Washington, DC – As the federal government prepares a nationwide strategy to reopen regions of the country and restart the economy, additional support must be provided to the contact tracing experts who are essential to ensuring the nation’s recovery. For decades, Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS) have used their skills to stem the spread of the STD and HIV epidemics, and respond to emergencies like Ebola and Zika. The CDC and FEMA must allocate funding to ensure more of these skilled public health responders are hired, trained, and deployed to curb the COVID-19 pandemic on the frontlines, and work with the most affected communities in stemming transmission.

“The ability to trace a virus or disease is the key to defeating pandemics and ensuring a path to normalcy. While some proposed technological solutions are no doubt innovative and can support this work, DIS are equipped with the training and expertise to reach the communities hardest hit by the COVID pandemic – African American and Latino communities – and they are essential to any recovery plan being considered by the federal government,” says David C. Harvey, executive director for the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD).

According to reports, the CDC and FEMA have prepared a framework to reopen parts of the U.S economy and a roadmap for reopening the country. While priority is given to lifting restrictions and phased reopenings, insufficient support is provided to expanding the army of contact tracers needed to ensure infections are slowed.

“An expansion of DIS is an investment in our nation’s health, a critical tool to bend the COVID curve, and a necessity to prevent the pandemics of the future. We urge the CDC, FEMA, and the federal government to alter course and make the right decision,” says Harvey.

Contact: Matt Prior, mprior@ncsddc.org, 570-878-3847