March 2013

Did You Know? is a weekly feature from the Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support to inform your prevention activities. We invite you to read, share, and take action!

View the Current Did You Know?

March 29, 2013

The latest estimates [PDF-1.6MB] show there are about 20 million new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the US each year, costing the health-care system nearly $16 billion in direct medical costs.
Genital human papillomavirus (HPV) accounts for the majority of prevalent STIs in the United States. Genital herpes, hepatitis B, and HIV are other viral STIs; together they account for nearly one-quarter of all prevalent STIs.
CDC’s fact sheets are useful tools for sharing STI prevention messages and are available for syndication on partners’ websites.

March 22, 2013

In 2012, more than 9,000 people became sick with tuberculosis (TB) disease in the United States.
March 24 is World TB Day, raising awareness of this infectious disease and the need to improve testing and treatment among high-risk populations.
CDC offers free TB educational materials and TB Personal Stories that highlight experiences of people treated for this life-threatening disease.

March 15, 2013

CDC’s new report, Competitive Foods and Beverages in U.S. Schools: A State Policy Analysis [PDF-13MB], shows that 39 states have policies for snacks sold in competition with school meals.
Schools, teachers, staff members, parents, and students can support and develop strong nutrition standards for foods and beverages in schools.
CDC provides guidelines and strategies to help schools create supportive environments for students to eat healthy foods and stay active.

March 8, 2013

Untreatable and hard-to-treat infections from carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) germs are on the rise among patients in medical facilities, with 42 states reporting having had at least one patient test positive for one type of CRE.
The increase in CRE infections is alarming because these bacteria kill up to half of people who get severe infections from them. CRE germs have become resistant to all or nearly all the antibiotics we have today.
By following CDC guidelines, healthcare leaders and providers can halt CRE infections before they become widespread in medical facilities and potentially spread to otherwise healthy people outside of medical facilities.

March 1, 2013

More than 20 million US adults [PDF-486KB] are estimated to have chronic kidney disease (CKD), and most of them are unaware of their condition.
CDC’s new CKD Surveillance System tracks CKD in the US population over time and highlights federal efforts to prevent, detect, and manage the disease.
Kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death in the United States; March is designated National Kidney Month to raise awareness of this condition.