Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

joins CDC in recognizing tomorrow, August 31, as International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD). This year’s theme is "Together We Can," which highlights the strength of coming together and standing in support of those connected to the tragedy of overdose. More information on amplifying IOAD can be found here: bit.ly/3z7RI3B.

And check out a few of the resources that has developed to help improve overdose surveillance capacity here: bit.ly/3pY40U5.

The newly redesigned Council for Outbreak Response: HAI and AR (CORHA) website is now live!

The updated site features a modern design, enhanced navigation, and a comprehensive curated resource library to support your outbreak response activities, wherever healthcare is delivered. Designed to enhance user experience, the refreshed site makes it easier to access valuable resources and stay informed about the latest outbreak news.

Explore all the new features by visiting corha.org.

Due to popular demand, the deadline for ’s Senior Public Health Data Strategy Fellowship has been extended to Monday, September 2! This new fellowship supports state, local, territorial and tribal data science capacity.

With funding from the CDC Foundation's Public Health Data Strategy Workforce Acceleration Initiative, the goal of this program is to place mid-career technology and data experts in state, local, tribal, or territorial health departments for a time-limited appointment.

Learn more and apply today! bit.ly/4cY9XqQ.

’s new training course, HIV Surveillance Capacity Building, is now available! HIV surveillance plays a critical role in understanding the epidemiology of the HIV epidemic, guiding prevention and treatment efforts, and much more.

The course will present a comprehensive view of topics, methodologies, and applications of HIV surveillance for STLT health departments, as well as best practices for increasing HIV surveillance.

Visit CSTE Learn to get started and see more great offerings: bit.ly/3XjAvh6.

It’s Stories from the Field Day! Today, we learn how the Turtle Mountain Tribe became the first tribe in the nation to implement electronic case reporting (eCR), receiving COVID-19 data from five zip codes that capture most of their geographic area.

During the pandemic, long wait times in information sharing led to delayed distribution of supplies like test kits and care packages, as well as quarantine and isolation measures. Improving data sharing to the tribe resulted in higher vaccination rates and lower mortality rates.

When the National Indian Health Board and CDC put out a notification of opportunity for Tribal use of eCR, Turtle Mountain saw this as a great chance to use real-time case data to improve public health in the tribe over the long term. Read the full story: bit.ly/3T5PcBX. Visit stories.cste.org to access nearly 180 more stories of epi innovation!

Trust for America's Health's new report, "The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America’s Public Health System 2024: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations," examines the ways in which insufficient funding for the nation’s public health system has left it without the necessary resources to prepare for emergencies and safeguard Americans’ health.

Extreme weather events are occurring more frequently. Six in 10 U.S. adults have a chronic disease, which along with mental health conditions, account for the vast majority of national healthcare spending. Funding to address these issues hasn’t kept pace with the on-the-ground realities. In addition, the health security advances made when policymakers increased public health funding due to the COVID-19 emergency are now at risk as this funding ends.

Increased and sustained funding and policy action are needed to safeguard the nation’s health. TFAH’s report includes recommendations to enhance the nation’s emergency preparedness and to advance health in every community. Read the full report here: bit.ly/3yHj9Bo.

, along with CDC and ASTHO (Association of State and Territorial Health Officials) are hosting a webinar on Aug. 29 at 3:00 pm to share information regarding National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s recently released Long COVID definition (bit.ly/4fPlDy). Experts will discuss the report in detail and cover applications and implementation for public health.

Register here: bit.ly/3AGW4ix.

Deadline extended! Apply for ’s new fellowship opportunity to support state, local, territorial and tribal data science capacity - the Senior Public Health Data Strategy Fellowship. Applications for Fellows are now open until Thursday, August 22.

With funding from the CDC Foundation’s Public Health Data Strategy Workforce Acceleration Initiative, the goal of this program is to place mid-career technology and data experts in state, local, tribal, or territorial health departments for a time-limited appointment.

Learn more and apply today! bit.ly/4cY9XqQ.

