A Message from the Editor

Public health plays an integral role in immunization coverage throughout the United States. It is this unique public-private partnership of pharmaceutical companies, federal agencies, and health-care providers that has laid the groundwork for successfully introducing vaccines that help eradicate and control vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs).

In this issue of Public Health Reports (PHR), the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) highlights the Section 317 Immunization Program. Enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1962, the Section 317 Program has played a key role in helping to achieve national immunization goals “by addressing unmet needs and supporting efforts to plan, develop, and maintain an immunization infrastructure that is necessary to ensure high vaccination coverage levels and low incidence of VPDs.” According to the NVAC, the Section 317 Program ensures that vaccines are accessible, safe, effective, and used successfully to protect the nation's health.¹

The Section 317 program is a discretionary federal grant program to all states, six cities, territories, and protectorates that provides vaccines to underinsured children and adolescents not served by the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program as well as to uninsured and underinsured adults, as funding permits.

The Section 317 Operations program remains the primary source of funding for most jurisdictional vaccine program operations. Section 317 Operations funding supports activities that (1) direct public vaccine provision; (2) oversee provider quality by conducting assessments, training programs, and compliance monitoring; (3) develop immunization registries; (4) support school- and community-based vaccine service delivery programs; (5) create and deliver consumer information; (6) conduct VPD surveillance; and (7) conduct population needs assessments. The Section 317 Program relies on government funding and has recently received funding from the Prevention and Public Health Fund.

To ensure the continuation of this vital program, the NVAC has made the following recommendations: (1) the Section 317 Program should be sustained to ensure high vaccination coverage and low disease burden; (2) CDC should provide professional judgment regarding the size and scope of the immunization program; (3) the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should consider CDC's recommendations when formulating the program's budget; and (4) federal, state, tribal, and local public health entities should seek efficiency and innovation to achieve Healthy People 2020 targets and ensure high immunization rates.

This issue of PHR also includes a supplementary issue on the science and practical applications of sexual health. The articles in this supplement outline a health-focused approached to sexual health, with an emphasis on well-being related to sexuality rather than just the absence of disease. The research, surveillance, program practice, and broad perspectives in this special supplement are intended to influence our understanding and progress on the topic of sexual health.

Topics addressed in the supplement run the gamut from youth sexual health—e.g., socioeconomic disadvantage as it relates to teen childbearing, racial segregation and age at first sexual intercourse, and the Oregon Youth Sexual Health Plan—to preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and pregnancy. Other articles offer ideas on how to address the stigma surrounding public health efforts, particularly regarding STD and HIV prevention. Finally, former Surgeon General David Satcher provides an interesting historical perspective on national efforts to address sexual health, identifying three key sectors—youth education, the health-care system, and faith-based organizations—that can contribute to improved sexual health throughout the nation.

I would like to extend a special thank you to Janice Huy for her years of service with PHR, as she is retiring as acting editor. However, we are fortunate that she will contribute on a part-time basis to advance several special supplements to be released this year.