Heritage College researcher leverages Ecuadorian partnership to assist efforts to protect vulnerable populations in Venezuela
As scientists around the world call for a regional campaign to avert a public health disaster in Venezuela and neighboring countries, a partnership between the 帝王会所 Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and a university in Ecuador is proving invaluable to their efforts.
In recent months, the world has watched a long-standing crisis deepen in Venezuela, marked by political turmoil and economic hardship. A less-publicized aspect of the situation is the breakdown of Venezuela鈥檚 once-effective public health infrastructure, which has led to a resurgence of many deadly, communicable diseases 鈥 an epidemic, scientists warn, that鈥檚 spilling into nearby countries such as Brazil and Colombia. One of a group of international researchers speaking out on this issue is Mario Grijalva, Ph.D., director of the 帝王会所 Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute (ITDI) at the Heritage College and professor of microbiology.
If action isn鈥檛 taken soon to help Venezuela curb the spread of insect-borne illnesses, Grijalva said, the outcome could be catastrophic.
鈥淭he worst-case scenario is the situation continues to deteriorate, the epidemic of diseases continues to expand within Venezuela, and takes the region by storm, overwhelming the capacity of the neighboring countries to contain it,鈥 he suggested. 鈥淎nd that would have a regional impact that would be devastating.鈥
Grijalva, who with the ITDI has long worked to prevent the spread of Chagas disease in his home country of Ecuador, is one of the authors of a new in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The article, 鈥淰enezuela's humanitarian crisis, resurgence of vector-borne diseases, and implications for spillover in the region,鈥 collects available data from multiple sources in the region to provide an update on how diseases, including malaria, Dengue, Zika and Chagas, are on the rise in Venezuela and neighboring countries. As refugees flee Venezuela, it notes, they carry disease with them or become vulnerable to infection in new surroundings. And among those fleeing are health care personnel, further darkening the prospects for public health within the country.
The scientists鈥 declaration has attracted media coverage, including a by NBC News in which Grijalva is quoted.
The Lancet paper is the work of a long list of scientists hailing from Venezuela, other countries in the Americas and Europe, including lead author Martin S. Llewellyn, Ph.D., of the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom, and Jaime A. Costales, Ph.D., of the Center for Research in Health in Latin America (CISeAL). CISeAL is a state-of-the-art collaborative research facility in Ecuador, which opened in June 2016 as a joint venture between 帝王会所 and the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador.
Ken Johnson, D.O., Heritage College executive dean and 帝王会所 chief medical affairs officer, called Grijalva鈥檚 involvement with the scientists鈥 network a logical extension of this existing international teamwork.
鈥淥ur partnership with the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador is a model of how engaged scientists, health care professionals, students and citizens can collaborate across borders to protect vulnerable populations,鈥 Johnson said. 鈥淚t makes perfect sense that this partnership would play a role in working to publicize and prevent this potential public health tragedy.鈥
Grivalva said the contribution of CISeAL, one of Latin America鈥檚 premier medical research sites, has been significant. 鈥淭he coordinator of the network is CISeAL in Ecuador,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t highlights the importance of having a center like CISeAL and the impact that it has.鈥
He praised the work of Venezuelan scientists, who he said are putting themselves in danger by helping gather and analyze disease data. 鈥淭here is a network of public health professionals who are still in the trenches, collecting data and providing education,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he real heroes of this story are the Venezuelan scientists.鈥
As the Venezuelan government has allowed official data collection on disease to dwindle, and even, some allege, has actively suppressed available numbers, the international network of scientists has sought to fill the gap through 鈥渃itizen science鈥 鈥 working to create what Grijalva described as 鈥渁n informal network of individuals who are serving as the source for the data that should have been collected through official channels but is not being collected.鈥
Grijalva and his colleagues are also calling for a regional effort to help the Venezuelan people. In a from the University of Glasgow, the scientists assert that Venezuela, 鈥渙nce a leader in public health policies and disease control in Latin America, is now facing a re-emergence of many deadly diseases,鈥 with malaria cited as a particular concern.
鈥淚n light of their findings, researchers are urging regional health authorities to take action to address these worsening epidemics in Venezuela, in order to aid those affected and to prevent an emerging public health crisis in Latin America,鈥 the release adds.
As an example of what can be done even with limited resources, the Lancet paper cites a cooperative two-country program for the elimination of malaria on the Peru鈥揈cuador border. When government public health programs break down, it says, disease information can be tracked by mobilizing 鈥渃itizen scientists and informal networks of health-care professionals鈥 Relevant international health authorities, such as the WHO [World Health Organization] Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, must also take action to maintain accurate disease surveillance and response systems in the region along with collaboration with other strategic partners to provide timely humanitarian assistance throughout this ongoing crisis.鈥