It’s Stories from the Field Day! Today, we learn more about Maine CDC’s response during a pertussis outbreak in a local Amish community. During pertussis outbreaks, Maine CDC distributes kits, which typically include medical masks, hand sanitizer, tissues, and educational fact sheets about pertussis. However, the medical provider working in the community noted that the educational sheets and masks might not be as relevant to this community. English is not the primary language, so Maine CDC created an image-based fact sheet. And since disposable masks may not be perceived as helpful by the community due to being single-use products, they included reusable cloth masks instead.

Responding in a culturally informed manner allowed Maine CDC to provide public health information and materials to the Amish community in a way that aligned with the community’s values. This helped foster the relationship and trust with the community, which is important for future communications and public health efforts.

Read the full story: bit.ly/3Anpl1E. Visit stories.cste.org to access nearly 180 more stories of epi innovation!

August is more than just back-to-school season, it's also National Immunization Awareness Month!

partners: Let’s help raise awareness about the importance of vaccination with these CDC resources, including messaging strategies, easy immunization schedules and a supportive space to voice questions and concerns. bit.ly/2WTB5W3.

This Wednesday 8/14! Don’t miss National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center’s virtual town hall, “H5N1 Updates for Frontline Staff,” featuring experts discussing the latest approaches and considerations for managing H5N1.

The session, beginning at 1:00 pm EDT, will provide valuable insights into the Identify-Isolate-Inform framework specifically tailored for H5N1. Participants will learn about recommended Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practices and key lab considerations for testing individuals identified as high-risk.

Learn more and register: bit.ly/3AeERNh.

CDC is now updating its Measles Case and Outbreaks webpage (bit.ly/4dF6r4D) on a weekly basis. As of August 8, a total of 211 measles cases were reported by 27 jurisdictions.

There have been 13 outbreaks of Measles (defined as 3 or more related cases) reported in 2024 so far. For comparison, only 4 outbreaks were reported in all of 2023. While measles is not a seasonal virus, it is often spread over times of high travel, such as summer.

A team from recently completed the 2023-2024 Legal Epidemiology Learning Cohort and carried out projects to help address fundamental drivers of health inequity in their communities. CSTE’s team researched and analyzed how laws in six states (Alaska, California, Florida, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Dakota) enable or prohibit the sharing of identifiable health information between state health departments and tribal public health authorities, including tribal nations and tribal epidemiology centers (TECs).

The Cohort is a 10-month, team-based program supported by CDC's Public Health Law Program (PHLP) that helps health departments or organizations gain foundational skills in public health law research and evaluation.

Learn more about our team’s work: https://bit.ly/4dbNerE

Deadline extended! Apply for ’s new fellowship opportunity to support state, local, territorial and tribal data science capacity - the Senior Public Health Data Strategy Fellowship. Applications for Fellows are now open until Tuesday, August 13.

With funding from the CDC Foundation’s Public Health Data Strategy Workforce Acceleration Initiative, the goal of this program is to place mid-career technology and data experts in state, local, tribal, or territorial health departments for a time-limited appointment.

Learn more and apply today! bit.ly/4cY9XqQ.

is hiring! We currently have an opening for Director of People and Culture, who’ll plan, lead, direct, develop, and coordinate policies, activities, and staff of the Human Resource team. The position will also ensure legal compliance and implementation of our mission and talent strategy, as well as use analytics to drive programs and policies.

Visit the CSTE Career Center to learn more details about the position and apply today! bit.ly/CSTEJobs

, along with CDC and the Council for Outbreak Response: Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial-Resistant Pathogens (COHRA), recently collaborated on new (and free) healthcare outbreak response training.

The training introduces learners to key concepts needed to investigate a healthcare outbreak. The primary audience for this training is public health professionals in state, territorial, and local Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI/AR) Programs.

Learn more and take the training today! bit.ly/4a152DY.

professionals: As summer draws to a close, it’s a great time to remind parents in your communities that routine vaccinations are a great tool to keep kids healthy, in school, and ready to learn.

Help amplify this important message with CDC’s Back to School resources, including schedules, quizzes, strategy materials & more! bit.ly/4fmskri.

