MEDIA ADVISORY: President Declares H1N1 National Emergency; Yale Offers Experts on the Vaccine, Biology, Epidemiology and The History of Epidemics

Published: October 26, 2009

New Haven, Conn. — President Obama has declared the H1N1 outbreak a national emergency. Yale University is offering specialists in infectious diseases, emerging viruses, global health and epidemiology to speak on H1N1. They can address many aspects of this outbreak, including the vaccine, diagnosis, treatment, comparisons with last spring’s H1N1 pandemic and the 1918 flu epidemic, and can speak about genetic mutations that could make the virus even more dangerous.

Our experts are:

Treatment and Diagnosis: Robert Baltimore, MD, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine; Vincent Quagliarello, MD, Clinical Chief, Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine;

Epidemiology and Public Health Response: Louise Dembry, MD, Director of Hospital Epidemiology, Yale-New Haven Hospital; Mark Russi, MD, Director of Occupational Health Services, Yale-New Haven Hospital;

Diagnostic Testing: Marie Landry, MD, Director, Clinical Virology Laboratory, Yale School of Medicine and Yale-New Haven Hospital;

Global Health Implications: Michael Cappello, MD, Microbial Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University School of Medicine;

History of Epidemics: Naomi Rogers, PhD, History of Infectious Outbreaks, Comparisons with the 1918 Global Flu Epidemic.

Experts in other areas, such as the biology and mutation of viruses, are also available.

Related: Flu Vaccine Given To Women During Pregnancy Keeps Infants Out of the Hospital

PRESS CONTACT: Helen Dodson 203-436-3984, Bill Hathaway 203-432-1322, Rob Hutchison 203-688-2488