UP NEXT ON "CYCLE OF HEALTH."

>> TONIGHT'S TOPIC... MOSQUITO-BORN ILLNESS.

TONIGHT, TWO UPSTATE DOCS DESCRIBE THEIR BLOODY GOOD ARBO VIRAL RESEARCH.

THE COUNT HEALTH COMMISSIONER TALKS TRAP AND ZAP AND PROTECTING OURSELVES AT HOME AND ABROAD.

SLAP.

YEAH, GOT HER.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ HELLO AND WELCOME TO "CYCLE OF HEALTH."

I'M YOUR HOST, DR. RICHO' NEILL.

TONIGHT'S TOPIC: MOSQUITO-BORNE ILLNESS.

WEST NILE, EEE, ZIKA, DENGUE, MALARIA, AND PESKY BUMPS THAT ITCH AND ITCH.

ALL COURTESY MY LEAST FAVORITE ANIMAL AFTER TICKS--MOSQUITOES!

TONIGHT, TWO UPSTATE DOCS DESCRIBE THEIR BLOODY GOOD ARBOVIRAL RESEARCH, THE COUNTY HEALTH COMMISH TALKS TRAP AND ZAP, AND PROTECTING OURSELVES AT HOME AND ABROAD.

SLAP!

YEAH!

GOT HIM!

GOT HER.

LET'S MEET OUR GUESTS.

DR. KATIE ANDERSON, HEALTH COMMISSIONER FROM THE ONONDAGA COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT; STEPHEN THOMAS, ENDOWED CHAIR OF MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY AT UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY; AND ADAM WAICKMAN, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY, ALSO JOINING US TODAY FROM UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY.

WELL, YEARS AGO I WENT TO ALASKA TO VISIT MY BROTHER AND I DISCOVERED IN JUNE DON'T EVER GO TO ALASKA IN JUNE.

THE MOSQUITOES, THEY ARE LIKE-- NO KIDDING.

I'M NOT EXAGGERATING AT ALL.

MILLIONS OF THEM WHEREVER YOU GO, THEY SWARM AROUND YOU.

YOU HAVE TO WEAR A HEAD NET TO KEEP-- YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY EXPOSED SKIN AND GOING TO THE OUTHOUSE IS AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE.

SO, HOW BAD ARE THINGS LOCALLY, Dr. ANDERSON?

>> SO FOR FRAMING, MOSQUITO-BORN DISEASE IS A HUGE PROBLEM GLOBALLY AND HAS BEEN FOR CENTURIES.

PARTS OF THE WORLD IT'S A MAJOR PART OF HOSPITAL STATION AND DEATH.

THANKFULLY THAT'S NOT THE CASE HERE BUT WE HAVE MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES THAT WE KEEP AN EYE ON THAT CAN CAUSE DISEASE AND THAT'S EEE AND WEST NILE VIRUS.

THOSE ARE MOSQUITO-BORNE VIRUSES THE COUNTY IS LOOKING FOR WITH WEEKLY TRAPPINGS STARTING ABOUT NOW IN THE SUMMER MONTHS, LOOKING HOW MANY MOSQUITOES ARE IN OUR AREA, ARE THE NUMBERS GOING UP AND HOW MANY ARE INFECTED WITH THE VIRUSES TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM GETTING INFECTED.

>> YOU TRAP THEM AND THEN YOU SEE WHAT NASTY STUFF DO THEY HAVE IN THEM?

>> YEAH, SO WEEKLY OUR TEAM GOES OUT AND THEY PUT TRAPS AT I THINK IT'S ABOUT 19 DIFFERENT SITES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY WITH MOST OF THEM FOCUSED AROUND THE CICERO SWAMP WHICH HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN THE MOST ACTIVITY.

WEEKLY THEY GO OUT, COLLECT ALL THE MOSQUITOES FROM THE TRAPS AND AT THE HEIGHT OF THE SEASON, IT CAN BE 15,000, 20,000 MOSQUITOES.

THEY IDENTIFY THEM, THEY COUNT THEM OUT AND SEND THEM OFF TO A LAB WHERE THEY GET A SENSE OF HOW MANY WERE INFECTED.

WHEN THE NUMBERS GET HIGH ENOUGH, THAT'S WHEN THE TEAM GOES OUT AND SPRAY.

>> HOW SERIOUS ARE THESE DISEASES, EEE, SAY IT AGAIN IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND.

>> EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS OR EEE.

>> HOW SERIOUS IS THAT?

>> IT CAN BE QUITE SERIOUS.

COMPARING THE BURDEN OF MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES IN OTHER PARTS OF THE GLOBE, THANKFULLY WE HAVE LESS PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM THESE DISEASES BUT THEY CAN BE VERY SERIOUS.

MOST OF THE TIME WHEN SOMEBODY GETS THESE VIRUSES, THEY'RE LIKELY ASYMPTOMATIC OR MILD ENOUGH WE DON'T PICK UP THE CASE.

BUT WHEN SOMEONE IS DIAGNOSED WITH EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS.

THEY GO TO THE DOCTOR, NOT FEELING WELL, COULD HAVE INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN WHICH CAN BE VERY SERIOUS.

ABOUT 30% OF THOSE PEOPLE MAY END UP PASSING AWAY.

>> OH BOY.

>> IT'S RELATIVELY RARE THAT IT'S THAT SEVERE IN THIS AREA.

BUT WE HAVE HAD DEATHS.

THE LAST DEATH WAS I BELIEVE IN 2015.

BUT WE HAVE CASES, A HANDFUL HERE AND THERE EVEN IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.

>> SO THIS IS SOMETHING YOU REALLY WANT TO TRY TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM AND THE COUNTY DOES SOME THINGS TO PROTECT US.

SO WHEN YOU SAID YOU SPRAY, THAT KNOCKS DOWN THE POPULATION?

>> I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO FRAME WHAT THE SPRAYING MEANS.

BECAUSE IN MY PERSPECTIVE, WE PROBABLY, THERE IS PROBABLY EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS IN OUR COMMUNITY ALL OF SUMMER NOT JUST AT THE SWAMP BUT WE ARE ONLY SAMPLE A FEW PLACES AND ONLY A FRACTION OF THE MOSQUITOES.

I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SUSPECT THAT THE VIRUS IS HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WHEN WE SPRAY, IT KNOCKS DOWN THE MOSQUITOES THAT HAPPEN TO BE FLYING AROUND IN THE AIR AT THAT TIME, BUT IT DOESN'T EVEN GET MOST OF THOSE POPULATIONS.

THE SPRAYING IS SOMETHING WE DO WHEN WE PASS A CERTAIN THRESHOLD OF SAYING WE THINK IT'S A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN, WE'LL SPRAY.

BUT IN MY MIND, PEOPLE SHOULD BE GOING OUT WHEN, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO SWAMPY OR MARSHY AREAS, BUT WHENEVER YOU ARE OUT IN WOODSY AREAS,TAKING STEPS TO USE DEET OR PECARITAN WHICH PROTECTS AGAINST TICKS.

THE CRITICAL THING PEOPLE CAN BE DOING AT THEIR HOMES IS EMPTY STANDING WATER BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE MOSQUITOES LIKE TO BREED AND THE LARVAE GROW UP AND THAT CAN DECREASE THE MOSQUITO POPULATIONS.

>> GET RID OF STANDING WATERER, GET RID OF THOSE SNOW TIRES THAT YOU PUT THAT HAVE GOTTEN FILLED... >> BIRD BATHS.

THE PONDS IF THE BACK OF YOUR YARDS THAT YOU MAY PUT BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTAL PLANTS IN.

THOSE ARE GREAT BREEDING.

THOSE ARE MOSQUITO LARVAE SWIMMING AROUND.

>> MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT SYRACUSE IS AN INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED CENTER FOR TRANSLATIONAL ARBOVIRAL DISEASE RESEARCH.

