am watching….

Signed,
Lucky You.”

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department Criminal Investigations Division has conducted extensive research into this email. We have been advised by citizens of approximately six emails received in Pima County since 10:00am this morning.  Also, the City of Tucson has experienced the same problems.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department advises you not to be alarmed by this email. Also, if you do not recognize the sender of the email, DON’T OPEN IT!  DELETE IT!  Please note that the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center, have been investigating this email for approximately one month.

Website for Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) can be located at: www.ic3.gov.

On January 5, 2007, detectives from the Tucson Police Department and the FBI Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (S.A.F.E.) Team arrested 22 year-old Nicholas Tsianos of the 100 block of W. University Blvd. Mr. Tsianos was chatting online with what he believed to be a 13 year-old female. The chats turned sexual in nature and arrangements were made for the two parties to meet. When Mr. Tsianos arrived for the arranged meeting, he was arrested. Posing as the 13 year-old female was an undercover Tucson Police Department Detective. Mr. Tsianos was charged with A.R.S. 13-3554 Luring a Minor for Sexual Exploitation (Class 3 Felony) and A.R.S. 13-1410 Attempted Molestation of a Child (Class 3 Felony). Mr. Tsianos’ booking photograph is available through the public information office.

From Pima County Health

This section contains general information concerning the problem of MRSA under the following sections;

The issues addressed herein:
What is MRSA?
Why bother with MRSA?
How do we prevent the spread of MRSA?
What do visitors need to do?
What about MRSA at home?
What can be done about MRSA?

What is MRSA?
The organism Staphylococcus aureus is found on many individuals skin and seems to cause no major problems. However if it gets inside the body, for instance under the skin or into the lungs, it can cause important infections such as boils or pneumonia. Individuals who carry this organism are usually totally healthy, have no problems whatever and are considered simply to be carriers of the organism.

The term MRSA or methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is used to describe those examples of this organism that are resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Methicillin was an antibiotic used many years ago to treat patients with Staphylococcus aureus infections. It is now no longer used except as a means of identifying this particular type of antibiotic resistance.

Individuals can become carriers of MRSA in the same way that they can become a carrier of ordinary Staphylococcus aureus which is by physical contact with the organism. If the organism is on the skin then it can be passed around by physical contact. If the organism is in the nose or is associated with the lungs rather than the skin then it may be passed around by droplet spread from the mouth and nose. We can find out if and where Staphylococcus aureus is located on a patient by taking various samples, sending them to the laboratory and growing the organism. Tests done on any Staphylococcus aureus grown from such specimens can then decide how sensitive the organisms is to antibiotics and if it is a methicillin resistant (MRSA) organism. These test usually take 2-3 days.

Why bother with MRSA?
MRSA organisms are often associated with patients in hospitals but can also be found on patients not in a hospital. Usually it is not necessary to do anything about MRSA organisms. However if MRSA organisms are passed on to someone who is already ill, then a more serious infection may occur in that individual. When patients with MRSA are discovered in a hospital, the hospital will usually try to prevent it from passing around to other patients. This is known as infection control.

How do we prevent the spread of MRSA?
Measures to prevent the spread of organisms from one person to another are called isolation or infection control. The type of infection control or isolation required for any patient depends on the organism, where the organisms is found on an individual and the patient.

The most important type of isolation required for MRSA is what is called Contact Isolation. This type of isolation requires everyone in contact with the patient to be very careful about hand washing after touching either the patient or anything in contact with the patient. If the organism is in the nose or lungs it may also be necessary to have the patient in a room to prevent spread to others by droplet spread. Because dust and surfaces can become contaminated with the organism, cleaning of surfaces are also important. This usually occurs after the patient leaves the hospital.

If a number of patients are infected with the same organism it is possible to nurse them in the same area. On occasions for the sake of other patients it may be necessary to move carriers of MRSA to an isolation unit such as ours which specializes in isolating all types of infections to protect other persons. The medical care of such patients will continue in an isolation unit which are well used to caring for all types of medical and surgical problems associated with infections.

What do visitors need to do?
Provided relatives and friends of patients with MRSA are healthy there is no restriction on visiting and it carries no risk. Visitors are not required to wear special clothing BUT we would ask you to help us prevent this organism spreading around our hospital by keeping the patients’ door closed at all times and always washing your hands whenever you leave the room.

What about MRSA at home?
In patients who are otherwise well the organisms often disappear once the patient leaves the hospital. Sometimes they do not however, and this may mean that when a patient has to go back into hospital the isolation precautions need to be used again. Provided everyone at home is healthy special precautions are not required at home.

What can be done about MRSA?
In certain situations it may be a good idea to try to get rid of the organism from a patient and this can be done with various creams and shampoos or on occasions combinations of antibiotics taken by mouth or by injection depending on the health of the patient.

Available from: http://www.pimahealth.org/

More than 450 members of the 1st Battalion, 285th Aviation Regiment will spend the next year of service in fighting Iraq. We wish these brave young men and women the very best, and hope to see them all back safely in Tucson next year.

“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be NO divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but ONE flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”
Theodore Roosevelt 1907