Topic: A Journey for Justice: How plastic waste creates risks for mosquito-borne diseases – and what we can do about it
Date: Thursday, July 14th, 2022
Time: 12noon-1:15pm (Pacific)
Speakers: Desiree Labeaud, MD, Physician-scientist, epidemiologist, and professor @Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stanford University’s School of Medicine
About Desiree Labeaud, MD:
Dr. Desiree LaBeaud is a physician-scientist, epidemiologist, & professor in the Div of Pediatric Infectious Diseases @Stanford Univ’s School of Medicine. She rec’d her MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin & trained @the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital during her pediatric residency & pediatric infectious disease fellowship program. She earned her MS in Clinical Research & Epidemiology @Case Western Res.Univ. She studies the epidemiology & ecology of domestic & int’l arboviruses & emerging infections, w/an interest in the vector/host/environmental factors that affect transmission dynamics & spectrum of disease. She studies the human health impacts of climate change, & research focused on innovative solutions 2 the global plastic pollution crisis. Her field sites include Kenya, Grenada, & Brazil. She now heads a clinical research lab focused on better understanding the risk factors & long-term health consequences of arboviral infections & the most effective means of prevention.
About the Webinar:
For nearly twenty years our research has uncovered the great burden of mosquito-borne viruses in Kenya. Usually mistaken as malaria, arthropod-borne viral (arboviral) infections cause fever and illness commonly, but are rarely diagnosed. The only means of prevention is to prevent the bite of the mosquito. During our community-based intervention and prevention work, we discovered the hidden culprit behind this great disease burden- PLASTIC TRASH! It turns out that plastic is breeding mosquitoes and making people sick in Kenya and in many other parts of the world. I will discuss our research, the disease links to plastic waste and our new nonprofit that is tackling this plastic pollution crisis, the Health and Environmental Research Institute- Kenya.
