Want to maximize your health from viruses carried by mosquitoes and other arthropods? Rebecca Christofferson suggests taking an environmentalist approach. In this talk, Rebecca explains how viruses are transmitted from human to mosquito to human. Surprise: the way to stop the spread of these viruses is not through killing all mosquitoes. Learn what you can do for the environment that will help us all live healthier lives. When faced with the challenge of investigating potentially deadly virus transmission, Rebecca Christofferson started with a familiar face - the mosquito. An assistant professor in Pathobiological Sciences with the Vector-borne Disease Laboratories ([ Ссылка ]) at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, a large part of Rebecca’s research focuses on how and when mosquitoes carry viruses to uncover the patterns that dictate why and when humans get sick. Her mosquito-related work began a decade ago when tropical viruses such as dengue began to emerge in the continental United States. Today, Rebecca is a leading researcher on the Zika virus, which has spread to more than 60 countries in South and Central America, as well as the United States. In 2016, Rebecca was awarded a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences/National Institutes of Health to study the transmission of the Zika and chikungunya viruses. She is currently investigating how environmental factors affect mosquito lifespans and their ability to transmit viruses to susceptible hosts, such as humans. Rebecca and her lab hope their research will help inform methods for controlling and preventing the spread of infections through human populations. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at [ Ссылка ]

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