Elizabeth Ashby – författare

Influenza viruses, both seasonal and pandemic, have the potential to disrupt the health and well-being of populations around the world. The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and prior public health emergencies of international concern illustrate the importance of global preparedness and coordination among governments, academia, scientists, policy makers, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and the public to address the threat of pandemic influenza. These health emergencies have revealed opportunities to enhance global vaccine infrastructure, manufacturing, distribution, and administration.

Globally Resilient Supply Chains for Seasonal and Pandemic Influenza Vaccines outlines key findings and recommendations to bolster vaccine distribution, manufacturing, and supply chains for future seasonal and pandemic influenza events. This report addresses the challenges of manufacturing and distributing vaccines for both seasonal and pandemic influenza, highlighting the critical components of vaccine manufacturing and distribution and offering recommendations that would address gaps in the current global vaccine infrastructure.

To take stock of lessons learned from COVID-19 around the world and in the United States, the Forum on Microbial Threats held two virtual workshops during 2021. The first workshop focused on what it means to frame the response to COVID-19 through a "syndemic" approach, and what the implications would be for global recovery. The second workshop focused more broadly on key lessons and emerging data from ongoing pandemic response efforts that can be incorporated into current health systems to improve resilience and preparedness for future outbreaks.

This workshop explored the long-term effects of COVID-19 on health equity, including considerations for mental health and social determinants of health. It also addressed uncertainties during a pandemic, such as trust, communication, and engagement and explored approaches to systematize recovery efforts to improve the ongoing responses and prepare for the next pandemic. Experts discussed possibilities for a post-pandemic world and a response strategy for stakeholders that ensures sustained community partnerships and prioritization of health equity. This Proceedings of a Workshop summarizes the presentations and discussions from the second workshop.

Antifungal use in plant agriculture is a widespread practice necessary to safeguard food safety and security. While the impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global health concern, knowledge gaps exist surrounding antifungal resistance, the connection to plant agriculture, and its implications for human health.

The National Academies Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a workshop series in June 2022 exploring the role of plant agricultural practices in AMR development and implications for human health, with a focus on plant crop production. Sessions explored the magnitude of environmentally induced/selected antifungal resistance connected to plant agriculture, agricultural practices that may contribute to AMR in human pathogens, and strategies for surveillance and mitigation.This Proceedings document summarizes workshop discussions.

The National Academies Forum on Microbial Threats and Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders hosted a hybrid public workshop in June 2023 to explore opportunities to advance research and treatment of infection-associated chronic illnesses. The illnesses discussed in this workshop, including COVID-19, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), persistent or posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), and multiple sclerosis (MS), share overlapping mechanisms and symptoms and have been inadequately researched. Recognizing these commonalities, speakers identified the need to advance research more comprehensively, translating to improved diagnostic and treatment options for patients across multiple conditions.

Arboviruses, or viruses carried by arthropods like mosquitoes or ticks, are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide each year. As the climate changes globally, the geographic distribution of these diseases, including Zika, dengue, chikungunya, West Nile, and yellow fever, are steadily expanding. The National Academies Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop in December 2023 to explore avenues of threat reduction from known and emerging arboviral diseases in the context of public health preparedness and capacity building. The workshop featured talks from experts in entomology, public health, ecology, virology, immunology, disease modeling, and urban planning.