resolve to save lives

Episode 7 - A Conversation With Dr Katelyn K. Jetelina About Her Journey in The Field of Epidemiology, The Initial Handling of The COVID-19 Pandemic, The Spreading of Misinformation, And The Urgent Need to Rebuild Public Trust in Health Infrastructure.

In this episode of Going anti-Viral, Dr Michael Saag speaks to epidemiologist Dr Katelyn K. Jetelina, co-founder of The Health Trust Initiative, and Senior Scientific Advisor to several government and non-profit agencies, including the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Resolve to Save Lives. The conversation, dated January 8, 2024, revolves around Dr Jetelina’s journey in the field of epidemiology, the initial handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spreading of misinformation, and the urgent need to rebuild public trust in health infrastructure. They also touch on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in rapidly spreading misinformation for profit, and its potential to disseminate correct information. Dr Jetelina suggests that empowering community leaders with accurate scientific information and leveraging technologic innovations can play a key role in improving the public health system.

00:02 Introduction and Guest Presentation

01:09 Dr Jetelina's Journey Into Epidemiology

03:19 Understanding the Transmission of COVID-19

06:39 The Impact of COVID-19 and the Role of Public Health Officials 

11:00 The Challenge of Misinformation and Disinformation

21:49 Addressing the Future: Preparing for the Next Pandemic

26:10 Conclusion and Final Remarks

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Produced by IAS-USA, Going anti–Viral is a podcast for clinicians involved in research and care in HIV, its complications, and other viral infections. This podcast is intended as a technical source of information for specialists in this field, but anyone listening will enjoy learning more about the state of modern medicine around viral infections.

Going anti-Viral’s host is Dr Michael Saag, a physician, prominent HIV researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and volunteer IAS–USA board member. In most episodes, Dr Saag interviews an expert in infectious diseases or emerging pandemics about their area of specialty and current developments in the field. Other episodes are drawn from the IAS–USA vast catalogue of panel discussions, Dialogues, and other audio from various meetings and conferences.

Email podcast@iasusa.org to send feedback, show suggestions, or questions to be answered on a later episode.

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Few diseases are as fast-moving and as horrific as cholera. Fiction may focus on the internal bleeding caused by Ebola, while movie scripts about zombie apocalypses pull from what’s known about rabies.

But cholera can infect someone in the morning and kill them by the evening. It can carry off a child before a parent can even register the little one is suffering from more than a run-of-the-mill tummy bug. Worse still, the diarrhea and vomiting caused by the infection carry the killer germs right back into the water supply that is its source.

Cholera never really goes away, but a recent upsurge has hit countries across the African continent from Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia up to Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya. It’s infecting people in Pakistan, Lebanon, and Syria and is making a comeback in Haiti. A billion people are at risk, the World Health Organization says. Climate disasters and a weakening of public health resources are to blame.

Most measures used to strengthen public health, in general, can help fight cholera, says Amanda McClelland, senior vice president at Resolve to Save Lives.

In this episode of One World, One Health, listen as McClelland tells us about the gravity of the current multi-country outbreak of cholera. She explains that measures like clean water, good sanitation, vaccination, and access to basic healthcare can all help prevent cholera and stop ongoing outbreaks. 

Dr. Thomas Frieden, President & CEO of “Resolve to Save Lives” and former Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), assesses the impact of COVID-19 on the public health agenda and its significance on U.S.–China relations.