To better identify and prevent future pandemics, the 天美影视传媒 has become a partner in a five-year global, collaborative agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development. The newly launched Discovery & Exploration of Emerging Pathogens – Viral Zoonoses, or DEEP VZN project, has approximately $125 million in anticipated funding and will be led by Washington State University.

The effort will build scientific capacity in partner countries to safely detect and characterize viruses which have the potential to spill over from wildlife and domestic animals to human populations.

“The DEEP VZN project provides an exciting chance to better understand why the world is experiencing more frequent and severe outbreaks of zoonotic infectious diseases transmitted between animals and people,鈥� said Dr. , a co-principal investigator for USAID DEEP VZN and professor of environmental and occupational health sciences in the UW School of Public Health.

鈥淭his means gaining knowledge about new viruses that could cause problems in the future, and the ecosystem changes that appear to be driving the process of viruses jumping between species,鈥� Rabinowitz added. 鈥淭丑别 hope is that this improved understanding will lead to prevention of future pandemics and more resilient ecosystems.鈥�

Rabinowitz is also director of the and co-director of the .

The project plans to initially partner with five countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to help local organizations carry out large-scale animal surveillance programs within their own countries safely and test samples for viruses using their own laboratory facilities. This will avoid the process of having to ship samples to other countries for testing and build an international network of laboratories capable of quickly responding to disease outbreaks.

鈥淪ince the vast majority of viruses that ignite pandemics have their origin in nonhuman animals, it is critical that we figure out which of the many new zoonotic viruses that we are now identifying are most likely to jump species into humans, spread easily from person to person and cause severe disease or death,鈥� said Dr. , a co-principal investigator in the project and chair of the UW Department of Global health.

鈥淭丑别 focuses on a proactive, integrated systems approach to pandemic preparedness that has brought together internationally recognized leaders in the kinds of laboratory methods that will make it possible for the DEEP VZN team to fully sequence and characterize novel viruses in unprecedented breadth and depth,鈥� said Wasserheit, co-director of the Alliance. 鈥淚n addition, the Alliance鈥檚 approach catalyzed collaborations between these lab-based scientists; One Health leaders working at the interface of human, animal and environmental health; and leaders in Global Health who will work with colleagues in focus countries to identify high-risk locations and subpopulations at the human-animal interface.鈥�

The DEEP VZN project will focus on finding previously unknown pathogens from three viral families that have a large potential for viral spillover from animals to humans: coronaviruses, the family that includes SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; filoviruses, like Ebola virus; and paramyxoviruses, such as Nipah virus. With 70% of new viral outbreaks in people originating from animals, understanding future threats helps protect the U.S. as well as the partner countries.

The goals are ambitious: to collect over 800,000 samples in the five years of the project, most of which will come from wildlife; then to detect whether known and novel viruses from the target families are present in the samples. When those are found, the researchers will determine their zoonotic potential, or the ability to be transmitted between animals and humans.

This process is expected to yield 8,000 to 12,000 novel viruses, which researchers will then screen and genome sequence for the ones that pose the most risk to animal and human health.

The UW听Medicine听laboratory effort, led by听Dr.听Alex Greninger,听assistant professor of laboratory medicine and pathology at 天美影视传媒 School of Medicine, will use听the听cutting-edge research expertise of five internationally recognized UW Medicine laboratories to听develop innovative techniques and provide reference and support activities for virus detection and characterization by in-country labs.

鈥淚t鈥檚 time to get to work and find some new viruses. We will be building capacity in other countries to be able to find new viruses and characterize them in hopes to better understand coronaviruses and other viruses circulating in the world,鈥� said Greninger.

The UW Medicine labs:

• The will coordinate听qRT-PCR and broad serology assay development and in-country training, viral genome recovery and viral glycoprotein characterization.
• The David will model novel viral glycoproteins to determine risk potential based on in silico screens for potential human receptor affinity.
• 罢丑别听顿补惫颈诲 has detailed mechanisms of viral attachment and entry for novel paramyxoviruses and coronaviruses and will extend these biochemical studies to novel viral glycoproteins discovered in DV.
• will determine the degree and mechanisms of innate immunity evasion in human cells by novel viruses.
• The will produce recombinant proteins for in-country serological analysis as it has done for SARS-CoV-2.

