Notes from the Director

Dear Colleague:

This past spring, the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE) staff have been involved in a variety of events. The Field Services Branch (proposed) convened their annual meeting of the entire staff last month; the meeting included field staff who work with state and local TB programs. Branch updates, trainings, and team building activities were provided during the meeting, as well as discussions on future direction and priorities for the branch.

DTBE staff traveled to San Francisco for the American Thoracic Society International Conference, which was also held last month. Division staff participated in six poster presentations that included topics such as latent TB infection, TB control strategies, and multidrug-resistant TB. You can learn more about the presentations in this issue of TB Notes.

In other news, the Federal TB Task Force Meeting was held earlier this month. DTBE staff joined colleagues from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other federal agencies to discuss the scope of the National Action Plan for Combating Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (NAP) and the federal government’s roles and ongoing efforts in support of TB elimination. During the meeting, current programs and research that relate to NAP Goals were discussed. Strategies to increase collaboration across the federal government in support of TB elimination and the NAP were discussed as well.

From the release of the NAP earlier this year to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s draft recommendation statement, “Latent Tuberculosis Infection: Screening” this past spring, we have gained renewed energy and support in our efforts to eliminate TB. As we enter the last half of the year, I continue to be inspired by your commitment to the very important work that you are doing every day. I hope all of you have a safe, enjoyable, and productive summer.

Philip LoBue, MD, FACP, FCCPDirector,Division of Tuberculosis Elimination
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention

Highlights from State and Local Programs (NTCA Updates)

Union-NAR/NTCA Joint 20th Annual Conference Pre-Conference Training Now Available Online

A training offered in February before the Union-North American Region (NAR) and the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA) Joint 20th Annual Conference is now available for viewing online. “Using Epidemiology for Data-Driven Decision Making in TB Programs” was designed to highlight the various ways that epidemiologic tools and concepts can be used to enhance TB program activities and to encourage data-driven decision making whenever possible.

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Office of the Director Updates

DTBE Staff Present at American Thoracic Society International Conference

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference was held May 13 -18 in San Francisco. DTBE staff participated in the CDC/ATS session during the conference, which included the following presentations:

Prospects for Elimination: An Individual-Based Model to Assess TB Control Strategies in California –A. Goodell, P. Shete, R. Vreman, J. Metcalfe, T. Porco, P. Barry, J. Flood, S. Marks, A. Cattamanchi, J. Kahn;
The Cost-Effectiveness of Testing and Treatment for Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Foreign-Born Persons in the U.S.—B. Linas, A. Tasillo, N. Menzies, C. Horsburgh, S. Marks, J. Salomon;

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TB Trials Consortium (TBTC) Updates

Update on TB Trials Consortium Study 31

TB Trials Consortium (TBTC) Study 31 (also known as ACTG A5349 and briefly described in a previous issue of TB Notes) continues to enroll. It is well-described by its title, “Rifapentine-Containing Treatment Shortening Regimens for Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Randomized, Open-label, Controlled Phase 3 Clinical Trial.” The trial is registered online , where information about design and participating sites is available.

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Communications, Education, and Behavioral Studies Branch Updates

Revised Self-Study Modules on Tuberculosis, 1-5

The Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE) is pleased to announce the release of the revised Self-Study Modules on Tuberculosis, 1-5. These educational modules are designed to provide basic TB information in a self-study format for health care workers, including outreach workers, nurses, physicians, and health educators. Originally developed in 1995, and revised several times since, these booklets have served as an important resource in training new TB control workers.

Data Management, Statistics, and Evaluation Branch (proposed) Updates

Data Management and Applications Development Group Wins Award

The Data Management and Applications Development Group received the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) award for Excellence in Innovation and Creativity in Software Reuse. There are four categories of surveillance systems available to report TB cases to the CDC – commercial systems, state developed systems, the NEDSS Base System (NBS), and the eRVCT (Electronic Report of a Verified Case of Tuberculosis). Each of these systems is available to states reporting TB cases and provides case management, as well as secure transmission to CDC using the standard TB Case Notification Message.

Laboratory Branch Updates

Diagnostic Mycobacteriology Workshop, 2016

The annual Diagnostic Mycobacteriology Workshop was held March 29 through April 1, 2016 at CDC. This course is a collaboration among the DTBE Laboratory Branch (LB), the Association of Public Health Laboratories National Laboratory Training Network, and the Laboratory Training Team in the CDC Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services. This intermediate-level course was held for public health and clinical laboratorians who perform detection, isolation, identification, and drug susceptibility testing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC).