THIS ISSUE AVAILABLE ONLINE WITH EXPANDED INFORMATION AND PHOTOS AT:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/newsletter/weekly
IN THIS ISSUE:
1) President Bush Signs Biodefense for the 21st Century
2) Revised Definition Means Millions More Have Pre-Diabetes
3) PREVENTION: HHS Issues "Blueprint for Action" To Build Healthier Nation
4) Science In the News: E.COLI 0157 Incidence Posts Substantial Decline: Other Foodbourne Illnesses Continue Downward Trend
5) Medicare Minute: Medicare Triples Call Center Representatives to Provide Personal Assistance to Callers
6) Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule
President Bush Signs Biodefense for the 21st Century
The Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and Defense on Wednesday, announced a presidential directive to strengthen biodefenses and highlighted biodefense achievements. President Bush has made strengthening the nation's defenses against biological weapons a national priority. While significant progress has been made, the president instructed federal departments and agencies to review their efforts and find new and better ways to secure America from bioattacks.
The result of this review was "Biodefense for the 21st Century," a Presidential directive that provides a comprehensive framework for our nation's biodefense. Released in an unclassified version on April 28, "Biodefense for the 21st Century" builds on past accomplishments, specifies roles and responsibilities, and integrates the programs and efforts of various communities -- national security, medical, public health, intelligence, diplomatic, agricultural and law enforcement -- into a sustained and focused national effort against biological weapons threats.
"Biodefense for the 21st Century" outlines the essential pillars of our biodefense program and provides specific directives to further strengthen the significant gains put in place during the past three years. At HHS, in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, preparations have included the following highlights:
For the complete HHS Fact Sheet: Biodefense Preparedness: Record of Accomplishment, please go to: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040428.html
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Revised Definition Means Millions More Have Pre-Diabetes
"Pre-diabetes" -- a condition that raises a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke -- is far more common in America than previously believed, according to a new HHS estimate released Thursday. About 40 percent of U.S. adults ages 40 to 74 -- or 41 million people -- currently have the condition, which is marked by blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet diabetic. Many people with pre-diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years.
The new estimate is based on a revised, more accurate definition of pre-diabetes made by an international expert committee of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and published in Diabetes Care in November 2003. Under previous criteria, it had been estimated that some 20.1 million in this age group had pre-diabetes.
"Every 25 seconds, someone in America is diagnosed with diabetes," HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. "These latest numbers show how urgent the problem really is. We need to help Americans take steps to prevent diabetes, or we will risk being overwhelmed by the health and economic consequences of an ever-growing diabetes epidemic."
The new definition of pre-diabetes identifies more people who are likely to develop type 2 diabetes, highlighting the importance of preventing this disease. "By identifying people with pre-diabetes, we can encourage them to take preventive measures such as losing weight, becoming physically active and eating a healthy diet, to help keep diabetes and other serious health problems at bay," Secretary Thompson said.
"Research has clearly shown that losing 5 to 7 percent of body weight through diet and increased physical activity can prevent or delay pre-diabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes," said Dr. Allen Spiegel, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health within HHS.
On Wednesday, HHS' National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) launched the first national multicultural diabetes prevention campaign, Small Steps. Big Rewards. Prevent type 2 Diabetes to take action against the diabetes epidemic. The campaign includes motivational tip sheets for consumers as well as print and radio public service ads, tailored for specific high risk groups: African Americans; Hispanic and Latino Americans; American Indians and Alaska Natives; Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; and adults aged 60 and older.
A National Diabetes Fact Sheet provides up-to-date information about diabetes, its prevalence, incidence, complications and costs to the nation. Overall, about 18.2 million Americans currently have diabetes, with about 1.3 million new cases being diagnosed each year. Most of these individuals - 90 percent to 95 percent - have type 2 diabetes, which is associated with older age, obesity, physical inactivity and ethnicity. The fact sheet is available at www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/factsheet.htm or by calling 1-877-CDC-DIAB (232-3422).
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PREVENTION: HHS Issues "Blueprint for Action" To Build Healthier Nation
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson Thursday announced a "Blueprint for Action" to reduce and prevent chronic diseases. The Blueprint outlines steps that individuals, groups, communities and other organizations can take to help improve the overall health of Americans.
Chronic diseases and conditions account for at least 7 of every 10 deaths in the United States and for more than 60 percent of medical care expenditures. In 2000, poor diet and physical inactivity, which contribute to obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, accounted for 400,000 actual deaths in the U.S., according to research at HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only tobacco use caused more preventable deaths. In addition, many chronic diseases result in disability and decrease the quality of life for millions of Americans.
"Much of the chronic disease burden is preventable," Secretary Thompson said. "By engaging individuals, families, health care providers and professionals, we can attack this growing epidemic. Some chronic health problems are related to individual choices or behaviors. People who avoid behaviors that increase their risk for chronic diseases and adopt healthy habits can expect to live healthier and longer lives. Often small changes -- such as engaging in physical activity for 30 minutes a day -- can result in large health benefits."