The UW Department of Global Health will apply its experience in more than 145 countries and expertise in capacity strengthening through the International Training and Education Center for Health, or I-TECH, to support sustainable sampling and strengthen in-country laboratory programs.

In addition to UW and WSU, USAID DEEP VZN includes virology expertise of The Washington University at St. Louis, as well as data management and in-country expertise of public health nonprofits PATH, based in Seattle, and FHI 360, based in North Carolina. These partners have extensive established presence and partners in countries in the target regions.

鈥淭o make sure the world is better prepared for these infectious disease events, which are likely to happen more frequently as wild areas become increasingly fragmented, we need to be ready,鈥� said Felix Lankester, lead principal investigator for USAID DEEP VZN and associate professor with WSU鈥檚 Paul G. Allen School for Global Health. 鈥淲e will work to not only detect viruses but also build capacity in other countries, so the United States can collaborate with them in carrying out this important work.鈥�

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For more information, contact Jake Ellison at Jbe3@uw.edu

This story was adapted from a Washington State University .听

The idea of building herd immunity 鈥� increasing the number of infected to such a degree that naturally occurring immunity would outstrip the coronavirus, while isolating the elderly and others at greatest risk of the disease 鈥� has been tossed around in the United States, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.听 This week, however, from that approach.

But the kind of 鈥渉erd immunity鈥� strategy being discussed in the U.K. does not acknowledge a critical gap in our understanding of COVID-19, said听, chair of the 天美影视传媒 Department of Global Health and co-director of the MetaCenter for Pandemic Preparedness and Global Health Security to provide some perspective on the tactic.

The extensive interaction across age groups in most communities makes separation a challenge, she said.

鈥淕randparents are often the primary people taking care of children and adolescents while parents work (including working remotely), especially in lower-income families; and young adults are often the people who care for parents and other older adults who can no longer function completely independently,” Dr. Wasserheit said.

鈥淚nfection with this virus seems to be more likely to be mild, minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic in children, adolescents and young adults, and we know that transmission can occur in these settings. So it would be quite challenging to separate older adults from potentially infectious younger members of the population.

鈥淚n addition, we do not know how frequently immunity occurs after infection with this virus, and if it occurs, how strong that immunity is and how long it lasts.鈥�

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued on Wednesday, March 11, an that limits large events to minimize risks to public health during the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Starting today, events that take place in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties with more than 250 people are prohibited by the state. This order applies to gatherings for social, spiritual and recreational activities. These include but are not limited to: community, civic, public, leisure, faith-based, or sporting events; parades; concerts; festivals; conventions; fundraisers and similar activities,” the proclamation states.

Here are how two UW experts responded to questions about the order:

, a lecturer in the School of Public Health and co-director of the听

Why reduce crowd size?

鈥淪ocial distancing is one of the strategies that we can take as a community to slow down the spread of COVID-19. Cancelling or postponing large gatherings is one way to promote social distancing.”

What is the ‘safest’ size?

鈥淭丑别re is no ‘magic number’ for a ‘safe event.’ If a person with COVID-19 attends a public gathering, people who come into close contact with them may be at risk. Any time groups come together, individuals听should keep at least six feet apart, wash their hands frequently, cough or sneeze into their sleeve, and replace their handshake with a smile, wave, nod, or other non-contact greeting. It’s harder to implement these social distancing measures at larger events.鈥�

Dr. , chair of the 天美影视传媒 Department of Global Health and co-director of听:

Why reduce the number of people who can be at an event?

鈥淭丑别 average number of new COVID-19 cases that each infected person generates is determined by three key things鈥� how much contact the infected person has with uninfected, susceptible people, how long a person remains infectious and how easily the virus can spread. If we reduce the number of people at an event and we can do two things that will help reduce contact听鈥� decrease the total number of people exposed, and for those who do attend, increase the distance between them. That can decrease risk of exposure, particularly if they are more than 6 feet apart.鈥�

Do crowd limits work?听

鈥淏y reducing crowding, we increase the space between people. For infections that are spread primarily by coughing and sneezing, helping people keep at least 6 feet between themselves and other people by limiting crowds can be a very important thing to do.鈥�

