From Hantavirus to Ebola: How Changing Environments Are Driving Disease
Climate change and other environmental changes are altering the conditions for infectious disease transmission, transforming ecosystems in ways that can favor pathogens and increase opportunities for disease spillover from animals to humans. From hantavirus outbreaks that can be fueled by changing ecological conditions to the ongoing Ebola emergency in Central and East Africa, emerging infectious diseases are underscoring the growing complexity of responding to health threats in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world. In this webinar hosted by the Stanford Center for Human and Planetary Health, a panel of experts will examine how climate change, land use alterations, ecological disruption, and global interconnectedness are reshaping infectious disease risks and response challenges worldwide.
Drawing on perspectives from infectious disease, ecology, environmental change, and global health, this panel discussion will explore how drought, extreme rainfall, biodiversity loss, habitat encroachment, and shifting species interactions can influence disease dynamics and increase opportunities for zoonotic spillover. Speakers will also discuss the broader public health implications of fragmented international cooperation, underinvestment in preparedness systems, and accelerating global connectivity. Through recent case studies including hantavirus and Ebola, the conversation will examine what emerging infectious diseases reveal about the interconnectedness of climate, ecosystems, and human health – and the importance of interdisciplinary, cross-border approaches to prevention, resilience, and response.
Speakers include: Michele Barry (Director of the Center for Innovation in Global Health; Senior Associate Dean for Global Health; Drs. Ben & A. Jess Shenson Professor of Medicine), Steve Luby (Faculty Director of the Center for Human and Planetary Health and Lucy Becker Professor of Medicine), Abraar Karan (Infectious Diseases Physician), Rodolfo Dirzo (Bing Professor in Environmental Science), Tracey Goldstein (Director of the Colorado State University One Health Institute), and Mary Choi (Medical Officer at the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).