OUR TEAM VISITED THE STATE-OF-THE-ART VECTOR BIO CONTAINMENT LAB AT UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY TO SEE HOW MOSQUITOES ARE REARED FOR RESEARCH.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK.

>> THE PRIMARY MOSQUITO BOND THAT ARE OF CONCERN TO CENTRAL NEW YORKER ARE THE WEST NILE VIRUS AND EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS INFECTION.

THESE ARE NEW INVASIVE VIRUSES WITH A HIGH MORTALITY RATE.

THEY DON'T HAVE A VACCINE, GETTING MOSQUITOES BITES IS THE ONLY WAY WE CAN PREVENT INFECTION FROM THE VIRUSES IS TO PREVENT THE MOSQUITO BITES.

>> I'M A PROFESSOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY AND CONTAINMENT LABORATORIES AT THE UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY.

THE LABORATORY IS WHERE WE CONDUCT RESEARCH HIGHLY PATHOGENIC VIRUSES AND BACTERIA THAT HAVE BEEN DEEMED AS HIGHLY CRITICAL AND IMPORTANT PATHOGENS TO INVESTIGATE.

OUR HUMAN EXPOSURE SUITE IS INTEGRATED INTO OUR VECTOR LAB AND THIS IS ONE OF A KIND.

I DON'T THINK THAT THERE ARE ANY OTHER ACADEMIC INSTITUTION THAT CAN CLAIM DO HAVE A HUMAN EXPOSURE SUITE LIKE WE HAVE.

PEOPLE WHO WANT TO VALIDATE THEIR VACCINES THERAPEUTICS AGAINST A PARTICULAR INFECTION, THEY CAN USE OUR FACILITY TO DO PRECLINICAL TRIALS.

SO MOSQUITO BORNE DISEASES ARE PRIMARILY TRANSMITTED ONCE AN INFECTED MOSQUITO FEEDS ON A HUMAN AND THEN TRANSMITS THE VIRUS.

THE TRANSMISSION PROCESS IS VERY SIMPLE.

WHEN A MOSQUITO IS HUNGRY TO ACQUIRE BLOOD, THEY NORMALLY LAND ON A HUMAN BODY WHERE THE SKIN IS EXPOSED AND TRY TO TAKE THE BLOOD.

WHILE THEY TABLING THE BLOOD, THEY SECRETE COMPOUNDS TO PREVENT CLOTTING.

IF CLOTTING HAPPENS WHILE THE MOSQUITO IS FEEDING, IT IS TERMINAL FOR THE MOSQUITO BECAUSE ONCE THE BLOOD GOES INTO THE MOSQUITO, IT CLOTS INSIDE THE MOSQUITO AND KILLS THE MOSQUITO.

TO PREVENT IT FROM SPITTING ANTICOAGULATIVE PROTEINS, THE VIRUS IS ADDED A DIRECTLY INTO THE SKIN AT THE FEEDING SITE.

THAT'S HOW THE VIRUS IS TRANSMITTED.

WE WANT TO ASSESS PARTICULAR VIRUS EMERGING SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, IN FLORIDA.

ARE THEY CAPABLE OF INFECTING MOSQUITOES FROM BRAZIL, ARE THEY CAPABLE OF INFECTING MOSQUITOES FROM THAILAND OR PERU.

WE CAN ACTUALLY INFECT THE VIRUS THAT IS CIRCULATING IN THAT AREA , IN FECT IT INTO THESE MOSQUITOES AND OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, COLLECT THE LEGS AND SALIVARY GLAND AND WE HAVE A FORMULA THAT CALCULATES RATE OF INFECTION AND DISSEMINATION AND TRANSMISSION.

THAT IS ONE KIND OF STUDY WE CAN DO.

THE OTHER KIND OF STUDY THAT PEOPLE WANT TO DO IS IF THEY HAVE A VACCINE AND THIS THE THEY WANT TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF THE VACCINE AND THEY WANT TO ACTUALLY USE A NATURAL TRANSMISSION METHOD TO ASSIST, GIVING THE VIRUS WITH NEEDLE DELIVERY, WE CAN USE THE INFECTED MOSQUITOES, TRANSMIT THE VIRUS TO THE VAIX NATEED HUMAN OR ANIMAL TO FIND THE EFFICACY TO UNDERSTAND THE BASIC BIOLOGY OF TRANSMISSION AND EVALUATE VACCINES AND THERAPEUTICS AS WELL.

