Cholera: Outsmarting a Wily Foe

What is it and why are we still fighting it? 

February 23, 1:30 p.m., Russell Senate Office Building, Rm. 485

Refreshments will be served

Cholera outbreaks are occurring with increasing frequency and severity as demonstrated by the recent major outbreaks in Nigeria, Angola, Pakistan, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, and now Haiti. It is a devastating disease that can kill a healthy person within 12-24 hours of the onset of diarrhea.  And still, many are unfamiliar with this disease or what needs to be done to address cholera on a global level. The Haiti outbreak has brought renewed media attention to the tragic impact of the disease, but not enough attention to what can be done to prevent and treat cholera—and not just in the wake of natural disasters.

Learn the basics about cholera and hear first-hand what we know, what we can do, and why, as a nation, we should care.  Topics include: 

• What is cholera and why does it still exist today?
• How can Americans prevent, stop, or cure cholera?
• What new tools are being developed to combat cholera?
• What similarities exist between cholera and other neglected tropical diseases?

Speakers:

Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD, President, ASTMH; Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University; President, Sabin Vaccine Institute

Edward T. Ryan, MD, DTM&H, Director, Tropical Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital

Louise Ivers, MD, MPH, Director, Chief of Mission, Partners in Health in Haiti, and Harvard Medical School

RSVP to Amy Walker: [email protected]

About ASTMH:
The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, founded in 1903, is a worldwide organization of scientists, clinicians and program professionals whose mission is to promote global health through the prevention and control of infectious and other diseases that disproportionately afflict the global poor.