Mosquito Borne Diseases

Mosquito Borne Diseases: Kevin Olival

“This week the Hawai‘i Department of Health announced that state labs are aiding in the testing of Zika virus in samples from American Samoa and the Marshall Islands. The Zika testing ability in-state is fairly new and was developed at the end of last month after a case of possible Zika-related birth defects raised the issue of a potential outbreak in Hawai‘i. Modeling the “what ifs” of an outbreak is also the work of researcher Kevin Olival at the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance. The non-profit researches the intersection of wildlife, ecosystems, and human health. Highlights from his research include the first detected evidence for Ebola virus in mainland Southeast Asian bats and building models to predict the emergence of disease that can jump from animals to humans.”

To listen to full audio with Scientist Kevin Olival from EcoHealth Alliance on mosquito borne diseases, click here