As the new year begins, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is alerting the public to what the agency considers five of the top health threats we face in 2014.
- Antibiotic resistance: coping with untreatable infections. CDC will continue to work with federal, state, and local partners toward improving antibiotic use, preventing infections and the spread of resistance, gathering data on antibiotic-resistant infections, and developing diagnostic tests to track the development of resistance.
- Prescription drug overdose: a growing epidemic. CDC will continue to track prescription drug overdose trends to better understand the epidemic and will continue to focus on comprehensive state efforts to develop, implement, and evaluate promising strategies to prevent prescription drug abuse.
- Securing our global health borders. With today’s patterns of global travel and trade, disease can spread nearly anywhere within 24 hours. Through strategic investments in critical public health systems, CDC is working with various ministries of health to increase the ability to prepare for and respond to public health threats and reduce the risk of these threats crossing borders.
- Increasing HPV vaccine availability to preteens and teens. For both boys and girls, HPV vaccination rates continue to be well below goals, leaving them susceptible to HPV-related cancers. CDC will continue to monitor adolescent vaccination coverage levels, foster awareness activities, and provide technical assistance.
- Coming together to end polio. Active conflict, military operations, and/or local bans on immunizations prevent polio vaccinators from reaching approximately two million children in high-risk areas. Overcoming this challenge is a critical step towards ending polio.
Learn more at the CDC website, including many valuable links.
