Both politically and economically change seems to be the central focus and the hope for 2009. At NCHHSTP, we too have been in the process of change. Over the last few months, a rigorous selection process was conducted to select a new director for DHAP. I am happy to announce that Dr. Jonathan Mermin, currently director of CDC-Kenya, has been chosen for this role. He brings many years of executive leadership in public health and a passion to combat the domestic HIV epidemic with the same urgency placed on the global epidemic in recent years. We look forward to his starting formally in July. Dr Rich Wolitski will continue to be acting DHAP Director until that time. Thank you for your continued support during this transition period.

CDC Continues to Strengthen STD Prevention Efforts

April is STD Awareness Month, an annual observance to raise awareness of the impact of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). With 19 million new STD infections each year, almost half of them among adolescents and young adults, STDs remain a major public health issue.

To connect with young adults, CDC created the Collegiate STD Awareness Month Campaign Contest. Student teams from participating universities are developing STD awareness campaigns that employ new media and innovative approaches to reach 18-25 year olds. The winning school will then be announced during STD Awareness Month in April. Following the contest, CDC will work in conjunction with the winning school to implement their campaign plan for launch at a later date.

Also, the Kaiser Family Foundation and MTV, in partnership with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, have developed a national STD awareness and testing campaign that will run throughout April. The “GYT” (Get Yourself Tested) Campaign seeks to normalize conversations about sexual health and routine STD/HIV testing. Through on-air, online, mobile and community promotions, this campaign will generate buzz and link young people to local testing centers.

To support these efforts HIVtest.org, an online tool for finding HIV testing centers by zip code, now includes STD testing sites.

CDC’s STD Awareness Month website contains updated tools, resources, information about the GYT campaign and links to STD awareness efforts around the country.

2009 Surveillance Report for HIV/AIDS is now live

World TB Day is March 24. This annual event commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of M. tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB).

In the United States, the theme for World TB Day 2009 is “Partnerships for TB Elimination.” This country’s progress in controlling TB is strengthened through ongoing collaborations with local, state, national, and international partners. CDC and its domestic and international partners, including the National TB Controllers Association, Stop TB USA, and the global Stop TB Partnership are taking many steps to prevent further spread of TB and to reduce the overall burden of the disease. Efforts range from developing new treatment regimens and increasing the capacity of health professionals to provide adequate treatment, to issuing new recommendations for improved testing and treatment for U.S. immigrants.