The Blueprint, released at HHS' 2nd national Steps to a HealthierUS Summit, lists action steps for individuals and families; communities; schools; employers; health insurers; health care providers and professionals; researchers and health professions educators; the media; and state, local and tribal governments.
The Blueprint notes that the most immediate and effective changes in people's lives are controlled by individuals themselves. By taking small, deliberate actions, individuals can improve their lives. These small steps include:
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Science In the News: E.COLI 0157 Incidence Posts Substantial Decline: Other Foodbourne Illnesses Continue Downward Trend
Cases of E. coli O157:H7 infections -- one of the most severe foodborne diseases -- showed a dramatic decline last year, decreasing 36 percent compared to the previous year, according to foodborne surveillance data released Thursday.
The data released by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agricultural also showed that the incidence of three common foodborne diseases -- Campylobacter, Salmonella and Yersinia infections -- continued substantial declines seen in past eight years.
The overall incidence of E. coli O157:H7 infections has declined 42 percent since 1996, while Campylobacter infections have dropped 28 percent and Salmonella infections have decreased by 17 percent.
Cases of other less common bacterial and parasitic foodborne diseases have also decreased since surveillance began in 1996. Yersinia infections have decreased 49 percent, and Cryptosporidium infections have decreased 51 percent.
"These findings are good news for Americans and signify important progress toward meeting HHS' Healthy People 2010 objectives for reducing the incidence of disease caused by these bacterial infections," HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. "However, we must remain vigilant and continue our work to make America's food supply as safe as possible. Much work remains to be done, particularly in protecting our children from foodborne illness."
The data also found that the incidence of Listeria, which had been decreasing the previous four years, did not decline in 2003. The national Listeria Action Plan was launched in 2003 to increase prevention efforts in the food chain, and a method is being developed in order to rapidly identify contaminated food items in outbreaks. The incidence of Salmonella Enteritidis, a common Salmonella serotype, has not changed significantly since 1996, demonstrating that additional efforts are needed to control this pathogen.
Children continue to suffer from foodborne illness in greater numbers than other groups. CDC, FDA and USDA are currently conducting a case-control study of sporadic cases of Salmonella and Campylobacter to find the best opportunities for prevention in young children.
Several factors have contributed to the overall decline in foodborne illnesses. Enhanced surveillance and outbreak investigations have identified new control measures and focused attention on preventing foodborne diseases.
The full report, "Preliminary FoodNet Data on the Incidence of Infections with Pathogens Commonly Transmitted Through Food -- Selected Sites, United States, 2003" appears in this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (April 30, 2004) and is available online at www.cdc.gov/mmwr/.
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Medicare Minute: Medicare Triples Call Center Representatives to Provide Personal Assistance to Callers
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. Wednesday announced that Medicare has more than tripled the number of customer service representatives available through its toll-free information line, 1-800-MEDICARE, which also received a record number of calls on Monday, April 26.
Secretary Thompson said the 24-hour a day, seven-day-a-week hotline has hired 1,000 additional trained customer service representatives, for a total of nearly 1,400, in order to handle the rapidly rising number of calls generated by the new Medicare law. The expansion of the call center is also being done to handle the anticipated influx of calls generated by the availability of drug discount cards beginning May 3, as well as the ongoing addition of new prescription drug and preventive care benefits being added to Medicare in the next two years.
HHS is encouraging people with Medicare to call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or go to www.Medicare.gov for personalized assistance in comparing drug discount cards or to learn about other benefits being offered under the new law.
"Personalized help in choosing a drug discount card will be a phone call away," Secretary Thompson said. "We're expanding our call centers and providing a price comparison tool on our Web site so that seniors can receive personalized assistance in choosing a drug discount card that works best for them. These cards will provide seniors with real savings on their prescription medicines. We want to help beneficiaries shop to compare, and make an informed decision."
Call volume already has increased 150 percent since April of 2003, with over 3 million calls in the first four months of 2004 alone. This past Monday, the hotline received an all-time record high of 111,904 calls. Medicare officials estimate that 1-800-MEDICARE will receive nearly 13 million phone calls in 2004, up from fewer than 6 million in 2003.
Earlier this year HHS also increased funding for the State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs), which provide one-on-one assistance to Medicare beneficiaries through trained counselors who are provided training from CMS. The added funding was to meet the increased demand for information about the new Medicare benefits now available.
"CMS is committed to making sure that Medicare beneficiaries get the information they need to make the best decisions in their health care," said Dr. McClellan. "The information available at 1-800-MEDICARE and www.medicare.gov, supplemented with one-on-one information beneficiaries can get at their local SHIPS and other local organizations that work with seniors will help them be some of the best informed health care consumers in the nation today."
For a complete press release, please go to: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040428a.html
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Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule:
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Last updated: May 3, 2004
United States Department of Health and Human Services
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