34 years ago on July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law. is proud to support this important civil rights law which protects the rights of people with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, and transportation.

Learn more: bit.ly/3zWKGim.

Check out Listen Up! A new CDC professional development podcast for health communication professionals, including those working at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as students.

The latest episode, Not a Monolith: Empowering Latino Health, features an insightful conversation about culture and empowering Latino health. Listen now: bit.ly/3WjC8cJ.

Read about ’s latest advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C.!

Our latest blog covers significant developments for the upcoming fiscal year, including a FY 2025 Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) appropriations bill impacting .

Check it out here: bit.ly/3LC2jXn.

NEW RESOURCE: CDC recently released the Public Health Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®) Playbook, designed to help STLT agencies successfully implement FHIR®, a standard for electronic health data exchange.

FHIR® promotes effective communication and ensures data are exchanged appropriately between healthcare and public health partners in the right format, through the right channel at the right time. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3zSfAZm.

Strategies for Public Health Interoperability CDC and the ONC jointly lead the federal public health interoperability strategy.

Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance is a tremendous challenge to . Read what , CDC & Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)’s Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Task Force (ARSTF) has accomplished over the past ten years to help fight it.

ARSTF’s latest progress report details this work, and how the CSTE Annual Conference played a major role in pushing their agenda forward. Check it out: https://bit.ly/4cKbTU3.

Congratulations to CSTE’s Applied Public Health Informatics Fellowship (APHIF) Class 6 graduates and their mentors! APHIF provides an opportunity to build informatics and data science capacity at state and local health departments while training recent masters or doctoral graduates in applied public health practice.

These graduates have spent two years working at state and local health departments to meet the ongoing challenges of data modernization. We celebrated their accomplishments at the 2024 Annual Conference and are wishing them the best in their future roles. We are proud of your hard work and commitment to public health!

Learn more about APHIF here: https://bit.ly/3hRT2M2.

joins CDC in observing Tracking Awareness Week 2024!

For more than a decade, the CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Program has collected, integrated, and analyzed non-infectious disease and environmental data from a nationwide network of partners. The purpose of this Program is to deliver information and data to protect the nation from health issues arising from or directly related to environmental factors.

This year’s theme is “Be a Data Explorer” and highlights CDC’s unique tools and how people use data to inform actions. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3Q2Hw2D.

Burnout in remains a vital issue. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently hosted a webinar, “Training Supervisors to Help Reduce Burnout Among Public Health Workers,” which explores the development of a free, web-based training to address this growing issue.

Watch a recording of the webinar here: https://bit.ly/4eOmyhH.

wishes everyone a safe and happy Fourth of July! As you plan your celebrations, be mindful of firework safety, staying hydrated during hot temperatures and safely preparing food for outdoor gatherings.

Please note: The CSTE National Office is closed today and will re-open tomorrow, July 5.

ICYMI: Last week, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Strategy, which leverages existing infrastructures and capabilities to respond to the current Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) threat.

The strategy supports advanced development and regulatory approval/clearance for vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics to detect, prevent, and treat pandemic influenza infection.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3zuPqeT.

Just released! , along with CDC and Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) recently developed Cronobacter Position Statement Implementation Guidance (https://bit.ly/3L4Dzqz), covering both product testing and clinical and public health laboratory testing.

This Guidance was developed by a joint FDA-CDC-APHL-CSTE Cronobacter Position Statement Implementation Workgroup in response to the 2023 Position Statement 23-ID-03: Public Health Reporting and National Notification for Invasive Cronobacter Infection Among Infants (https://bit.ly/3VPMz7E).

Learn more and read the Guidance in full here: https://bit.ly/3L4Dzqz.

Today, June 27, is National HIV Testing Day! joins CDC in helping to encourage our colleagues to share information on free HIV self-tests and other resources found here: bit.ly/3KY8WmD.

Testing programs have been critical contributors to the 12% decrease in estimated HIV infections from 2018 to 2022, and a major factor contributing to ongoing disparities in HIV is a lack of access to and implementation of HIV testing and screening programs.