BtH: The Pathology and Politics Behind Zika
Experts discussed the pathology, policy and politics of the Zika virus at an April 14, 2016 panel held at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. The event was part of the School’s “Beyond the Headlines @BUPardeeSchool,” or BtH series.
The panel, entitled “Zika – Pathology, Politics & Policy,” included Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, of Boston University Medical School and the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories and Dr. John Connor, also of Boston University Medical School and NEIDL. The panel was moderated by Pardee School Dean Adil Najam.
Bhadelia noted that as the Zika outbreak in Brazil wanes along with the onset of the country’s winter season, she believes the United States will begin seeing more cases.
“Our epidemic is starting–as it gets warmer, the mosquitoes are going to go higher and higher,” Bhadelia said. “It’s not just Texas, Florida and Louisiana, I think we’re going to start seeing cases further up, and I think that’s why you’re seeing so much attention for it.”
Both Connor and Bhadelia discussed how the response to the Zika virus has been affected by the West African Ebola outbreak. Connor said extensive research on Ebola had been completed leading up to the outbreak, leaving the global community better prepared to deal with the virus.
“Vaccines had been tested in mice and in guinea pigs and in monkeys, and people had worked on going from making five doses to making five hundred and five thousand doses already, and so those could be deployed,” Connor said. “While the West African Ebola outbreak was by no means a happy event, there was a concerted and possible response and that is not the case with Zika. The ability to respond like there was for Ebola isn’t here now.”
Bhadelia also said she believes the criticism the World Health Organization drew for a slow response to the Ebola outbreak has led them to be more proactive in declaring the Zika virus an emergency.
“The fact that Zika is coming on the heels of Ebola–the WHO was very swift in declaring Zika as an emergency because they were blamed for not striking the alarm when Ebola happened for a very long time,” Bhadelia said. “It plays a role in already having heightened Zika to that level of international conversation.”
Later on April 14, Najam moderated a panel hosted by Boston University Global Civics entitled “The UN Sustainable Development Goals, Public Health and Disabilities.”
The panel featured Professor of Biomedical Engineering Muhammed Zaman, Professor of Sociology Joseph Harris and CEO of the New England Center for Children Vincent Strully.