>> WHAT KIND OF RESEARCH DO YOU FOLKS DO?

>> SO THE VIRUSES THAT THE THREE OF US, WE HAVE WORKED ON TOGETHER FOR DECADES AT THIS POINT.

PRIMARILY DENGUE AND ZIKA VIRUS.

WE ARE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY DO SOME PEOPLE BECOME REALLY SICK INFECTED WITH THE VIRUSES, WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE INFECTED FROM INFECTION AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN BREAK THE TRANSMISSION CYCLES AND PREVENT THE BURDEN OF DISEASE AROUND THE WORLD.

BECAUSE AS KATIE MENTIONED, WE HAVE DISEASES LIKE EE AND WEST NILE HERE IN NEW YORK BUT HER TO TRANSMITTED DISEASES, MASSIVE FAMILY OF VIRUSES THAT CAUSE DISALL OVER THE WORLD, DENGUE VIRUS, AN ESTIMATE 400 MILLION INFECTIONS EVERY YEAR WITH AN ESTIMATED THREE BILLION PEOPLE LIVING IN REGION WHERE THERE IS A MOSQUITO THAT CAN TRANSPLIT DENGUE.

IT IS AN INCREDIBLE AND GROWING HEALTH CHALLENGE AROUND THE WORLD AND WE ARE STILL DEVELOPING TRYING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO TO PREVENT AND TREAT THESE INFECTIONS WE DON'T HAVE ANTIVIRALS OR DRUGS TO GIVE TO PEOPLE TO REDUCE THE INVEX.

VACCINES ARE BEING DEVELOPED BUT SOME OF THEM ARE STILL EARLY STAGE AND DON'T PROVIDE THE BREADTH AND DURABILITY WE WOULD WANT TO TREAT AND PREVENT THE WORD.

SO THERE IS A LOT OF RESEARCH AND A LOT WE STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND AND A LOT OF WHAT WE ARE DOING HERE AT UPSTATE IN SYRACUSE, IS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND SOME OF THOSE RISK FACTORS AND REALLY GENERATE AND TEST THE NEXT GENERATION THERAPIES.

>> SO IS THERE ANY DEGUE IN SYRACUSE?

DOES IT EVER APPEAR HERE?

>> NOT UNLESS WE GIVE IT TO PEOPLE.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE-- >> NOT UNLESS YOU GIVE IT TO PEOPLE?

WELL, AREN'T YOU NICE.

>> WE DON'T SEE LOCALLY ACQUIRED DENGUE HERE IN SYRACUSE.

WE DON'T HAVE THE MOSQUITOES CAPABLE OF TRANSMITTING THE VIRUS.

>> THANK GOODNESS.

>> THANK GOODNESS.

WE DO HAVE A LOT OF TRAVELER ACQUIRED DENGUE.

WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO TRAVEL ALL OVER THE WORLD WHO COME TO STAY IN SYRACUSE AND WE SEE A HANDFUL OF DENGUE CASES AT THE HOSPITAL HERE IN UPSTATE.

ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT MY EQUIP ABOUT GIVING PEOPLE DENGUE, THE VIRAL PROGRAM IS A CHALLENGE MODEL WHERE WE USE AN ATTENUATED, A WEAKENED STRAIN OF DENGUE TO INTENTIONALLY EXPOSE VOLUNTEERS TO THIS VIRUS IN ORDER TO TEST DRUGS, TEST VEENS AND REALLY UNDERSTAND-- VACCINES AND REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT AN IMMUNE RESPONSE LOOKS LIKE IN A HIGHLY CONTROL AND HIGHLEY SAFE SETTING WHICH IS A PROGRAM THAT REALLY STEIVES HAS STOOD UP.

>> BEFORE YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS.