What is the optimal number? Is it 250?听

鈥淲e do not know what the right number is, but this is definitely a case of ‘less is more.’ The smaller the group is and the less crowding there is, the more likely it is that people will stay safe and healthy.鈥�

Dr. Wasserheit answers questions about the novel coronavirus pandemic in this video:

Quotes from Dr. Wasserheit in the video:

鈥淭丑别 reason that we鈥檙e so concerned about this virus and this epidemic is 鈥� first of all 鈥� this virus is easily transmitted, it鈥檚 a respiratory virus. So if I鈥檓 infected and I sneeze or cough, it鈥檚 very easy for me to give it to somebody else. The second reason is that it鈥檚 a new virus. So we don鈥檛 have, as a population, immunity already to this virus. We haven鈥檛 seen it before.鈥�

鈥淭丑别 three most important things you can do to protect yourself, if you are currently healthy, are the things your mother would have told you. First of all, wash your hands regularly with soap for at least 20 seconds. Secondly, if you haven鈥檛 gotten your flu vaccine already, get it because this is the season for colds and flu, and the last thing you want to do is to be going in to the doctor or the ER where other people may be coming in who have this infection, and you鈥檙e exposed to them, but you could have prevented getting the flu. And the third thing is that if you do actually develop a cough or a respiratory infection, then stay home during that time. If you get really sick, see your doctor. And, for the people around you, cover your nose when you cough or sneeze!鈥�

鈥淭丑别re鈥檚 tremendous expertise across the 天美影视传媒 in pandemic disease and global health security, from basic research all the way to public health interventions. And we have actually brought that together in a 天美影视传媒 MetaCenter for Pandemic Disease Preparedness and Global Health Security.鈥�

鈥淭his epidemic of the coronavirus will definitely not be the last time that this country and the world faces the outbreak of a pathogen with pandemic potential. We are seeing this more and more frequently, and these outbreaks have greater severity and magnitude. And so we definitely need to be better prepared in the future. That鈥檚 one of the most important lessons from the coronavirus outbreak.鈥�

Dr. , chair of the UW Department of Global Health in the School of Public Health and part of the , answers questions about the novel coronavirus outbreak, its spread, the level of concern and how to best protect yourself.

In addition to the soundbites video quotes, Dr. Wasserheit pointed out that the global scientific response to the viral outbreak has been an important part of the story:听

鈥淲hat would normally take months to years, has been reduced to just days and weeks. In less that six weeks, we鈥檝e gone from the initial report of this cluster by the Chinese government to the development of diagnostics, the start of clinical trials for treatments and having multiple groups working on vaccines.鈥�

Quotes from Dr. Wasserheit from the video:

鈥淭丑别 reason that we鈥檙e so concerned about this virus and this epidemic is – first of all – this virus is easily transmitted, it鈥檚 a respiratory virus. So if I鈥檓 infected and I sneeze or cough, it鈥檚 very easy for me to give it to somebody else. The second reason is that it鈥檚 a new virus. So we don鈥檛 have, as a population, immunity already to this virus. We haven鈥檛 seen it before.鈥�

鈥淭丑别 three most important things you can do to protect yourself, if you are currently healthy, are the things your mother would have told you. First of all, wash your hands regularly with soap for at least 20 seconds. Secondly, if you haven鈥檛 got your flu vaccine already, get it because this is the season for colds and flu, and the last thing you want to do is to be going in to the doctor or the ER where other people may be coming in who have this infection, and you鈥檙e exposed to them, but you could have prevented getting the flu. And the third thing is that if you do actually develop a cough or a respiratory infection, then stay home during that time. If you get really sick, see your doctor. And, for the people around you, cover your nose when you cough or sneeze!鈥�

鈥淭丑别re鈥檚 tremendous expertise across the 天美影视传媒 in pandemic disease and global health security, from basic research all the way to public health interventions. And we have actually brought that together in a 天美影视传媒 MetaCenter for Pandemic Disease Preparedness and Global Health Security.鈥�听

鈥淭his epidemic of the coronavirus will definitely not be the last time that this country and the world faces the outbreak of a pathogen with pandemic potential. We are seeing this more and more frequently, and these outbreaks have greater severity and magnitude. And so we definitely need to be better prepared in the future. That鈥檚 one of the most important lessons from the coronavirus outbreak.鈥