Vital Signs Town Hall Teleconferences

Previous Teleconferences

MARCH 2019
Staph Infections Can Kill: Prevention at the Front Lines
Staphylococcus aureus (staph) is a leading cause of infections in US healthcare facilities. More than 119,000 people suffered from bloodstream staph infections in the United States in 2017 – and nearly 20,000 died. Recent findings show that hospital infection control efforts successfully reduced rates of serious staph infections in the U.S. However, recent data show that this success is slowing and staph still threatens patients. This teleconference featured a Vital Signs summary and discussion about recent efforts to prevent and control staph infection.

FEBRUARY 2019
Surge in Youth Tobacco Product Use: Causes and Public Health Implications
Tobacco product use among US youth is increasing. More than 1 in 4 high school students and about 1 in 14 middle school students in 2018 had used a tobacco product in the past 30 days. This was a considerable increase from 2017, which was driven by an increase in e-cigarette use. E-cigarette use increased from 11.7% to 20.8% among high school students and from 3.3% to 4.9% among middle school students from 2017 to 2018. This teleconference featured a Vital Signs summary and discussion about the causes and public health implications of an increase in the use of tobacco products by youth.

SEPTEMBER 2018
Preventing 1 Million Heart Attacks and Strokes
Heart attacks and strokes can be catastrophic, life-changing events that are all too common—over 800,000 in 2016. Heart disease and stroke are preventable, yet they remain leading causes of death, disability, and healthcare spending in the US. Million Hearts® is a national initiative with a network of partners focused on preventing one million heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events by 2022. This teleconference featured a Vital Signs summary and discussion about coordinated actions by public health and healthcare professionals, communities, and healthcare systems that will keep people healthy, optimize care, and improve outcomes.

AUGUST 2018
Zika in Babies: Opportunities for Monitoring Health and Development
Zika virus (“Zika”) infection during pregnancy can cause severe health problems in babies, such as birth defects, problems with vision and hearing, seizures, and developmental delays. More than 4,800 pregnancies in the US territories (American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Puerto Rico, Republic of Marshall Islands, US Virgin Islands) had a lab result showing confirmed or possible Zika from 2016-2018. About 1 in 7 babies that were at least one year old and had some follow-up care reported, had one or more health problems possibly caused by Zika reported to the US Zika Pregnancy and Infant Registry. This teleconference featured a Vital Signs summary and discussion about the importance of identifying these health problems early and helping parents get their babies and children the care they need.

JUNE 2018
Rising Suicide Rates Across the US
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the US. Suicide rates increased in nearly every state from 1999 through 2016. Mental health conditions are often seen as the cause of suicide, but suicide is rarely caused by any single factor. In fact, many people who die by suicide are not known to have a diagnosed mental health condition at the time of death. Other problems often contribute to suicide, such as those related to relationships, substance use, physical health, and job, money, legal, or housing stress. This teleconference featured a Vital Signs summary and discussion about the increase in suicide deaths and highlights programs and strategies that support local, state, tribal, national, and other partners in preventing suicide.