Mosquito-Borne Diseases: From Long Time Foes to Emerging Threats

Arboviruses are a large group of viruses transmitted by insects such as mosquitos and ticks.

There has been unprecedented spread in the past 10-15 years of many of these, such as Chikungunya in 2005 spreading from Africa into Asia and the Americas, followed by the spread of Zika Virus. Dengue also continues to circulate and cause major disease. Since 2016, Yellow Fever has had a resurgence, with outbreaks in Nigeria and Angola despite the existence of a vaccine. In addition to these four, Japanese Encephalitis, Rift Valley Fever and West Nile remain a significant human health problem and are also causing significant agricultural losses.

This illuminating ePanel broadcast will discuss a range of questions and issues related to mosquito-borne diseases, including:

• What is causing the prevalence of Chikungunya, Dengue and Zika and the resurgence of other viruses we previously thought were under control?
• What is the prospect for developing vaccines for viruses lacking one such as Dengue and Chikungunya?
• How can delivery be improved so we target the individuals who need the vaccines the most (e.g., pregnant women in the case of Zika)?
• How can clinical trials of new vaccines and drugs be successfully executed for diseases like Zika where we don’t have much history yet?
• What are some of the innovative ways vector control is being improved and how effective will those be compared to tried-and-true methods such as window screens and bed nets?
• What is the status of diagnostics and clinical care for these various viral diseases?

Following the panel discussion broadcast, audience members watching the live event will be able to participate in a live Q&A with the panelists. Questions can be submitted during the broadcast via Twitter or the chat room, or in advance when registering for the event.

This ePanel was filmed during the Keystone Symposia conference on “Framing the Response to Emerging Virus Infections” at the Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre of The University of Hong Kong, October 14-18, 2018, and was made possible with funding from both The University of Hong Kong and the Croucher Foundation.

Hashtag: #VKSmosquito