I WANT TO KNOW IS THERE A LONG LINE TO GET INTO THIS VOLUNTEER?

TELL BUS THIS RESEARCH.

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, YOUR AUDIENCE MIGHT BE SAYING THAT'S GREAT.

THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THESE DISEASES THAT ARE REALLY IN TROPICS AND SUBTROPICS... >> THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS THOUGHT.

>> WELL, WE HAVE SEEN AS ECOLOGY CHANGES AND CLIMB CHANGES, WE ARE SEEING PLACES THAT ARE TYPICALLY MORE TEMPERATE ARE BECOMING WARMER.

>> LIKE THE SOUTHERN U.S.?

>> EXACTLY.

>> IS THERE ANY DENGUE IN FLORIDA, FOR INSTANCE.

>> EVERY YEAR AROUND JUNE WE START SEEING THE NUMBER OF CASES BOTH LOCALLY ACQUIRED AND TRAVELER ACQUIRED CASES OF DENGUE INCREASE.

LAST YEAR IN FLORIDA IN 2023, 200 CASES LOCALLY ACQUIRED NOT JUST RELATED TO TRAVELERS.

WE HAVE SEEN IT IN TEXAS.

SOME IN ARIZONA, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

THERE HAVE BEEN OUTBREAKS IN KEY WEST, OUTBREAKS IN HAWAII.

AND YOU KNOW, THE NUMBERS ARE NOT THAT BIG NECESSARILY BUT WHAT IT SAYS TO ME IS THE INGREDIENTS ARE THERE.

THE POTENTIAL IS THERE FNLTS THE MOSQUITO IS THERE.

WE HAVE SUSCEPTIBLE PEOPLE AND ALL YOU NEED IS FOR A BIG TRIPLE 7 AIRPLANE VECTOR TO BRING SOMEBODY IN WHO IS INFECTED OR BRING IN A MOSQUITO THAT'S INFECTED AND THEN IT CAN START AN OUTBREAK.

AND WE USED TO-- I MEAN PROBABLY ONE OF THE FIRST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE DESCRIPTIONS OF DENGUE WAS IN THE LATE 70s IN PHILADELPHIA.

BEFORE WE HAD WINDOWS AND SCREENS AND AIR CONDITIONING AND TOOK CARE OF THINGS LIKE STANDING WATER, AND WHAT NOT WE USED TO HAVE YELLOW FEVER, MA LAYER MALARIA AND DENGUE IN THIS COUNTRY.

SO WE COULD BETTER VERT BACK IF WE DON'T TAKE CARE.

>> I WAS AMAZED.

MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW, SON AND NEW WIFE WENT ON THEIR HONEYMOON TO THAILAND AND SHE CAME BACK WITH MALARIA.

I WAS AMAZED.

I DIDN'T EVEN THINK THEY ANTICIPATED.

LIKE BEFORE YOU TRAVEL, YOU CAN PREPARE YOURSELF FOR SOME OF THESE DISEASES IN ADVANCE?

>> SO THERE IS MORE AND MORE THANKFULLY NOW YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF.

BUT GOING TO THAILAND WHERE WE HAVE ALL WORKED FOR QUITE SOMETIME.

THERE IS A RELATIVELY HIGH RISK OF DENGUE AND OTHER MOSQUITO BORNE ILLNESSES LIKE JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS AND VACCINES THAT MAY BE PRAPT FOR TRAVELERS FOR ALL THREE OF THOSE THINGS WHICH IS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW AND A REASON TO SEEK OUT PRETRAVEL COUNSELING BEFORE YOU TAKE A TRIP ANYWHERE.

>> YOU CAN GET VACCINATED FOR THOSE THINGS IN ADVANCE.

>> YEAH.

>> AND PROTECT YOURSELF THAT WAY.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

>> SO YOU TALK WITH YOUR DOC IF YOU ARE GOING GO.

>> MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE TRAVEL CLINIC AND THE KEY WOULD DO THAT IDEALLY SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE YOU TAKE YOUR TRIP.

>> COUNTY CLIN SNICK.

