Commissioned Corps BULLETIN Division of Commissioned Personnel • Program Support Center, DHHS Vol. XIII, No. 7 July 1999 Surgeon General's Column "If it falls your lot in life to touch the ing malaria-related deaths throughout mitment on everyone’s part. There’s no lives of others, be sure you touch them in the world. Beyond that, inasmuch as we denying that these final stages of the war such a way that you leave them better are able to build an infrastructure to will be the hardest, but the reward will than you found them." combat malaria, it is our hope that the also be tremendous—that $500 million —Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays groundwork will be set for fighting other investment today could save $1.5 billion Former President of Morehouse College diseases that disproportionately affect per year in the future. the poor, including tuberculosis and HIV/ I am pleased to report that the WHA What can be more exciting than the AIDS. This improved health infrastruc- passed a resolution requesting the estab- converging of the world’s foremost pub- ture will not only help us to alleviate pain lishment of “an emergency fund to meet lic health leaders and professionals in and suffering, it will also allow us to cre- the needs of countries affected by con- one city? Not much. ate opportunities for hope—the kind of flict, countries classified as major wild I recently returned from Geneva, Swit- hope that translates into increased so- polio virus reservoirs, and other countries zerland, where for 3 days I led the Ameri- cioeconomic status and opportunities for in particularly difficult circumstances” can delegation to the 52nd World Health the world’s poorest. and “support the peace-building process Assembly (WHA). We witnessed several The WHA unanimously endorsed Roll by facilitating cease-fires for national interesting developments, many of which Back Malaria and commended “the key immunization days in countries affected related directly to our global health pri- features of the new approach, namely, by conflict.” ority. increased focus on the needs of people at Smallpox Moving aggressively with a new vision, risk, better response to those needs with Director General Gro Bruntland has re- evidence-based action, greater use of ex- WHO declared that smallpox was offi- organized the World Health Organization isting tools, their full integration into the cially eradicated in 1980. In 1996, the (WHO) around two priorities: communi- health sector as a horizontal program, WHA agreed to the destruction of the two cable and noncommunicable diseases. and innovative public-private partner- known existing stocks of the virus at the Communicable Diseases ships to develop cost-effective products Centers for Disease Control and Preven- and tools in view of the emergence of drug tion (CDC) and the Russian State Cen- The Roll Back Malaria Initiative and insecticide resistance.” ter for Research on Virology and Biotech- nology by June 30, 1999. Destruction of Under communicable diseases, the top Polio Eradication agenda item is malaria control. One mil- the existing stocks was subject to confir- lion people die of malaria each year. WHO Secretary Shalala and I led a call on mation at the WHA in 1999. Since 1996, has set in place the Roll Back Malaria the WHO to finish fighting the war on there has been increasing interest in re- initiative, which is designed to cut that polio. Globally, the number of cases has number in half by 2010. In Africa alone, decreased 85 percent in 10 years from (Continued on page 2) particularly sub-Saharan Africa, malaria 35,000 in 1988 to 5,673 in 1998. While accounts for one in four of all childhood polio has been eradicated from most deaths, both directly and indirectly in countries, it still exists in Africa, the conjunction with other causes of ill Middle East, and South Asia. Both en- IN THIS ISSUE . health, such as respiratory infections, demic and donor countries agreed that Temporary Grade Promotions ............ 4 diarrheal disease, and malnutrition. polio could and would be eradicated by the year 2000, but it will not be easy. Not Exceptional Capability Promotions ... 8 With an investment of $1 billion in ad- only is it going to take about $500 mil- DCP and Y2K Update ........................ 