KOMO: Local Research Could Cure Zika Virus and the Common Cold

By Molly Shen

SEATTLE -- On the heels of the World Health Organization declaring a public health emergency related to the Zika virus, local scientists said they are already working on a cure. And if they're able to treat Zika, it could also mean a cure for viruses ranging from West Nile to Ebola, to the common cold.

Scientists at biotech company Kineta and the University of Washington are developing the compound. Just like antibiotics treat bacterial infections, their antiviral drug would fend off a range of viruses.

Fitzpatrick Named Assistant Dean for Graduate Education at School of Public Health

Adjunct Research Professor Annette Fitzpatrick has been named the new SPH Assistant Dean for Graduate Education, overseeing the Office of Student Affairs, guiding curriculum changes, and creating partnerships across UW and the community, among other initiatives. Dr. Fitzpatrick is a Research Professor in the Departments Family Medicine, Epidemiology, and Global Health (adjunct) with expertise in aging and chronic disease focusing on hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and dementia in US and global settings. Congrats, Dr. Fitzpatrick!

New DEWORM3 Project Will Explore Integrated Approaches

Over 1.45 billion people, including 845 million children, in the world’s poorest communities are infected with soil-transmitted helminths (STH), commonly known as intestinal worms. Associate Professor Judd Walson, in collaboration with the Natural History Museum London and the University of Washington, has been awarded funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to test the feasibility of eliminating soil-transmitted helminths using intensified mass drug administration strategies.

NewsBeat: Paris Climate Talks a Big Deal for Health, Says UW Professor

By Bobbi Nodell, Health Sciences NewsBeat

UW professor of global health Kristie Ebi has attended United Nations climate-change conferences since 2000. The agreement reached at the Paris conference in December, she said, was nothing short of monumental.

“It showed that world governments agree climate change is a serious problem and they are committed to addressing it,” Ebi said. She’s an expert on the health risks of climate change and how humans adapt to it. She addressed conference attendees on Dec. 5 and 11.

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