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VIDEO: Predicting climate change’s impact on ID requires multidisciplinary approach

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ATLANTA — Predicting the impact of climate change on the spread of infectious diseases is “not straightforward” and requires input from experts from various backgrounds, according Virginia E. Pitzer, ScD, associate professor of epidemiology and co-director of public health modeling concentration at the Yale School of Public Health.

Pitzer, who presented on the topic at ASM Microbe, said that predicting the spread of infectious diseases based on certain climate projections is a challenge because, unlike those of other health conditions, the associations between climate and infectious diseases are nonlinear. Experts must “tease apart” the different mechanisms by which climate might impact the spread of infectious diseases, she said.

Pitzer concluded that interdisciplinary collaborations between climate scientists, lab scientists and infectious disease modelers are needed to overcome some of these challenges.

Reference:

Pitzer VE, et al. Microbial Forecasting: How Do We Predict the Impacts of Climate Change of Infectious Diseases? Presented at: ASM Microbe; June 7-11, 2018; Atlanta.

Disclosure: Pitzer reports no relevant financial disclosures.