Ticks, mosquitoes and fleas, oh my! Cases of Lyme disease are on the rise and it's been reported that blacklegged ticks are carrying some other nasty vector-borne diseases that they can transmit to humans via their bloodsucking bites. According to the World Health Organization, vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes and fleas, account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases, causing more than 700,000 deaths annually. Mosquitoes, the number one culprit worldwide, are known to spread such classic hits as malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus disease
The Vitals team is here with the answers about how vector-borne diseases spread, and what some researchers are doing to better understand why cases are on the rise. Dr. Alok Patel chats with Dr. Christina Nelson, Medical Officer at the CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD) to get the current “big picture” on Lyme disease, how it is transmitted and what you can do to stay safe while enjoying nature. Also, Eloise Skinner, a researcher in the Mordecai Lab at Stanford University explains how her team is using machine learning to better understand how our human footprint can be a predictor for the transmission and prevention of VBDs. Don’t worry, we will also have a little health lesson on what to do if you get bit by a tick and where to turn if you get infected.
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Find our experts and hosts:
:: Alok Patel, MD ::
Website: alokpatelmd.com/
Twitter: @AlokPatelMD
Instagram: @alokpatelmd
Our guests:
Dr. Christina Nelson is a Medical Officer in CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases in Fort Collins, Colorado. Dr. Nelson specializes in vector-borne bacterial diseases including plague, tularemia, and Lyme disease.
:: / ::
Eloise Skinner, PH.D. is a postdoctoral fellow in the Mordecai lab. Currently her research is focussed on climate change and vector-borne diseases in the Australasia-Pacific region, and developing tools for public health decision making
::@DrEloiseSkinner::
Want to learn more?
The World Health Organization’s list of vector-borne diseases:
www.who.int/news-room/fact-sh...
Nature Article featuring the work of Eloise Skinner:
www.nature.com/articles/s4189...
Other Vector-borne diseases ticks are transmitting:
www.npr.org/sections/health-s...
What do if if you get bitten by a tick (CDC)
www.cdc.gov/ticks/pdfs/FS_Tic...
Information on the dengue vaccine:
www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/media...
Signs and symptoms of Lyme Disease:
www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs_sympto...
Tracking tick bites in your region:
www.cdc.gov/ticks/tickedvisit...
A little insight on why there isn’t a lyme disease vaccine:
www.aamc.org/news/lyme-diseas...
Comprehensive list of diseases transmitted by ticks:
www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/in...
Information on EPA’s approved list of repellants:
www.epa.gov/insect-repellents
Check out the work at the Mordecai Lab:
www.mordecailab.com/
This episode of Vitals is licensed exclusively to KZread.
00:00 Intro
00:54 Vector-borne diseases, by the numbers
01:59 Alok goes for a walk at Windy Hill Open Space Preserve
02:20 What is a vector and what is vector-borne disease?
03:52 What’s the deal with Lyme disease?
04:52 Climate change and Lyme disease
05:54 Everything you (didn’t) want to know about ticks and now you do…
09:10 How Eloise Skinner is using machine learning to under how VBD spread
11:37 “Get it off, get it off” How to remove a tick and what to do if bitten
13:52 How to avoid a tick bite
15:05 Close