Notes from the Director

Dear Colleague:

In March, the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE) staff members were involved in a variety of events in conjunction with World TB Day, including the World TB Day Capitol Hill briefing in Washington D.C., and the CDC World TB Day commemoration in Atlanta.

In recognition of World TB Day, DTBE released preliminary TB surveillance data for the United States. According to 2016 provisional data, a total of 9,287 TB cases were reported in the United States in 2016, and the overall annual TB incidence decreased slightly from 3.0 in 2015 to 2.9 cases per 100,000 in 2016. Epidemiologic modeling suggests if the rate of decline continues at this pace, it will be impossible to reach the goal of U.S. TB elimination in this century. Expanding targeted testing and treatment of latent TB infection is key to eliminating TB disease in the United States. It is also important to maintain current TB control activities, in order to find and treat people with TB disease.

The Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis (ACET) held their meeting in Atlanta, GA on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. That meeting was followed by the 2017 National TB Conference, sponsored by the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA) and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), held in Atlanta, GA, April 18-21. I hope that many of you were able to attend and benefit from the important information that was shared at the 2017 National TB Conference.

As you know, major new efforts are required to incorporate latent TB infection testing and treatment in public and private health systems. National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention Center Director Dr. Jonathan Mermin and I outlined steps towards TB elimination in “Latent tuberculosis infection: the final frontier of tuberculosis elimination in the USA,” recently published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

DTBE remains committed to supporting the important work that is being done to eliminate TB in communities around the United States.

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

2017 National TB Conference

The 2017 National TB Conference, sponsored by the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association in collaboration with the Association of Public Health Laboratories, was held in Atlanta, GA, April 18-21. The conference highlighted innovative work in TB prevention, management, and care across the country. It also paved a way forward as TB professionals came together to discuss their challenges and share best practices on how to achieve TB elimination in the United States.

Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Outbreak Investigations Branch Updates

Medical and Pharmacy Claims Data: A Window into TB Prevention Activity in the Private Sector

Private sector involvement in treatment for latent TB infection (LTBI) will be increasingly important in the drive toward TB elimination. To assess TB prevention activity in the private sector, a researcher affiliated with the Tuberculosis Epidemiologic Studies Consortium (TBESC) has examined a large sample of commercial insurance claims data to determine (1) the extent of LTBI testing and treatment, (2) whether it targets high-risk patients, and (3) how treatment completion compares with that in the public health sector.

Communications, Education, and Behavioral Studies Branch Updates

World TB Day 2017

A Recipe for a “Sweet” World TB Day!

What do you get when you mix creativity, hard work, and fifteen pounds of sugar? The Communications, Education, and Behavioral Studies Branch (CEBSB) found out as they baked, decorated, bagged, and delivered over 200 cookies to TB colleagues on World TB Day.

Laboratory Branch Updates

CDC/DTBE Announcement of Plans for Universal Whole Genome Sequencing

The CDC Division of Tuberculosis Elimination, in collaboration with colleagues in the CDC Antimicrobial Resistance Coordination and Strategy Unit, will be supporting the use of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) for all new isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis referred for genotyping beginning in spring 2018. The use of WGS is an exciting advancement that enhances the discriminatory power for cluster identification and investigation, which should allow for a more focused investment of public health interventions.

New CDC Publications

January 2017

Castro KG, Marks SM, Hill AN, Chen MP, Miramontes R, Winston CA, LoBue PA. In reply. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2017 Jan 1;21(1):120-121. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.16.0708-2. No abstract available. PMID: 28157476.

Hannah HA, Miramontes R, Gandhi NR. Sociodemographic and Clinical Risk Factors Associated With Tuberculosis Mortality in the United States, 2009-2013. Public Health Rep. 2017 Jan 1:33354917698117. doi: 10.1177/0033354917698117. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 28394707.