title: Here Comes the SSuN: Early Experiences with the STD Surveillance Network.
abstract: In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established the STD Surveillance Network (SSuN), a sentinel surveillance system comprising local, enhanced sexually transmitted disease (STD) surveillance systems that follow common protocols. The purpose of SSuN is to improve the capacity of national, state, and local STD programs to detect, monitor, and respond rapidly to trends in STDs through enhanced collection, reporting, analysis, visualization, and interpretation of clinical, behavioral, and geographic information obtained from a geographically diverse sample of individuals diagnosed with STDs. To demonstrate the utility of a national sentinel surveillance network, this article reviews the lessons learned from the first three years of SSuN, which, through its enhanced gonorrhea and genital warts sentinel surveillance projects, has proved to be a useful adjunct to routine STD surveillance in the U.S. that can be expanded into other areas of STD public health interest.
authors.affiliation: Denver Public Health Department, Denver, CO; University of Colorado Denver, School of Public Health, Denver, CO.
authors.forename: Cornelis A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rietmeijer
authors.affiliation: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver, CO.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Donnelly
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA.
authors.forename: Kyle T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.affiliation: Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, VA.
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bissette
authors.affiliation: Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, MN.
authors.forename: Summer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Preeti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pathela
authors.affiliation: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Julia A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Schillinger
authors.affiliation: Washington State Department of Health, Olympia, WA.
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Stenger
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Hillard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weinstock
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Lori M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Newman