>> WE DON'T HAVE A TRAVEL CLINIC BUT OUR AREA HAS TRAVEL CLINICS AND IT WOULD BE A DISCUSSION FOR A LOT OF VACCINES, THEY'RE NOT ALL THE RIGHT FIT FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF PEOPLE.

GREAT IDEA FOR OTHER TYPES OF PEOPLE.

HAVING THE DISCUSSION OF WHETHER OR NOT YOU SHOULD PURSUE THOSE.

THAT SOUNDS FOR ME IF I WAS GOING TO BE TRAVELING, I WOULD GO TO CHECK THAT OUT.

TELL ME ABOUT THE HUMAN CHALLENGE MODEL?

>> WE DO THESE THINGS CALLED HUMAN CHALLENGE MODELS WHERE YOU CAN TAKE A DENGUE VIRUS THAT HAS BEEN WEAKENED, NOT THE SAME VIRUS HAT COMES OUT OF A MOSQUITO, IT HAS BEEN WEAKENED AND THERE ARE WAYS THAT WE DO THAT, THE SAME WAY WE MAKE VACCINES, FOR EXAMPLE.

BUT EVEN THOUGH IT'S WEAKENED, WHEN YOU ADMINISTER IT TO SOMEONE, THAT PERSON CAN GET A MILD FORM OF THE ILLNESS AND THEY CAN HAVE BLOOD TESTS THAT LOOK LIKE THEY'VE HAD THE ILLNESS AND IMMUNE RESPONSES THAT ARE SIMILAR TO THE ILLNESS.

AND SO NOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE IS IF YOU CAN CONSISTENTLY DO THIS, YOU CAN NOW TAKE A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN A HIGHLY CONTROLLED AND SAFE ENVIRONMENT AND RECREATE WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE OUT IN THE FIELD AND IT GIVES YOU A WAY TO GET AN EARLY UNDERSTANDING OF WHETHER OR NOT THIS VACCINE OR THIS DRUG COULD POTENTIALLY WORK.

AND YOU CAN DO THAT BEFORE YOU HAVE TO GO INTO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ALL AROUND THE WORLD AND PUT, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF FOLKS AT RISK.

SO IT'S A REALLY GOOD WAY TO VERY EARLY ON KIND OF DERISK YOUR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND WE HAPPEN TO BE ONE OF THE VERY FEW GROUPS ON THE PANIC-- ON THE PLANET THAT DO THIS.

>> YOU ARE AN IMMUNOLOGIST, YOU GET SOMEBODY INFECTED WITH ONE OF THESE WEAKENED VIRUSES, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE BODY AND WHAT DO YOU GUY DOZEN?

>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

SO DENGUE IS REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE MOST OF THE SEVERE SYMPTOMS AND MOST OF THE SEA MERE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE DISEASE HAPPEN AFTER THE VIRUS IS CLEARED AWAY.

SO A LOT OF THIS SEVERE-- SO OFTEN YOUR OWN IMMUNE SYSTEM CAN CAUSE THE SEVERE SYSTEMS ASSOCIATED WITH DENGUE INFECTION.

>> INTERESTING.

>> WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO BELIEVING WHAT DOES-- WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO BELIEVE IS WHAT DOES A MILD DENGUE INFECTION LOOKS LIKE THAT RESULTS IN AN IMMUNE PROFILE THAT WE BELIEVE WILL PROTECT YOU FROM SUBSEQUENT INFECTION AND HOW DOES THAT DIFFER FROM SOMEBODY WHO PROGRESSES TO DEVELOP SEVERE DISEASE?

CAN WE TELL EARLY ON?

THERE IS A SIGNATURE, A BLOOD TEST WE CAN DEVELOP?

IS THERE A SALIVA TEST THAT WE CAN DO THAT SAYS YOU ARE AT RISK OF DEVELOPING SEVERE DISEASE.

YOU ARE NOT.

THEREFORE WE WANT TO KEEP AN EYE ON YOU BUT NOT YOU.

