The mild spring with frequent rains means tick-borne disease season is underway in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reminds Iowans to protect themselves against tick bites. Ticks can carry the organisms that cause diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Ehrlichiosis. 

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) yearly HIV Disease Surveillance Report shows in 2016, Iowa experienced the largest number of people diagnosed with HIV since reporting by name began in 1989. Additionally, there was a notable increase in black/African American Iowans diagnosed with HIV in 2016. U.S.-born blacks/African Americans diagnosed with HIV increased by 75 percent from 2015; foreign-born blacks/African Americans diagnosed with HIV increased by 110 percent. Although black/African Americans represent just 3 percent of Iowa’s general population, they make up 32 percent of all HIV diagnoses.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been awarded $5.45 million dollars over two years to address prescription opioid abuse and drug poisoning deaths. The funds, made available by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), are part of the U.S. Health and Human Services Opioid Initiative through the 21st Century Cures Act.

According to a 2016 survey by Feeding America, nearly 81,000 older Iowans (age 60 and over) are estimated to be “food insecure,” that is, they do not have reliable access to affordable, nutritious food. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is a co-sponsor of the Growing Bolder Hunger Summit, scheduled for May 9, 2017, at Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, where this issue will be examined.

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) 2016 Iowa Youth Survey (IYS) is out and it shows in general, underage drinking continues to decline. Alcohol use among Iowa 11th graders was down from the 2012 survey, falling from 26.4 percent in 2012 to 21.3 percent in 2016. In addition, binge drinking fell 11.1 percentage points from 24.0 percent in 2012 to 12.9 percent in 2016.