As the Zika epidemic continues to spread through Brazil, Central America, and the United States, scientists at Colorado State University and around the world are working to understand the relationship between the behavior and distribution of mosquitos with climate and human interaction.
CSU’s School of Global Environmental Sustainability will host a panel discussion, Zika Beyond the Tropics: Does Climate Change Affect the Spread of Infectious Disease?, Sept. 21, 5-6:30 p.m., at Avogadro’s Number to help the community better understand the environmental factors that play a role in the spread of infectious disease.
Panelists include:
• Ashley Anderson, Department of Journalism and Media Communication
• Jeff Morisette, Department of Interior North Central Climate Science Center
• Greg Ebel, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology
• Chester Moore, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology
The researchers will discuss how mosquito distribution is monitored to assess the potential threat in the U.S, and in a unique and varied climate like Colorado. They will also talk about how viruses are transmitted by mosquito vectors to emerge as significant health concerns, how people form opinions around climate change and how that might influence the perceived threat in the spread of existing and newly emerging infectious diseases.
The discussion will be moderated by Gene Kelly, head of the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, associate director for Research and Development at SoGES, deputy director of the Agricultural Experiment Station and associate dean of CSU Extension.
Avogadro’s Number is located at 605 S. Mason St.
The panel discussion, part of a Managing the Planet series, is free of charge and open to the public.
