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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #254855
Title: Joining Together for a Common Cause – Interagency Collaboration to Fight disease

Author
item Linthicum, Kenneth - Ken
item Gibson, Seth
item ANYAMBA, ASSAF - Goddard Space Flight Center
item SMALL, JENNIFER - Goddard Space Flight Center
item PAK, EDWIN - Goddard Space Flight Center
item TUCKER, COMPTON - Goddard Space Flight Center
item SCHNABEL, DAVID - United States Army Medical Research Unit
item RICHARDSON, JASON - United States Army Medical Research Unit
item BREIMANN, ROBERT - Centers For Disease Control - Kenya
item HIGHTOWER, ALLEN - Centers For Disease Control - Kenya

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2010
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In addition to the economic and technical benefits of technology transfer, there is the human element-how technology development and technology transfer can make a difference in people’s lives. We will share compelling stories of how individuals have directly benefited from technology development and transfer, as what might be done in the future to improve lives using technologies emerging from our federal laboratories. The Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology (CMAVE) joined with federal partners at NASA, CDC, and the DoD, and other international partners to use global climate data to develop an early warning system for a dangerous human and animal disease, Rift Valley fever. RVF is a mosquito transmitted viral disease of Africa and more recently the Middle East that has the potential to affect new ecological habitats globally, including the U.S. It causes 100% abortions in Cattle, Sheep and Goats. It also produces significant morbidity and mortality in some adult livestock populations, and in human populations. In a 1997 outbreak involving 5 countries in the Horn of Africa more than 100,000 animals and 90,000 humans were affected by the disease, and economic losses exceeded $100 million. The RVF early-warning system is used by international organizations such as the WHO, FAO and OIE, and Ministries of Agriculture and Health in various countries to enhance surveillance and start the activation of mosquito and disease control programs. In 2006-2007 early-warnings were initiated for 5 countries in the Horn of Africa and the Global community who are at risk from the spread of the disease. Mitigation activities in Kenya likely reduced both human and animal disease by 10-100 fold over that observed in the 1997-1998 outbreak.