BECAUSE AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF INFECTIONS EVERY YEAR, ONLY A SMALL PRACTICALS OF THOSE PEOPLE ACTUALLY GO ON TO DEVELOP SEVERE DISEASE.

BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANY WAY, AT THIS POINT, TO BE ABLE TO SAY SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE FINE VERSUS SOMEONE IS GOING TO NEED TO HAVE SUPPORTIVE CARE IN THE ICU.

IT'S SURPRISING WHEN YOU DIG INTO IT BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN DOING DENGUE HUMAN CHALLENGE EXPERIMENTS SINCE 1902.

THAT'S WHEN YOU FIND THE FIRST PUBLICATION ON THIS.

ALBERT SABON OF POLIO VACCINE FAME, HE WAS IN THE ARMY AWOUND WORLD WAR II AND DID A LOT OF RESEARCH ON JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS AND DENGUE AND A TON OF CHALLENGE EXPERIMENTS.

THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME AND DENGUE IS JUST ONE MODEL.

THEY HAVE MODELS FOR INFLUENZA ALCOHOL RA, MALARIA.

>> COVID-19.

>> LOTS OF DIFFERENT DISEASES THEY HAVE DEVELOPED CHALLENGE MODELS AND AGAIN BECAUSE YOU CAN IN A HIGHLY CONTROLLED AND VERY SAFE ENVIRONMENT, YOU CAN LEARN A LOT WITH LESS RISK.

>> SO THOSE ARE CALLED HUMAN CHALLENGE MODELS.

AND YOU WERE SAYING BEFORE, THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED MOSQUITO FEEDING STUDIES.

WHAT ARE THOSE?

TELL ME ABOUT THOSE.

IS THAT WHAT THIS IS REALLY?

>> IT'S A COMPONENT OF IT BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY MOSQUITOES ARE A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF DENGUE TRANSMISSION AND DENGUE OR ZIKA OR ANY OF THE VIRUSES ONE OF THE FEATURES OF THE VACCINE OR DRUG IS THAT YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO BLOCK TRANSMISSION.

SO IF YOU ARE INFECTED AND GIVEN THE DRUG OR VACCINATED AND THEN EXPOSED ONE OF THE REALLY DESIRABLE FEATURES IS IF YOU ARE FED UPON BY A MOSQUITO, DID THAT DRUG OR DID THAT VACCINE PREVENT FROM YOU TRANSMITTING THAT VIRUS TO THE MOSQUITO?

SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING WITH THIS MOSQUITO SUITE IS OKAY, FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN CHALLENGED USING THIS HUMAN CHALLENGE MODEL, ARE YOU ABLE TO TRANSMIT THE VIRUS TO THE MOSQUITO THAT IS ITS NATURAL VECTOR?

>> AND TO ADD TO THAT, ONE OF THE BIG VALUES OF FOCUSING IN ON THE MOSQUITO IN THESE CASES IS THERE IS ONE MOSQUITO THAT'S THE PRIMARY VECTOR FOR DENGUE, YELLOW FEVER, IT IS PROBABLY THE GREATEST PUBLIC HEALTH THREAT TO THE GLOBE RIGHT NOW.

IT SPREADS SO MUCH DISEASE AND IF WE COULD FIND A WAY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE IMMUNE RESPONSE THAT THE MOSQUITO SALIVA CAUSES IN YOUR BODY-- THAT'S ONE OF THE EXPERIMENTS WE DID.

WE HAD VOLUNTEERS FED ON BY THE MOSQUITOD AND MEASURE THE IMMUNE RESPONSE.

BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE WORKING ON VACCINES SO DOWN THE ROAD YOU WOULDN'T NEED A SPECIFIC VACCINE FOR THESE.

YOU COULD MAKE IT SO THE MOSQUITO COULD NOT SPREAD DISEASES TO YOU ANYMORE.

SO FOCUSING IN ON THIS SPECIES IS REALLY GOING TO BE, I THINK, IN THE FUTURE, I HOPE, A HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE WAY TO GO ABOUT PROTECTING HUMANS.

>> THAT SOUNDS WONDERFUL.