12 ditional spending to strengthen health lion in additional funding to finish the systems, we could meet our goal of halv- job, it’s also going to take a serious com- Commissioned Corps Published as part of the Commissioned Corps Personnel Manual for Public Health Service Commis- Director, DCP/HRS/PSC sioned Corps officers. Forward news of Service-wide or special interest to Division of Commissioned RADM R. Michael Davidson BULLETIN Personnel/HRS/PSC, Room 4A-15, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857-0001, Phone: 301-594-3462. Editor Mrs. Virginia Kapusnick Page 2 Commissioned Corps Bulletin Vol. XIII, No. 7 July 1999 Surgeon General's Column (Continued from page 1) taining the stocks for research purposes. Tobacco Control During the meeting, I proposed, in the The WHA agreed by consensus to the spirit of the TFI and the FCTC, that we A major culprit affecting the noncom- “temporary retention, up to but not later make future Assemblies smoke-free. How municable diseases rate is tobacco. In than 2002, of the existing stocks of vari- can we purport to think globally about 1998, tobacco killed 4 million people. If ola virus . for the purpose of further tobacco control without first acting lo- the current trends continue without in- international research into antiviral cally on such an important issue? It will tervention, tobacco will kill 10 million agents and improved vaccines, and to be interesting to see what happens at the people a year by 2030—more than 70 permit high-priority investigations of the 53rd Assembly. percent of them in developing countries genetic structure and pathogenesis of where information is often the weakest. Global tobacco control is the featured smallpox . [although] the final elimi- topic in the next edition of my Surgeon nation of all variola virus remains the WHO took two giant steps to fight to- General’s Column in JAMA (the Journal goal.” At that time, WHO will appoint a bacco worldwide. First, the Tobacco Free of the American Medical Association) new group of experts to make a recom- Initiative (TFI) emerged to focus global which should be appearing in the next mendation to the WHA by 2002. attention, efforts, and resources on inter- few weeks. I hope that you will watch for national tobacco control. This initiative Noncommunicable Diseases it. could avert millions of premature deaths Another challenge we face relates to in the future. It calls for a worldwide ban I am pleased that we have already com- emerging epidemics of noncommunicable on tobacco advertising and promotion, for mitted ourselves to taking a global ap- diseases, such as mental illness, cancer regular and sustained tax increases on proach to public health, just as our glo- and cardiovascular diseases, injuries and cigarettes, for wider access to cessation bal health priority points out. But we alcohol—all of which are becoming more measures, and for the establishment of must be ever more vigilant. In tracking prevalent in developing and developed tobacco control coalitions. Also, the health patterns in the past, it’s interest- countries. Framework Convention on Tobacco Con- ing to note how consistently our health trol (FCTC) is the first time in WHO’s problems today are indicative of the Noncommunicable diseases are likely 50-year history that it has exercised its world’s health problems tomorrow. We to account for increasing amounts of the mandate to negotiate a convention. The owe it to ourselves and to others to do disease burden in the near future. In FCTC will be the first global tobacco con- our part now to make a better tomorrow 1990, noncommunicable diseases repre- trol treaty. A working group soon will for everyone. sented about 55 percent of the diseases begin the work to prepare for negotia- burden; however, by 2020, the burden is ADM David Satcher tions to complete and ready the conven- expected to rise to as much as 73 per- Assistant Secretary for Health tion for ratification by 2003. cent. and Surgeon General T.S. 638 dated March 24, 1999 – gible to be reviewed by an assimilation board. INSTRUCTION 5, Subchapter CC29.1, “Absence Without Leave (AWOL).” This T.S. 640 dated May 26, 1999 – INSTRUCTION prescribes the policies INSTRUCTION 4, Subchapter CC25.2, and procedures regarding AWOL for Pub- “Junior Commissioned Officer Student lic Health Service Commissioned Corps Training and Extern Program officers. INSTRUCTION 8, Subchapter (JRCOSTEP).” This INSTRUCTION was CC23.8, “Employment of Retired Offic- revised to include the following: (1) more ers” was removed. health-related professions were added; (2) citizenship, age, and years of active Commissioned Corps T.S. 639 dated May 26, 1999 – Federal military service requirements INSTRUCTION 7, Subchapter CC23.3, were added; (3) Operating Divisions/Pro- Personnel Manual “Regular Corps Assimilation Program.” grams cannot authorize appointments INSTRUCTIONs This INSTRUCTION was amended to and issue travel orders or personnel reflect that reserve corps officers must orders without the Division of Commis- The following INSTRUCTIONs have successfully complete 2 years (rather sioned Personnel’s approval first; and (4) been distributed recently. If you wish to than 4 years) of continuous active duty officers are to be informed that their fam- see an issuance, please contact your ad- before applying for assimilation into the ily members are entitled to limited ministrative office or access the Commis- regular corps. Officers must complete the health care benefits. sioned Corps Personnel Manual (CCPM) probationary period (3 years of continu- at the DCP web site <http://dcp.psc.gov> ous active duty) before they can be eli- July 1999 Vol.