Dr Peter Hotez is a renown tropical disease expert and when he speaks, ears perk up. He is the Dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine and the President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute.
Earlier this week, Hotez had some things to say about the threat of Zika virus in the United States and believes the country is not prepared for a future possible outbreak.
In an interview with CBS News, Dr Hotez discussed the similarities between poor neighborhoods on the Gulf Coast of the US and Brazil, the epicenter of Zika, which according to some estimates has seen 1.5 million cases.
Brazil has also reported 1046 microcephaly cases potentially associated with Zika virus infection.
“If you look to see where Zika is devastating families, mothers and their unborn babies or their newborn babies throughout the Americas, it’s in the areas of extreme poverty,” Hotez told CBS News.
“If you start seeing babies with microcephaly on the Gulf Coast of the United States, it is going to be a public health crisis. It will be the public health equivalent of Katrina,” Hotez said. Dire words indeed.
This comes after news of the White House, after the president’s request for $1.9 billion in emergency funding has stalled in Congress, would be shifting funds from Ebola resources, more than $500 million.
LISTEN to Dr Hotez on the Outbreak News This Week Radio show HERE, HERE and HERE
According to the CDC, 346 travel-associated Zika virus cases have been reported from 41 states and the District of Columbia through Apr. 6. Of the 346 cases reported, 32 were pregnant women, 7 were sexually transmitted, and 1 had Guillain-Barré syndrome. No local transmission has been reported to date.
Related:
- Europe: Increasing temperatures expands geography fro dengue risk
- Yellow fever update: The Numbers, Kenya and China
- Sweden Lassa fever: Imported from Liberia, Additional details
I hope Dr. Hotez, a man I greatly admire, will take a peak at what our company has developed. We have been working 24/7 for months -and have clinical trials planned and developed for anti-virals against Zika virus. Our company is rapidly working and has one part of the solution. Re-purposed, currently marketed anti-malarial drugs are the most suitable drug candidates for immediate clinical testing for use in protecting against the Zika Virus infection, including Zika Virus fetal syndrome and GBS. Provisional patents filed with the USPTO. These compounds are autophagy inhibitors, and in vitro testing has demonstrated efficacy. The lead candidates are approved by the FDA for use during pregnancy, and cross the placenta enabling clinically significant pharmacodistribution to both mother and fetus. What Atheric Pharmaceutical has accomplished so far:
Research and Meta-analysis of drug compounds, review paper published in PLoS NTD. Patents filed, with due diligence performed for field of use.
In-vitro screening of compounds ongoing, with lead drugs candidates identified within range for prophylactic and therapeutic indicators, using High Content Imaging ZIKV/Vero infection/foreskin fibroblast assays. FDA involvement, with pre-IND meeting initiated. Two different clinical Trials in development, with clinical site selection ongoing in two countries. Our results so far are being written up and will be published as soon as we can find time to write them up.