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TB Notes Newsletter
No.
3, 2007
Dear Colleague:
We note with sadness the passing of Dr. George
Comstock, a distinguished TB researcher and epidemiologist whose work forms
the basis of CDC’s current guidelines regarding the use of the BCG vaccine
and the drug isoniazid. His obituary is excerpted here in the Personnel Notes
section of this issue.
Please note that an errata document for the “Guidelines
for Preventing the Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Health-care
Settings, 2005”
(PDF) was posted on the DTBE website on September 25, 2006.
A listing of additional
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) was also posted
for clarification of the guidelines. As additional errata or FAQs are developed,
they will be posted on the DTBE website.
The 56th annual Epidemic Intelligence
Service (EIS) Conference was held in Atlanta
April 16–20, 2007. The primary purpose of the EIS Conference is to give current
EIS officers experience in making scientific presentations reflecting their
work in applied epidemiology. The meeting also provides an opportunity for
scientific exchange; helps strengthen the professional network of new, current,
and former EIS officers; and provides a forum for recruitment of new EIS officers.
DTBE’s current EIS officers gave well-attended presentations. I am pleased
to report that Peter Cegielski, MD, MPH, of the
International Research and Programs Branch (IRPB) was presented with the Philip
S. Brachman Award at the conference. Maryam Haddad has provided an excellent
overview of the meeting; please see the article in this issue.
A small number of DTBE staff attended ATS 2007, the annual international conference of the American Thoracic
Society, held in San Francisco, California,
May 18–23. The ATS International Conference is
a prestigious scientific meeting devoted to the presentation and discussion
of new research findings and the latest clinical developments in respiratory,
critical care, and sleep medicine.
The conference, which attracted over 16,000 attendees,
offered more than 5,500 original research abstracts related to the prevention,
diagnosis, and treatment of respiratory diseases such as TB, lung cancer,
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, allergies, sleep-related
disorders, cystic fibrosis, and many more. Of note, ATS past president and long-time CDC partner Philip C. Hopewell, MD,
was presented with the 2007 World Lung Health Award during the meeting. The
2008 ATS International Conference will be held
May 16–21, 2008, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The 2007 National TB Controllers Workshop, hosted by the National TB
Controllers Association (NTCA), was outstanding. The meeting
was held at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel in Atlanta
June 12–14, with pre-workshop meetings on June 11. The theme of this year’s
meeting was “Forging Ahead: Challenges in TB Control,” and featured a wide
array of presentations, posters, and sessions on a range of topics relevant
to current TB control challenges. At the risk of redundancy, I reiterate the
words of appreciation I sent electronically after the workshop. I thank Phil
Talboy, Carol Pozsik, Sherry Brown, and the many others who worked to make
the 2007 NTCA Workshop a resounding success, and Phil LoBue, who did an outstanding
job filling in for me. Although other commitments kept me away from early
parts of the NTCA workshop, I was energized by the meeting and the collegiality
of NTCA members. While the weeks prior to the meeting were at times difficult,
they helped raise the visibility of our mission while demonstrating the fantastic
work of TB controllers across the nation. I felt a renewed sense of pride
in being counted among NTCA members, and was energized by your support during
those difficult few weeks. Our work is far from complete, but the charge to
eliminate TB in the United
States is in excellent hands! This is our chance to seize
the moment and continue to make additional progress in our marathon race towards
TB elimination.
Prior to the General Session of the meeting,
a special late-breaking session was held describing the recent XDR/MDR TB investigation. Dr. Ann Buff presented preliminary details on
the contact investigation. Dr. Lori Armstrong presented preliminary national
surveillance data on XDR TB, which had been updated through the outstanding
cooperation and response of the state and local TB controllers on short
notice. Subsequently, in the first General Session of the meeting, we heard
welcoming remarks from Jim Cobb, President, NTCA,
and Jo-Ann Arnold, President, National TB Nurse Coalition (NTNC), as well
as CDC updates and reports given by Drs. Kevin Fenton and Phil LoBue. In addition,
Dr. Charles Daley of the National Jewish Medical and Research
Center gave a talk entitled “Challenges in Tuberculosis Control: Is
it Déjà Vu All Over Again?” on the similarities between the MDR
TB outbreaks in the early 1990s and the XDR TB outbreaks occurring now. The
next session featured presentations related to foreign-born persons and surveillance
issues. During breakout sessions, participants reconvened in smaller groups
to hear and discuss updates, case studies, current best practices, and other
topics of interest. These included a session on the Emergency Management Assistance
Compact; during this session, participants learned how to prepare for disasters,
and how states can share resources during such emergencies. During breaks,
participants viewed and discussed poster presentations. Tuesday night, many
participants gathered to socialize at the luau, which I truly regret missing!
On Wednesday, we first focused on the TB Regional
Training and Medical Consultation
Centers, with separate updates on the activities
and new products of these groups. These sessions were followed by presentations
describing some of the important activities of nurse case managers. In General
Session IV, Cutting Edge Lab Science, attendees heard presentations on how
laboratory services are improving the ability of TB control programs to detect
and control outbreaks and clusters of TB. Breakout sessions that afternoon
continued to offer an array of presentations on research addressing TB disparities,
cultural competency, and gamma interferon release assays, and updates on proposed
revisions to the Report of a Verified Case of TB (RVCT) as well as on CDC’s
two TB research consortia, the TB Trials Consortium and the TB Epidemiologic
Studies Consortium.
Thursday started off with oral presentations
of data from three posters which offered solutions to challenges that many
TB programs face. The last session on XDR TB provided important and relevant
information for all of us in TB control. Dr. Kashef Ijaz, a presenter during
this session, was introduced to the attendees as the new chief of the DTBE
Field Services and Evaluation Branch. The workshop was officially adjourned
at 1 pm; an NTCA press conference and several post-workshop
meetings rounded out the day. Again, I convey my heartfelt gratitude and admiration
to all participants as well as planners and organizers for your camaraderie
and devotion, and for a job exceedingly well done!
Kenneth G. Castro, MD
Last Reviewed: 05/18/2008
Content Source: Division of Tuberculosis Elimination
National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
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