February 2023

World TB Day (WTBD) is March 24th!

This year's theme is 'Yes! We can end TB!'. WTBD is an opportunity to recognize our achievements in TB prevention and control and renew our commitment to eliminating this devastating disease in the United States. 

Save-the-date for these events:

• WTBD at TB ECHO will take place on Monday, March 27th at 12:30 - 1:30 PM, PT. Registration and more information will be available in the March newsletter.
• UCSF Center for Tuberculosis and Curry International Tuberculosis Center will be hosting the World TB Day Symposium on March 24th at 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, PT. Register here by February 24, at 5:00 PM, PT.
• The nominations for U.S. TB Elimination Champion has been extended to February 24th.
• View the list of national events on the CDC World TB Day website.

Welcome Our New State TB Program Staff!

New Partnerships and Policy Manager, Soyeon Lippman

Soyeon earned her doctorate in molecular biology from Princeton University, and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Washington (UW) on host-pathogen interaction and genomics. She began her work in public health 8 years ago at the WA State DOH, and worked in various areas including influenza surveillance, tribal epidemiology, and foodborne illnesses. Sometime along the way, she earned her Master of Public Health and Master of Public Policy and Evaluation at the UW. Outside of the office, Soyeon is a happy mom to two high schoolers, and can often be found fencing herself or supporting her son at his fencing tournaments. She with her family and friends also travel near and far for good food, music, hikes and merriment. 

Soyeon can be reached at [email protected].

*New* CDC Mantoux Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) Training Video

The CDC has updated their TST Training Video, which was previously released in 2005 for health care professionals. This 27-minute training is part of a set of resources, including a wall chart and ruler.

Reminder: 2023 National TB Conferences & Call for Poster Abstracts

The in-person National TB Conference (June 12-15, 2023) and the 13th National Conference on Laboratory Aspects of TB (June 12-13, 2023) will take place in Atlanta, GA. Abstracts for the 2023 TB conferences have been extended to mid-March. If you have any questions about this “call for poster abstracts” or the 2023 TB conferences, email Sherry Brown (NTCA) and Sarah Buss (APHL).

We are TB Patient Support Groups

Current TB patients, TB survivors, or family members of someone with TB are welcome join the virtual support groups.

• Meets every Monday at 5:00 PM, PT. More information here.
• The Spanish language group meets monthly on Tuesdays at 5:00 PM, PT. More information here.

Information for Local Health Jurisdictions (LHJs)

Medication Tracking Log Reminders

Remember to track your TB medications from the time of ordering to your patient receiving them.

Important: Double check the shipping/packing slip to confirm which medication program was used to obtain the medication (i.e., 340B, MMCAP or former CDC). On occasion, CDC or MMCAP medications will be used if there are shipping delays for 340B program medication orders.

Examples of medication tracking logs for download and adaptation for your LHJ's use are found on the TB Partners SharePoint.

Secure File Transfer (SFT) Expiring on March 17, 2023

SFT, the secure platform for LHJs to share files with DOH staff, is being replaced by Managed File Transfer (MFT). LHJ staff who have active SFT accounts should have already received their new MFT account login information. If you have questions or are interested in accessing MFT for secure file sharing, please contact [email protected].

TB Partners SharePoint Updates 

New TB Services & Standards Manual Chapters

• Chapter 11: Contact Investigation
• Chapter 14: Confidentiality

Data Resources page updates

• Contains important dates about year-end closeout and resources, including the WDRS TB Manual which continually get updated.

Arriver Information page updates

• EDN Quick Tips: Locating and Viewing Chest X-Ray Files
• EDN Codebook Supplement with information not otherwise included in the standard EDN codebook

Please contact [email protected] if you are experiencing SharePoint access issues or would like to request access.

Phlebotomy Training Available

The DOH TB Program is partnering with the Phlebotomy Training Center at the University of Washington to offer phlebotomy training for LHJ TB program staff to be able to perform TB blood tests.

This is a two day in-person training in Seattle that requires one month advance notice to schedule. Class space is limited. LHJs who are interested in sending over staff to obtain this certification through June 30, 2023, should contact [email protected].

