UNC-Chapel Hill experts available to discuss mosquito and tick-borne diseases
UNC-Chapel Hill experts available to discuss mosquito and tick-borne diseases
Diseases transmitted by ticks, mosquitoes and fleas – which include Lyme disease, Zika and West Nile virus – have tripled in the U.S., according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As warmer temperatures lead Americans to spend more time outdoors, it is important that people understand the risks and how to avoid getting bitten by mosquitoes and ticks. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers and physicians are available to discuss the rise in vector-borne diseases, prevention recommendations and treatment options for these diseases, and meat allergies resulting from tick bites.
If you’d like to speak with an expert, call (919) 445-8555 or email mediarelations@unc.edu.
Dr. Ross Boyce is an infectious diseases fellow with the division of infectious diseases in the UNC School of Medicine. He studies malaria and dengue in East Africa. He can discuss prevention, diagnostics and treatment of vector-borne diseases as well as how climate change is impacting where these illnesses are found. He is currently studying tick-borne diseases in North Carolina.
Dr. Scott Commins is a professor of allergy and immunology in the UNC School of Medicine. He is a leading expert on alpha-gal meat allergy, which is believed to result from tick bites. He sees patients with this condition in the UNC Allergy and Immunology Clinic and he is one of a few experts in the U.S. who are conducting clinical research regarding this poorly understood yet often serious allergy. He is available to discuss alpha-gal.
Dr. Steve Meshnick is a professor of epidemiology in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a professor of microbiology and immunology in the UNC School of Medicine. He has spent the last 30 years researching tropical infectious diseases. He can discuss malaria, including drug resistance, prevention and pregnancy. He also studies tick-borne diseases and was part of a research team that showed that treating clothing with the long-lasting tick repellent permethrin can protect outdoor workers in North Carolina from ticks.
Dr. David Weber is a professor of epidemiology in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a professor of pediatrics and medicine in the UNC School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Pediatrics. He is also a member of UNC Hospitals’ Zika Response Working Group. He can discuss the increase in tick, mosquito and flea-borne diseases in the U.S. and share a clinical perspective on Lyme disease, Zika and other vector-borne diseases, and recommendations for how to protect against insect bites.
P: (919) 445-8555 | E: mediarelations@unc.edu
