NCHHSTP Newsroom Archive
2013
- June 12, 2013 - Study Shows That A Daily Dose of HIV Medication Reduces Infection Risk among People Who Inject Drugs
A daily dose of a medication used to treat HIV infection – a prevention strategy known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) - reduced the risk of infection among people who inject drugs by 49 percent according to a new study announced today. Those who took the medication most consistently had even higher levels of protection – in this group, risk was reduced by over 70 percent.
Primary Materials
The findings were published online today in the Lancet. CDC also published interim guidance for providers who wish to prescribe PrEP to people who inject drugs in this week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
To help inform your stories on this groundbreaking research, please find below key materials outlining the trial’s results, as well as additional background information on PrEP. If you are a reporter and need a copy of the Lancet paper, please contact the NCHHSTP media team at NCHHSTPMediaTeam@cdc.gov.- Press Release: Study Finds First Evidence that PrEP Can Reduce HIV Risk Among People Who Inject Drugs
- Fact Sheet: Bangkok Tenofovir Study: PrEP for HIV Prevention Among People Who Inject Drugs
- Interim Guidance: Update to Interim Guidance for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for the Prevention of HIV Infection: PrEP for Injecting Drug Users
- Downloadable Photos for Media Use/Reprint
- June 12, 2013 - New CDC Campaign: Know Hepatitis B
Today, CDC launched Know Hepatitis B, the first national multilingual, multi-year communications campaign to increase testing for hepatitis B among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Primary Materials
While making up only less than 5 percent of the U.S. population, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders account for more than half of the 1.2 million Americans estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B. Yet most of those living with the disease don’t know it because they haven’t been tested. Left undiagnosed and untreated, hepatitis B can cause serious liver damage and even death.
To assist with your coverage of this new important campaign, please find below various media resources.- Press Release: CDC launches first national campaign to increase hepatitis B testing among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
- Fact Sheet: Know Hepatitis B – Combating One of the Most Severe Health Disparities Facing Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
- Downloadable Campaign Images for Media Use/Reprint
- Campaign Website: Know Hepatitis B
- June 6, 2013 - Reasons/Razones: New CDC Campaign Aims to Increase HIV Testing Among Latino Gay and Bisexual Men
In an effort to increase HIV testing among one of the hardest hit groups of men in the United States, CDC is launching a new national, bilingual campaign that asks Latino gay and bisexual men to consider their reasons for getting tested. The campaign, Reasons/Razones, was developed with input from more than 150 Latino gay and bisexual men, as well as community leaders and experts. Reasons/Razones is launching today in Los Angeles, one of the cities with the most severe HIV epidemics in this population.
Please find below several resources to assist with your coverage of this important new campaign.
Primary Materials Related Materials- Downloadable Campaign Images for Media Use/Reprint
- Campaign Website: Reasons/Razones
- Fact Sheet: Act Against AIDS
- Fact Sheet: Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative
- May 7, 2013 - Hepatitis Awareness Month
Today, and in conjunction with Hepatitis Awareness Month, CDC released a new analysis in Vital Signs suggesting that only half of those identified as ever having had hepatitis C in a multi-area study received follow-up testing showing that they are still infected.
These findings show that lack of follow-up testing may pose a significant barrier to reaching the millions of Americans living with hepatitis C and ensuring these individuals receive the proper care and treatment needed to prevent liver cancer, death, and other serious health consequences. The results also further underscore the severe impact that hepatitis C has among baby boomers (those born from 1945 through 1965).
Please visit our media resources page for more information you can use in your coverage, including a press release, fact sheet and downloadable infographic.
- April 3, 2013 - STD Awareness Month
STD Awareness Month is the right time to shed light on an epidemic that affects many young Americans, yet remains hidden. Did you know that:
- Half of the estimated 20 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that occur each year in the United States occur among young adults ages 15-24?
- The lifetime cost of treating the STIs contracted in one year in this nation is nearly $16 billion; infections among young people account for about half of that cost ($7.8 billion)?
- Left untreated, common STIs can cause severe health consequences, including infertility and increased HIV risk?
To help inform your stories on this important topic, please find below an infographic highlighting this and other key information on this hidden epidemic among America’s youth.
Primary Materials- Infographic: Sexually Transmitted Infections among Young Americans
- Commentary – In this piece on CNN.com, Dr. Gail Bolan, Director, CDC’s Division of STD Prevention discusses how sexually active young people can stay safe.
- March 24, 2013 - World TB Day: New U.S. Data for 2012
In advance of World TB Day on March 24 – the annual event commemorating the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis – CDC has released preliminary national surveillance data for 2012. The new data show that after 20 consecutive years of declines, TB is at an all-time low in the United States. However, certain populations continue to be significantly affected by TB and drug resistance remains a concern.
For your stories about World TB Day, please find fact sheets and key graphics highlighting findings from the 2012 U.S. TB surveillance data.
Primary Materials- Fact Sheet: TB in the United States – A Snapshot, 2012
- Fact Sheet: Tuberculosis – An Overview
- Downloadable graphics for media use/reprint: Key Graphics from 2012 U.S. TB Surveillance Data
- Full Report: Trends in Tuberculosis – United States – 2012
- MMWR: Tuberculosis Control Activities after Hurricane Sandy – Northeast and Mid-Atlantic States, 2012
- World TB Day Resources
- March 4 - 6, 2013 - 2013 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI)
More than 4,000 leading researchers and clinicians from around the world – including those from here at CDC – will convene in Atlanta, Georgia from March 3 through 6, 2013 for the 20th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). The conference will include new research working to understand, prevent and treat HIV/AIDS and its complications.
For your stories about CROI, please find resources below including CDC's official statement on the Vaginal and Oral Interventions to Control the Epidemic (VOICE) HIV prevention trial results from Dr. Jonathan Mermin, Director for the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. The National Institutes of Health-led trial, which was conducted among women in South Africa, examined the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) strategies for reducing the risk of HIV infection among this high risk population. These results demonstrate that adherence is essential for PrEP to effectively protect against HIV infection.
You can also find a “studies of interest” document highlighting key findings from noteworthy CDC research presented at this year’s conference, as well as helpful media fact sheets about HIV.
Primary Materials- Media Statement: In Wake of Latest Trial Results, CDC Stresses That Consistent Use Is Imperative When Using Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis to Prevent HIV Infection
- Studies of Interest: CROI 2013 Studies of Interest
- Fact Sheet: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention
- Fact Sheet: HIV in the United States
- February 13, 2013 - New CDC Analysis Reveals Severe Health and Economic Toll of Sexually Transmitted Infections in the US, Especially Among Youth
Primary Materials Related Materials- Fact Sheet: STD Trends in the United States: 2011 National Data for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis
- Downloadable Graphics for media use/reprint
- February 4, 2013 - National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Primary Materials- Statement: NBHAAD – A Day to Remember and to Act, by Dr. Jonathan Mermin, Director, Division of HIV/AIDS
- Downloadable Videos and Graphics
- Individual Stories: Voices of African Americans Living with HIV
- Backgrounder: Let’s Stop HIV Together Campaign
- Fact Sheet: HIV among African Americans
Dr. Donna McCree, Associate Director for Health Equity, on Tackling the Social and Environmental Factors Placing African Americans at Higher Risk for HIV
