{"id":69954,"date":"2025-01-15T15:08:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T23:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=69954"},"modified":"2025-01-15T15:08:14","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T23:08:14","slug":"the-world-is-facing-multiple-public-health-threats-are-we-prepared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=69954","title":{"rendered":"The World is Facing Multiple Public Health Threats: Are We Prepared?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_65 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_65\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span><a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/author\/sunita\/\">Sunita Sohrabji<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_66 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_66\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><i class=\"tdb-date-icon tdc-font-fa tdc-font-fa-calendar\"><\/i><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2025-01-14T16:58:23-08:00\">Jan 14, 2025<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_67 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_67\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Avian flu, Oropouche, Mpox, Norovirus, human metapneumovirus, and the ongoing threat of Covid-19 are some of the many public health challenges the world faces this year. Climate change is causing many of these outbreaks to erupt at a faster pace.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_68 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_68\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"entry-thumb td-animation-stack-type0-2\" title=\"cdc-ZszpU0QNFM4-unsplash\" src=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/cdc-ZszpU0QNFM4-unsplash-scaled-e1736886121614.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" \/><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">(CDC photo via Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_69 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_1 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_69\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>As 2025 unfolds, the world faces at least 5 major public health challenges, along with new, more infectious subvariants of Covid 19. But experts believe the US, traditionally a leader in global public health, is ill-equipped to deal with the multiple threats.<\/p>\n<p>The potential US withdrawal from the global health community looms large as President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump withdrew from the World Health Organization during his first term, and speakers at an Ethnic Media Services briefing Jan. 10, fear he will do the same in his 2nd run at the White House.<\/p>\n<p>\u201dThis affects our ability to be part of the global security framework,\u201d said Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, founding director of the Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases at Boston University. \u201cWHO serves as a vehicle through which countries can participate and share data. And if we withdraw from that, this is at our own peril to miss out from that global community,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Global Response<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget2\" title=\"Withdrawal from WHO Would Diminish U.S.  Role in Global Security, Threatens Public Health\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UW9zAEYf6oU?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Bhadelia previously served as a senior policy advisor to the Biden Administration\u2019s Covid-19 response team, and coordinated vaccine donations globally. She noted previous US leadership on global health crises, including the President\u2019s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, established by former President George W. Bush in 2003. PEPFAR has since been established in more than 50 countries, and has saved 25 million people diagnosed with HIV\/AIDS.<\/p>\n<p>During the Covid-19 pandemic, President Joe Biden\u2019s administration restarted the QUAD Alliance, which brought together leaders from Australia, India, China, and the US to get 1.2 billion doses of vaccine manufactured in India out to countries most in need.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Vaccines<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIt is my hope that the Trump Administration sees the benefits of the QUAD relationship. Certainly that played a big role during COVID-19, particularly around vaccine distribution, and vaccine sharing,\u201d said Bhadelia. She noted the importance of keeping abreast of public health challenges arising around the world, harkening the oft-used phrase: \u201cWhat circulates in Congo today could be in Colorado tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Jan. 10 news briefing also featured:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, Infectious Diseases Specialist, University of California, San Francisco<\/li>\n<li>Dr. Benjamin Neuman, Professor of Biology, Texas A&amp;M University<\/li>\n<li>Dr. Maurice Pitesky, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis<\/li>\n<li>Dr. William Schaffner, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Flu<\/h2>\n<p>One of the biggest public health crises all speakers were concerned with is the rise of human influenza. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report Jan. 3, noting that influenza cases were up by 20% from 2023.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m worried that the anti-science movement will make people not take advantage of all the tools that we have,\u201d said Chin-Hong.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnder-vaccination is a threat,\u201d said Neuman, noting significant drops in people taking non-compulsory vaccinations. \u201cWe may see some of the safety net of herd immunity that has been protecting us since the mid-1900s lifted,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>As non-contained fires raged throughout Los Angeles County, completely decimating many towns, and killing at least 16 people, panelists at the EMS news briefing said they were also concerned about the impact of climate change-related public health disasters.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">HMPV<\/h2>\n<p>Schaffner discussed the alarming spike of human metapneumovirus cases in Asian countries, including China, India, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan, but noted that the disease is not new. It has been around for several decades, and many countries, including the US, experience a spike each winter. \u201cChinese public health authorities have said this is within normal limits of what they see during the winter. So I think we can be confident that human metapneumovirus is not going to cause a global pandemic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Norovirus<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget4\" title=\"Norovirus, the \u2018Winter Vomiting Disease\u2019\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AP_GGVzdHWw?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Norovirus, colloquially known as the \u201cwinter vomiting disease,\u201d is highly contagious and can be spread through close personal contact, the environment, and even raw shellfish, said Schaffner, noting that hand hygiene \u2013 with soap and water, not sanitizers \u2013 is most effective. No vaccine is yet available for Norovirus. Treatment consists of sipping clear liquids slowly, to restore fluid balance.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Oropouche<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget6\" title=\"An \u2018Unprecedented Explosion\u2019 \u2013 Understanding the Oropouche Virus Outbreak\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/p96H7bOY3L4?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Chin-Hong discussed the little-known Oropouche virus, which has infected more than 10,000 people in South America, and 188 cases in the US, mostly associated with travel. The virus \u2013 which spreads via bites from midges, certain mosquitoes, and also sexual transmission \u2013 can cause encephalitis or meningitis in severe cases. Chin-Hong said he did not expect to see an outbreak in the US. \u201cBut we\u2019re seeing an explosion that\u2019s unprecedented, particularly in South America right now and in the Caribbean. And that\u2019s for reasons known to us, including deforestation, and climate change,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mpox<\/h2>\n<p>Like Oropouche, Mpox, which has infected more than 50,000 people in Africa, and killed 1,000 children under the age of 15, is also related to climate change and deforestation, said Chin-Hong. Mpox can be transmitted via sexual contact or contact with animals. The first US case of Mpox was identified last November in the San Francisco Bay Area. China announced Jan. 9 that it had identified a more contagious strain of the virus, but Chin-Hong said he does not expect an outbreak in the US.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Avian Flu<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"widget8\" title=\"Financial Guarantees to Farms and Farm Workers Could Prevent Underreporting of Bird Flu Cases\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PVmSjKv6XNo?feature=oembed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"392\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Avian flu, also known as bird flu and transmitted via the H5N1 virus, is on an alarming rise in 6 continents, said Pitesky. It is present in wild and domesticated birds and animals, and now, also in humans. \u201cIt\u2019s endemic in North America. We\u2019re 3-plus years into this outbreak and it\u2019s expanded as far as species, geography, economic impact, and food security,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s also important to realize we don\u2019t have a very good surveillance system up for the workers that have the occupational risk, whether they be dairy workers or poultry workers. And the real risk is that because we don\u2019t have good surveillance, if the virus continues to evolve and mutate, it does show the potential for human-to-human transmission,\u201d said Pitesky.<\/p>\n<p>The researcher believes there is a dramatic undercount of humans experiencing avian flu, because dairy and poultry workers are largely newer immigrants who may be concerned about the impacts of reporting their illness.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Covid-19<\/h2>\n<p>Neuman discussed the new, more virulent subvariant of Covid-19, XEC, and the impact of dramatically-lowered vaccination rates. (<a href=\"https:\/\/ethnicmediaservices.org\/health-care\/hhs-nominee-robert-kennedy-jr-would-be-a-disaster-for-public-health-predict-experts\/\">see related story<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BySunita Sohrabji Jan 14, 2025 Avian&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,9,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","category-opinion","category-u-s-a"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=69954"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69955,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69954\/revisions\/69955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=69954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=69954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=69954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}