A Message from the Editor
July 16, 2009
Since 1988, CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, and UNICEF have spearheaded the initiative to eradicate polio. During those 21 years, the initiative has made extraordinary progress. Wild poliovirus cases have dropped from an estimated 350,000 cases a year in 1988 to only 1,652 in 2008, and endemic transmission has continued in only four countries: Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
However, starting in late 2008, resurgent transmission in Nigeria spread to other countries in west and central Africa, and persistent re-established transmission in southern Sudan spread in the horn of Africa. These developments have reinforced the need to accelerate progress toward stopping transmission, particularly in Africa. President Obama reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the goal of polio eradication earlier this month, announcing a new global effort with the Organization of the Islamic Conference to end transmission of the disease.
During the final phase of the successful smallpox eradication program, hundreds of volunteers were needed in the field. The polio eradication initiative requires additional qualified public health experts in the field to achieve success.
CDC’s Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) program is actively recruiting qualified and enthusiastic technical staff for short-term assignments of at least 8–12 weeks as part of an Enhanced STOP Initiative to address the resurgent transmission. Field efforts will be focused on improving vaccination campaign and surveillance quality by working with district-level healthcare staff and government officials in the highest risk areas of Nigeria and southern Sudan.
For information about necessary qualifications and how to apply, visit the STOP Web site. Additional details can be obtained from the manager of the STOP program, Yinka Kerr.
Warm Regards,
CDC Partnerships
CDC Headlines
Advances in Motor Vehicle Crash Response
Deciding whether a victim of a vehicle crash requires care at a trauma center is a life-or-death decision for emergency medical responders. To develop procedures that will help emergency medical responders better and more quickly determine if a motorist needs care at a trauma center after a vehicle crash, CDC’s Injury Center and the CDC Foundation recently partnered with OnStar and the GM Foundation. >> read the full text
Public Health Tool Helps Connect Environment and Health
For decades, the United States has faced a fundamental gap in knowing how environmental contaminants affect people's health. CDC's new Environmental Public Health Tracking Network is working to close this gap by improving environmental public health surveillance. The Tracking Network is a dynamic Web-based tool that tracks and reports environmental hazards and the health problems that may be related to them. >> read the full text
Finding a Balance
Weight is a result of caloric balance. If we eat more calories than we use, we gain weight. If we eat less calories than we use, we lose weight. To support efforts to help individuals achieve this balance and provide insights into ways in which communities can be involved, CDC-TV has just released a new video in its "Health Matters" series "Finding a Balance." The video provides expert perspectives on caloric or "energy" balance and personal stories of how individuals have made changes in their lives to achieve this balance. >> read the full text
Events and Seminars
All events and seminars listed are open to CDC's partners. For more information, contact the POC listed. >> read the full text
July 2009
Consequential Matters
Hosted by CDC’s Global Health Odyssey Museum and the Office of Sustainability
June 15–September 11
Understanding Tourette Syndrome: Appreciating Children with Differences
Hosted by CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
July 23
Weight of the Nation Conference
Hosted by CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity
July 27–29
August 2009
Third Annual National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing and Media
Hosted by CDC's National Center for Health Marketing and Office of Enterprise Communication, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Cancer Institute and National Public Health Information Coalition
August 11–13
2009 NDEP Partnership Network Meeting
Hosted by CDC and the National Institutes of Health
August 17–18
2009 National HIV Prevention Conference
Hosted by numerous agencies and national programs
August 23–26
Public Health Information Network (PHIN) Conference 2009
Hosted by the National Center for Public Health Informatics (NCPHI) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
August 30–September 3
October 2009
2009 National Environmental Public Health Conference
Hosted by CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and National Environmental Health Association
October 26–28
CDC Personnel
Retirements
Gwendolyn Caison, deputy director, Atlanta Human Resources Center, retired July 3.
Carl H. Campbell, Jr., MPA, resident advisor for the President’s Malaria Initiative (Malawi), Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases.
David Clark, planning officer and historical preservation coordinator, Buildings and Facilities Office, retired June 30.
Dale J. Indergaard, human capital advisor, Office of the Chief Operating Officer, retired July 3.
Personnel Changes
Anne C. Haddix, PhD, has been appointed acting chief in the Office of Strategy and Innovation, Office of the Director, effective June 29.
Deaths
Former CDC employee Clifford (Gene) Dix, print specialist, MASO/MISB, died July 6.
Former CDC employee Patricia V. Echols, secretary, CCID, died June 31.
Get Informed
2008 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Data Released
NHIS Early Release Report on Key Health Indicators
Novel H1N1 Flu Situation Update
YouTube: CDC’s Environmental Health Tracking Network
CDC Partnership Matters: Reader's Feedback
The bi-weekly update is prepared by CDC's Division of Partnership and Strategic Alliances. Readers are welcome to comment by
e-mail to cdcpartnerships@cdc.gov.