Upcoming Events and Education Opportunities

Newcomer Health ECHO

This ECHO Colorado series is designed to increase medical providers' knowledge of the resettlement and health issues of newcomers, including refugee, immigrant and migrant (RIM) populations. These virtual sessions are held on the last Tuesday of the month. More information here.

• February 28, 2023: Vaccinations
• March 28, 2023: Tuberculosis
• April 25, 2023: Hepatitis B - Pediatrics
• and more

March 2, 2023 | Putting the Value Back Into Evaluation: Collecting and Using Evaluation Data to Improve Your Trainings

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM, PT | This Education and Training Network (ETN) and Southeastern National TB Center (SNTC) webinar is for anyone developing or delivering trainings to TB health care professionals. Register here.

March 2, 2023 | Public Health and Media Communications Training

4:00 PM - 5:10 PM, PT. Stop TB USA is hosting this training about effective media advocacy and using a power communication tool (the EPIC format). Register here.

April 5-7, 2023 | 59th Annual Denver TB Course

This National Jewish Health Course provides a broad overview of active and latent TB including its epidemiology, transmission, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and management. More information here.

Mycobacterium Interest Group Seminar Series

The Seattle TB Research Advancement Center (SEATRAC) holds monthly Friday sessions (typically on the fourth Friday) which features both basic science and clinical science presentations. More information here.

Washington's TB Project ECHO

12:30-1:30 pm PT. On Mondays join our lunch-time virtual discussion about real TB cases with your peers. This free interactive event is guided by a panel of local TB experts. For more information about this local project and our partners who make this ongoing event possible.

Articles

Treatment Strategy for Rifampin-Susceptible Tuberculosis

The New England Journal of Medicine | 2/2023 | doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2212537 | Read here

World TB Day 2023 Theme Announcement

Stop TB Partnership | 2/2023 | Read here

Video Recordings and Education Opportunities

Stop TB Partnership Recordings

• *New* What's New in Childhood Tuberculosis (aired 1/26/2023) Recording

CITC Archived Webinars

CME/CE units will not be offered for these trainings. Access here.

Rutgers TB Institute Archived Trainings

CE units are available for select archives for a limited time frame.

SNTC Archived Webinars

CME/CE units are not offered for these trainings. Access here.

SNTC Online Courses

CME/CE units are offered for these trainings. Access here.

• When TB is the Least of Their Worries: Mini-Course Series (expires 9/3/2025)

CDC: TB 101 for Health Care Workers

CE units expire on 11/6/2023 and are available at no cost. Access here.

TB ECHO Recorded Archives

Missed a TB ECHO^® session? TB ECHO^® has didactic presentations available for viewing on YouTube. Handouts related to the presentation are included where appropriate. Watch recorded TB ECHO® here

Tools and Resources



CDC

• CDC Guidance of COVID mRNA Vaccines, TST, and IGRA: Scroll to the "People undergoing testing for tuberculosis infection" section.
• CDC Learning Connection.
• CDC TRAIN is a comprehensive catalog of free public health training opportunities from the Public Health Foundation. For TB-related trainings, click here.
• FindTBResources.cdc.gov - TB educational materials for patients and providers.
• Visit Everyday Words for Public Health Communication to find plain language alternatives for public health jargon.
• TB Personal Stories patient videos to help raise awareness about TB in the US.
• we are TB offers comprehensive peer support for current TB patients and TB clinics, including weekly live support group sessions.
• Subscribe to the CDC's quarterly newsletter, TB Notes!

DOH Refugee Health Program

• Afghan Health Resources - Fact sheets, webinars, videos, and other health resources (scroll down for TB resources).
• Ukrainian Health Resources - Fact sheets, webinars, videos, and other health resources to support new arrivals from Ukraine (scroll down for TB resources).

Heartland National TB Center

• Stop the Stigma: Eliminating Stigmatizing Language Resources (Heartland products and training materials will soon be found on the new 2023-2027 TB COE sites)

Southeastern National TB Center

• Individualized Country Guides to support the provider-foreign-born client relationship by giving country-specific background information, epidemiological data, common misperceptions and beliefs about TB and HIV/AIDS, as well as information about general health practices, cultural beliefs and courtesies to observe.

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