Профиль

I am not naive--I know that this won't be the turning point that we desperately need across society for robust climate action. Still, what gives me hope is that I see the birth of new agents of change with each additional tragedy. We can do this.

But, led by the wonderful Rebecca Florsheim, I had the pleasure of sharing some thoughts in STAT on the lessons we can learn from the 20th century war on smog. History teaches us to never let a health-related environmental crisis go to waste. Now is the time for action.

This is the new normal thanks to climate change: we will see disaster stacked upon disaster. Everyone everywhere, for the most part, has already been impacted in one way or another--climate change is not some future threat.

It had been a beautiful day before I arrived, but by the time I left I suddenly couldn't see to the end of the block. The sky had turned red. The air was heavy. This was all fallout from raging wildfires in Canada hundreds of miles away.

Meanwhile, this industry largely exists to supply exotic pets, not essential needs. The good news is that the US government could implement solutions now, without relying on Congress. For more, check out my latest piece in @thinkglobalhealth.org. Huge thanks to @akrugman.bsky.social for editing!

This constant flow of animals is a dangerous game of pandemic roulette played with American lives, and simply must stop. It's a dangerous gain-of-function experiment that is allowed to take place, with no oversight, in living rooms and businesses across the country.

It is one of the world's largest purchasers of wildlife, each year importing tens of millions of live animals straight from the wild, creating the exact conditions needed for pathogens to spill over.

The US has closed its borders to certain classes of people--including Americans responding to Ebola--and livestock, yet has an open border policy when it comes to wildlife trade.

New in @lancetmicrobe.bsky.social: I wrote about the Andes hantavirus outbreak linked to the m/v Hondius — and what @conservationdoc.bsky.social says it reveals about spillover prevention, surveillance and outbreak response. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

(Also pictured: a painting of my childhood hero, spotted in the lobby; not pictured: the amazing people who attended the meeting with me and who work every day to create a better world)

The science is clear. The stakes could not be higher. We now have a rare policy opportunity. The actions policymakers take in the next few months could change history.

1. Distinguish between primary and secondary prevention 2. Articulate commitments to address the drivers of spillovers 3. Urge Member States to develop national One Health action plans 4. Establish concrete financing commitments for primary prevention

The upcoming High-Level Meeting and the Declaration is an opportunity to change course. Operationalizing a true One Health approach will require the Declaration to:

I emphasized that the standard public health approach to zoonotic viruses is to wait for them to spill over and then scramble to respond. Such "watchful waiting", however, is inequitable. The communities that suffer spillovers are the first to be harmed, as we are seeing play out in DRC right now.

My remarks were shaped by nearly a decade as a CDC epidemiologist and, of course, the recent Hantavirus outbreak and ongoing Ebola epidemic.

A huge honor to have contributed to today's United Nations stakeholders meeting, helping inform Member States as they draft the Declaration for the upcoming UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response.

Grateful to @katiesurma.bsky.social and @kileyprice.bsky.social e.bsky.social for covering the pandemic risks of wildlife trade for @insideclimatenews.org climatenews.org, and for including my perspective. insideclimatenews.org/news/0706202...

Wildlife trade is like a ticking time bomb in the hearts of the world's largest population centers. The world needs a robust legal framework to address the public health risks of wildlife trade (both legal and illegal). Until then, we're playing a dangerous game of pandemic roulette.

Read more in my @latimes.com OpEd: www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

This cruel and short-sighted policy will encourage secrecy while deterring Americans from volunteering for a critical mission. As this outbreak grows — already the third largest in history — the absence of the US only increases the probability of cases reaching the United States.