The CDC has been tracking the spread of H5 avian flu since last March. And while it doesn’t typically affect humans, experts are encouraging flu vaccines to reduce the chance of it spreading enough to mutate and better transmit between people.
“You can manage yourself better,” said Tom Leggett with Sonora Quest, whose labs are offering free COVID-19 and flu tests to uninsured Arizonans. “You know whether you have a flu, or if you don't have the flu or COVID, then you might have something that would respond to an antibiotic. “
Leggett added that there are also some free medications available, like Paxlovid, to treat COVID. And that while the CDC is paying for testing, he said, it's ultimately up to patients to seek out care.
“It’s simply you’re positive or you’re negative,” said Leggett. “And then you can figure out the type of treatment based off the severity of the symptoms that you have.”
While the flu vaccine doesn’t protect against bird flu, experts have emphasized that staying generally healthy – including seasonal injections – can keep both forms at bay.
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Published by Penguin Random House, Café Gozhóó executive chef Nephi Craig’s hardcover is anything but a cookbook. -
Pinal and Maricopa counties confirmed new cases this week. And Yavapai County on Wednesday confirmed its first measles case of 2026. -
A University of Arizona materials scientist has been awarded a major grant to develop a new generation of drug delivery systems that can hide from the body’s immune system by mimicking the behavior of red blood cells. -
Maricopa County is working to prevent overdose deaths related to extreme heat this summer through increased access to opioid reversal medication. -
Samples from the Sedona Wastewater Treatment Plant tested positive for the measles virus. That indicates that at least one person with a recent infection has been in the area.
