The USDA ARS International Biosafety & Biocontainment Symposium will be February 6-9, 2023 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront in Baltimore, Maryland. The focus of the symposium will be emerging Biorisk Challenges-Agriculture. 

More information, including exhibitors and sponsor information, can be found at http://arssymposium.absa.org.  

Emerging zoonotic viruses are a critical threat to global public health and spillovers can results in severe illness and complex pathogenesis that are often poorly understood. In recent years, multiple zoonotic viruses, including ebolaviruses, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, and mpox virus (formerly monkeypox virus) have resulted in drastic effects on public health and the global economy. Response to such events often relies on both outbreak containment efforts, including rapid identification of transmission chains and supportive care for patients, and laboratory-based investigations, including pathogen characterization and therapeutic discovery. However, there is an urgent need for increased preparedness strategies that prioritize early identification of emerging threats, including cryptic transmission chains and reservoirs. This includes an urgent need to identify the mechanisms that underlie zoonotic spillovers, viral pathogenesis and long-term health impacts in survivors. Here, I will address these knowledge gaps and discuss opportunities for targeted surveillance and response capacities.

The webinar will be held on Thursday, February 16th at 12:00 CDT.

To register, please email us at cabsacsb@gmail.com to confirm your attendance and a Zoom link and meeting invitation will be sent to you.  

Please submit any questions in advance and there will be an opportunity to ask questions after the session.