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TB Notes NewsletterReturn to TB Notes 3, 2006 Main Menu This is an archived document. The links and content are no longer being updated. No. 3, 2006COMMUNICATIONS, EDUCATION, AND BEHAVIORAL STUDIES BRANCH UPDATESStop TB in the African-American Community Summit
More than 100 individuals from a myriad of organizations gathered to participate in the "Stop TB in the African-American Community" summit, which took place May 16–17, 2006, at CDC's new Tom Harkin Global Communications Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The participants met to discuss the nature of this public health problem, exchange strategies, and identify ways to help address TB in the African-American community. The summit was sponsored by DTBE and RTI International. The purposes of the summit were to
In 2005, CDC provisionally reported TB cases in 3,927 non-Hispanic blacks, 28% of all persons reported with TB nationally. The proportion of TB in black, non-Hispanic persons is even greater if only U.S.-born persons reported with TB are examined. In 2005, 45% of TB cases reported in U.S.-born persons were among non-Hispanic blacks. Also in 2005, the TB case rate for this population was more than eight times higher than the rate in white, non-Hispanic persons.
The summit included keynote addresses from Dr. Louis Sullivan, President Emeritus, Morehouse School of Medicine and former Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS); and Dr. Garth Graham, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, Office of Minority Health, HHS. CDC leaders also addressed the group, including Ms. Yvonne Lewis of the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities; Dr. Kevin Fenton, Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (proposed); and Dr. Kenneth Castro, Director of DTBE. Summit participants learned about state-of-the-art research and interventions addressing TB in the African-American community, and learned directly from a panel of patients about their experience having tuberculosis. The majority of the summit was devoted to participants working in small groups to strategize actions that their organizations may be able to implement to help eliminate TB in the African-American community. Participants included community and religious leaders, health care providers, public health leaders, policy and decision makers, state and local health department staff, communications professionals, academicians, and others.
The results of the group work yielded a compilation of specific goals and action items that summit participants committed to trying to achieve in the next year. A summary of all of the identified action items is forthcoming. Summit participants will maintain communication throughout the next year and measure progress towards implementing the action items. Although modern medicine can prevent and cure TB, only the concerted efforts of the community in partnership with public health and medicine will ensure that TB is eliminated from the African-American community. These partnerships, fostered by the summit, are a key component to mobilizing support for TB elimination as outlined in the 2000 Institute of Medicine's Report, Ending Neglect: The Elimination of Tuberculosis in the United States.
Submitted by Nickolas DeLuca, PhD, Div of TB
Elimination
Last Reviewed: 05/18/2008 |
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Centers for Disease Control & Prevention |
