Can Zika Be Contained?
Listen now
Description
The Zika virus, first identified among humans in 1952 in Uganda, began spreading across the Americas and the Caribbean in 2015. Locally-acquired cases on the continental US are imminent. Considered a public health emergency by the World Health Organization, Zika can cause microcephaly and other severe brain defects in newborns and has been associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disease of the nervous system, in adults. While mosquitoes are currently the primary source of infection, the virus can also be sexually transmitted. Can Zika be contained? Are systems in place to handle the likely global impact? How bad will it get? Speakers: Anne Schuchat, Anthony Fauci, Robert Califf, Jeffrey Goldberg
More Episodes
The upcoming US presidential election is likely to have significant implications for health and health care. On the domestic front, the choice could influence efforts to overhaul the Affordable Care Act, reform Medicare, prepare for natural and manmade emergencies, and support cutting-edge...
Published 08/11/16
The average annual cost of cancer drugs in the US now exceeds $100,000 and the price of more than 200 generic drugs doubled from 2013 to 2014. That puts them far out of reach for countess ailing people, including many with decent insurance. The industry argues that it needs the revenue for the...
Published 08/10/16
The technology for analyzing the genetic code of animals, including humans, has grown more sophisticated even as its cost has fallen dramatically. Increasingly, we can do a lot more than just gather genomic information – we can also edit it. The ability to splice characteristics into or out of...
Published 08/10/16