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Sexually
Transmitted Diseases > Syphilis
Elimination Effort (SEE) > Communication Plan
"As we approach the end of the 20th century, the United States is faced with a unique opportunity to eliminate syphilis within its borders. Syphilis is easy to detect and cure, given adequate access to and utilization of care."
–The National Plan to Eliminate Syphilis from the United States, CDC, October 1999 A. Introduction Back to Table of Contents In October 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with federal, state, and local partners, launched a national plan to eliminate syphilis. In the plan, CDC identified the key strategies needed for elimination, including: expanded surveillance and outbreak response activities, rapid screening in and out of medical settings, expanded laboratory services, strengthened community involvement and agency partnerships, and enhanced health promotion. With the nation's syphilis rate at the lowest level since the government began tracking the disease in 1941, and with syphilis cases reported in only a small number of U.S. counties, the time is right to achieve elimination. The plan calls for eliminating syphilis from the United States by the year 2005. Who is affected by syphilis? Communities burdened by poverty, racism, unemployment, low rates of health insurance, and inadequate access to health care are most affected. Communities of color, particularly African Americans who are living in poverty, are disproportionately affected. Also affected are persons who engage in high risk sexual behavior. Syphilis elimination: Why now?
Steps in the Health Communication Process Stage 1: Planning and Strategy Selection
Stage 2: Selecting Channels and Materials
Stage 3: Developing Materials and Pretesting
Stage 4: Implementation
Stage 5: Assessing Effectiveness
Stage 6: Feedback to Refine Program
A comprehensive health communication plan will help syphilis elimination gain momentum at the national and local levels. Sustained support for the syphilis elimination plan must come from three key target audiences: policymakers, health care providers and associations, and community representatives from affected communities. The communication plan will help develop synergy among syphilis elimination activities across the U.S., at the national, state, and local levels, and among the target audiences. Health communication programs can be designed to inform, influence, and motivate institutional or public audiences. They can:
1. Making Health Communications Programs Work: Planning Guide, HHS; April 1992 Continue to next section of plan
Page last modified: August 2000 Page last reviewed: August 2000 Historical Content Source: Division of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention |
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