Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Poster
Presentation #1 Title
Spatial Epidemiology in an Appalachian Context
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Once only spoken of by physicians and epidemiologists, exotic tropical diseases have recently become household names. Chikungunya, Ebola, SARS, Zika, even the local evening news talks about them. But for all the attention we give to each tropical menace, we seem willfully ignorant of home-grown epidemics. This is especially true of diseases which prey upon residents of disadvantaged rural areas. Appalachia is no exception; in fact it is burdened by several such diseases.
With almost no news coverage, it may surprise some to learn that Hepatitis C kills more Americans than any other infectious disease including HIV. The Hepatitis C outbreak is inexorably intertwined with the ongoing heroin and opioid-abuse epidemic, and sadly, Appalachia serves as hot spots for both. For all the talk of Zika-carrying mosquitoes, it is easy to lose track of the fact that tick-borne Lyme disease is the most significant vector-borne agent in the country. Lyme continues its slow southerly advance, and has found Appalachian farming communities to be particularly hospitable.
Through the use of spatiotemporal analysis, we investigate the impact of Hepatitis C and Lyme disease on rural Appalachia. In addition to describing the where and the when of each epidemic, we also investigate why Appalachia, in particular, is so vulnerable to these intractable threats.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Having completed his MPH in infectious diseases, Pyrros Telionis, is now a dual-degree student seeking a PhD in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and an MS in Medical Geography. His research focus is on spatial modeling of infectious diseases. Having worked on the Ebola and Zika outbreaks, he is particularly interested in tackling more local problems.
Korine N. Kolivras and Bryan L. Lewis are co-authors but not co-presenters.
Spatial Epidemiology in an Appalachian Context
Once only spoken of by physicians and epidemiologists, exotic tropical diseases have recently become household names. Chikungunya, Ebola, SARS, Zika, even the local evening news talks about them. But for all the attention we give to each tropical menace, we seem willfully ignorant of home-grown epidemics. This is especially true of diseases which prey upon residents of disadvantaged rural areas. Appalachia is no exception; in fact it is burdened by several such diseases.
With almost no news coverage, it may surprise some to learn that Hepatitis C kills more Americans than any other infectious disease including HIV. The Hepatitis C outbreak is inexorably intertwined with the ongoing heroin and opioid-abuse epidemic, and sadly, Appalachia serves as hot spots for both. For all the talk of Zika-carrying mosquitoes, it is easy to lose track of the fact that tick-borne Lyme disease is the most significant vector-borne agent in the country. Lyme continues its slow southerly advance, and has found Appalachian farming communities to be particularly hospitable.
Through the use of spatiotemporal analysis, we investigate the impact of Hepatitis C and Lyme disease on rural Appalachia. In addition to describing the where and the when of each epidemic, we also investigate why Appalachia, in particular, is so vulnerable to these intractable threats.
