Local transmission of the mosquito borne virus, Zika virus, in the Western hemisphere and autochthonous Chagas disease in the United States, and particularly south Texas has caught the nation’s attention in recent weeks.

outbreak squareTwo great expert guests from the Lone Star State joined me Sunday on the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show to bring a better understanding of these vector borne diseases, the latest research and a dose of perspective.

The Director of the University of Texas Medical Branch Institute for Human Infections and Immunity and the Scientific Director of the Galveston National Laboratory, Scott C. Weaver, M.S., Ph.D. joined me in the first half of the show to answer questions about Zika virus.

During the second half of the show, Melissa Nolan Garcia, PhD, MPH, a Research Associate and epidemiologist with the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and author of a new study concerning local transmission of Chagas disease, joined me to discuss the parasitic disease and her research and findings concerning Chagas.

The Outbreak News This Week Radio Show airs every Sunday at 8 pm ET in the Tampa Bay area on AM 1380 The Biz and online at http://1380thebiz.com/

Listen to the podcast below:

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