promote social norms and behaviors that prevent disease transmission - Community leaders to develop communication strategies for reaching vulnerable populations. Critical areas for trained public health workers include disease surveillance, epidemiologic investigation, and laboratory detection; meaningful public health use of electronic networks and health IT tools; and use of new tools and channels for public health communications, including risk communication. October 2011 | 13 ELEMENT 2 Identify and implement high-impact public health interventions to reduce infectious diseases Focused efforts to prevent and control high‐burden infectious diseases can achieve dramatic results within a short time‐frame, reducing disease burden and health inequities while saving lives and reducing healthcare costs. Priorities Priorities include identifying and validating new tools for disease prevention and control and accelerating the uptake and broad use of proven methods for decreasing illness and death from diseases and conditions of special concern (Box 3). Priority 2A. Identify and validate high-impact tools for disease reduction A strong public health system requires innovative, validated, and cost‐saving tools for disease prevention and control that build on new ideas, technologies, partnerships, and other opportunities. Examples include new vaccines, targeted strategies and tools for infection control and treatment, and innovative approaches to reduce zoonotic and vectorborne diseases. • New vaccines The public health power of vaccines is clearly illustrated by the introduction and use of two recent vaccines. The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, introduced in 2000, had prevented more than 13,000 U.S. deaths by 2008 (11). More recently, a new rotavirus vaccine, introduced in 2006, has been shown to prevent approximately 40,000–60,000 U.S. hospitalizations each year (12). Laboratory studies and clinical trials to develop new vaccines are supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other public and private partners. As new vaccines are developed and approved, CDC works to advance their introduction and use, monitor their safety, and evaluate their impact on disease burden. • Strategies and tools for infection control and treatment Infection control. Identification of and adherence to infection control measures is essential for preventing development and spread of antimicrobial resistance; reducing HAIs; and decreasing transmission of communicable diseases, especially influenza and other respiratory infections, including non‐vaccine‐preventable respiratory infections. Strategies and tools for preventing antimicrobial resistance (see also Priority 3B, Address microbial drug resistance) and HAIs include the establishment of health department‐ and healthcare‐facility‐based prevention collaboratives to implement recommended practices and promote judicious use of antibiotics. Specific measures target ventilator‐associated pneumonias and infections with Clostridium difficile, multi‐ drug‐resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, and other gram‐negative bacteria. Other innovative prevention approaches under investigation focus on the environment as a reservoir for healthcare‐associated pathogens and include use of ultraviolet light and other modalities to reduce transmissions. 14 | CDC ID Framework Outside of healthcare settings, efforts are focused on strengthening individual and community‐ based infection control measures (e.g., hand‐washing, respiratory hygiene, and other non‐ pharmaceutical interventions such as self‐isolation/quarantine), particularly during outbreaks. Additional activities include evaluating and optimizing the use of broader community mitigation tools such as school closings and public event cancellations. Treatment. Working with partners to develop and disseminate clinical guidance is critical for preventing increased severity and further spread of infectious diseases. During the 2009–2010 H1N1 influenza pandemic, CDC provided guidance on the use of antivirals in populations at increased risk for severe disease, including pregnant women and persons with chronic conditions such as diabetes, lung disease, and neuromuscular disorders. These recommendations were shown to improve outcomes among these populations: for example, early treatment of pregnant women with antiviral medications was associated with fewer admissions to an intensive care unit and fewer deaths. In addition, during the 2010 outbreak of dengue fever in Puerto Rico, public health authorities provided guidance on clinical management of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever. Although no antiviral drug therapy is currently available for dengue fever, good medical management can reduce the related fatality rate to less than 1% (13). CDC also worked with Haitian and international partners to provide clinical guidance for rapidly evaluating and treating cholera patients and controlling disease spread in Haiti following the epidemic that began months after the devastating earthquake in January 2010. New strategies to improve clinical management of STDs include ensuring prompt treatment of the partners of patients diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea by promoting Expedited Partners Therapy. Other new clinical interventions aimed at reducing