EMD Seminar Series: Raina Plowright, "Preventing pandemics by stopping spillover"

Over the past 100 years, most pandemics have occurred after a zoonotic spillover from a wild animal host to a human, often through a bridging host. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been increased investment in preparedness and response for future pandemics. However, there has been almost no investment in prevention of the zoonotic spillover event that triggers the pandemic in the first place—called primary pandemic prevention. Almost all funding, policy guidance, and practice has focused on reactive strategies aimed to mitigate outbreaks once a pathogen is already circulating in humans. Although it is critical that we respond to and mitigate future pandemics, we need to balance this focus with prevention.

One reason for the near absence of primary pandemic prevention is the mistaken belief that spillover is unpredictable and unpreventable. However, our work on Hendra virus in Australia has demonstrated that spillover can be predicted and prevented. Using insights developed from known pathogens like Hendra virus in Australia and Nipah virus in Bangladesh, we developed a set of strategies that should decrease the likelihood of emergence of Disease X in parts of the world where knowledge and data on reservoir hosts is poor. These proactively strategies can prevent spillover by addressing the fundamental processes that drive the transmission of pathogens from animals to humans.

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If you have questions about accessibility or would like to request an accommodation, please contact Maria Reilly at maria.reilly@yale.edu.