>> DID YOU KNOW MOSQUITOES HAVE SALIVA?

>> I DIDN'T KNOW.

I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MOSQUITOES EXCEPT WHEN YOU SLAP THEM AND YOUR BLOOD GOES ALL OVER YOUR HAND, I FEEL LIKE YES, I GOT ONE.

ONE LESS MOSQUITO IN THE WORLD.

TOO BAD IT GOT ME BEFORE BECAUSE THE BLOOD IS A BAD SIGN, RIGHT?

>> YOU WON THE BATTLE BUT WE ARE LOSING THE WAR.

>> AND I UNDERSTAND IF YOU LET THEM FLY OFF, YOU ARE LESS LIKELY TO GET A BUMP.

>> I'LL TAKE YOUR WORD FOR THAT.

>> I HAVE RESEARCHED THAT PART BECAUSE APPARENTLY-- >> THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN TEST.

AND SO AS THE MOSQUITO COMES IN TO GET A BLOOD MEAL FROM YOU, YOU KNOW, AS IT'S TAKING BLOOD IN, SALIVA AND VIRUS, AS ITS TAKING BLOOD OUT, SALIVA AND VIRUS IS GOING IN AND IN THE SALIVA, THERE ARE ALL THESE PROTEINS AND THESE PROTEINS CAN INVOKE IMMUNE RESPONSES LIKE KATIE WAS SAYING IN PEOPLE AND THERE IS SOME RESEARCH THAT SHOWS THAT ACTUALLY THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF WHY SOME PEOPLE GET VERY SICK AND OTHER PEOPLE DO NOT GET VERY SICK.

SO IT'S ALL THE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, THERE IS VECTOR, VIRUS, HUMAN HOST KIND OF TRY TRIAD AND FORTUNATELY WE WORK WHERE WE DO AND HAVE ALL THESE RESOURCE ARE AVAILABLE.

>> THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS RESEARCH.

AND ALSO JUST VERY QUICKLY, THERE ARE CLOTHES NOW THAT ARE INFUSED WITH PERMETHERAN THAT KEEP ALL THESE BUGS OFF YOU BECAUSE I HATE MOSQUITOES AND THEY WORK LIKE A CHARM.

YOU CAN LAUNDER THEM LIKE 75 TIMES AND IT DOESN'T GO AWAY SO ANYWAY, THAT'S ABOUT ALL THE TIME WE HAVE.

I WANT TO THANK OUR GUESTS: DR. KATIE ANDERSON, HEALTH COMMISSIONER FROM THE ONONDAGA COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS DR. STEPHEN THOMAS AND DR. ADAM WAICKMAN FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY AT UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY FINALLY, WE HAVE A TRADITION HERE CALLED ‘LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE'.

I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL ‘ITCHING' TO SEE THE JOKES WE'VE GOT TODAY-- WHAT DO YOU CALL A MOSQUITO SHORT ON HER BLOOD QUOTA?

>> I DON'T KNOW.

>> A LESS-KUITO.

I HAPPEN TO LIKE THAT ONE.

KNOCK KNOCK!

WHO'S THERE?

AMOS.

AMOS WHO?

A MOSQUITO BIT ME!

KNOCK KNOCK!

WHO'S THERE?

ANDY.

ANDY WHO?

AND HE BIT ME AGAIN.

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FOR ‘CYCLE OF HEALTH', I'M PSYCHOLOGIST DR. RICH O'NEILL.

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING IN--NOW BUZZ OFF!

NEXT WEEK ON "CYCLE OF HEALTH..." >> TONIGHT'S TOPIC, FOOD ALLERGIES.

6% OF THEM HAVE US AND NEARLY 90% ARE CAUSED BY THE SAME NINE FOOD TYPES.

SYMPTOMS INCLUDE HIVES, SWELLING AND ANAPHYLAXIS CA BOON.

WE'LL DISCUSS WITH OUR EXPERTS HOW THEY'RE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER G.I.

PROBLEMS HOW TO DIAGNOSE AND TREAT THEM.