The Metro Public Health Department along with health departments across the country, honor the eighth annual National Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS) Recognition Day. Celebrated each year on the first Friday of October, National DIS Recognition Day honors the DIS workforce that is the backbone of all STD and HIV health department programs.
DIS are public health warriors and play an imperative role in intervening to halt the transmission of STD, HIV and other communicable diseases in the communities they serve. They track disease spread, reach varied populations, and link patients to STD testing, treatment, PrEP and HIV care.
DIS are a highly trained workforce, completing an extensive training course sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Their skill set is essential to containing a number of disease outbreaks beyond STDs such as influenza, e-coli, zika, Ebola, and more.
This annual day of recognition will be celebrated across the country. To view more information about DIS and how other STD programs honored DIS in past years, please visit the DIS Recognition Page of the National Coalition of STD Directors. You can also join the conversation today on Social Media using #DISDay2019.