040: Public Health in the Time of Cholera: Enteric Disease Intervention with Christine Marie George

microTalk

Cholera is a severe diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae that can spread among human populations in large epidemics when water quality is poor.

Dr. Christine Marie George is an Associate Professor in the department of International Health and Environmental Health Engineering at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health who works to improve health in developing countries, including Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as in Native American communities in the U.S.

Dr. George talks about how the drive to prevent cholera and other enteric diseases in Bangladesh led to increased exposure to arsenic, how an educational intervention program focusing on family members of cholera patients leads to decreased disease, how intervention strategies utilizing mobile phone technology can improve public health, how her friendship with a Navajo studying ground squirrels led her into her field of study, and how her first field study turned into a terrifying situation after a car accident.

The microCase for listeners to solve is about Frauke Farbissina, a college freshman who comes down with a dangerous illness while performing with the Gamma Jammas, her sorority singing group.

Participants: Karl Klose, Ph.D. (UTSA) Christine Marie George, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins School of Public Health) Janakiram Seshu, Ph.D. (UTSA) Jesus Romo, Ph.D. (UTSA