University helps in fight against H1N1
North Carolina consults faculty to prepare against crisis
Edward Markus
Staff Writer
As the threat of the H1N1 influenza continues to grow, faculty members have been called upon to advise the state on the best ways to prepare for an outbreak.
Dr. Barrett Slenning is one such faculty member. Slenning, an associate professor of epidemiology and production medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine, is the director of agrosecurity and biopreparedness. Slenning studies agricultural disaster preparedness, biosecurity, epidemiology, economics and bioterrorism. He serves as a consultant to North Carolina and federal regulatory agencies concerning agricultural bioterrorism and foreign animal diseases.
While it may seem at first as though the work Slenning does is not related to public health problems like the H1N1 crisis, animal health and human health are closely tied.
“The term I like to use is ‘one health’. The idea is that you have animal health, public health (which is just humans), and then the environment,” Slenning said. “We all live in the environment; we have contact with all these animals, and if you don’t protect all three [factors], you are not going to protect any of them.”
Slenning noted an example of this concept occurring in the case of H1N1. He said infected humans have transmitted the disease to some animals such as pigs and turkeys, which can then spread the disease to other animals or humans.
According to Slenning, veterinarians are equipped for it because they are able to work between different species. They have training in public health and are trained to observe the populations and systems involved in disease transmission.
Because of the close relationship between animal and human health, NCSU faculty was one of the first groups contacted when the state first learned of the H1N1 virus, said Slenning.
“We mounted two emergency operations groups – one was primarily public health, one was primarily agriculture, but we had people coordinating [the effort] from both sides,” Slenning said.
The groups made preparations in case the virus became a full pandemic. Slenning said although the impact of the virus has been milder than expected, the groups have remained on alert because H1N1 has the ability to mutate into much more dangerous forms.
Dr. Peter Cowen, an associate professor of epidemiology and public health, serves as the moderator for ProMED Mail, a global reporting system for outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases. Dr. Jay Levine, a professor of epidemiology and public health, works on enhancing biosurveillance analytic capabilities for outbreaks like this one in support of public health and homeland security.
“We’re really lucky that N.C. State is the kind of university that it is. We are very strong in extension engagement, which allows us to reach out to the outside world and show them what we can do to help,” Slenning said. “as faculty and students here I think we should realize that this is a cool place to be.”