PMO 564 Epidemiology and Control of Arboviruses
This course covers the epidemiology, prevention and control of viruses that are biologically transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks. In addition, some of the important African and South American hemorrhagic fever viruses and the Hantaviruses are covered. At the end of the course, students should have an extensive understanding of how these viruses may cause outbreaks of human disease in urban and/or rural environments, how to assess risk of exposure to these viruses, and how to prevent and/or treat these viral diseases. Lectures and discussions will cover topics such as arthropod infection and transmission of viruses, the epidemiology of various viruses carried by arthropods and rodents, clinical course and pathology of certain viral diseases, risk assessment of arthropod-borne virus transmission, prevention/control of arthropod-borne virus transmission, and development of new antiviral drugs. Students taking the laboratory will receive extensive training in the latest techniques for isolating, diagnosing, and cultivating certain viruses. All students will have a wide variety of current scientific articles to read and discuss. Graded; or Pass/Fail in limited circumstances with instructor permission.