A Global Initiative for Vibrio Early Warning Systems
Overview
Vibrio is a type of disease-causing bacteria that occurs naturally in warm coastal areas. It is the most common cause of seafood-borne disease and is associated with 95% of related fatalities. To reduce the prevalence of Vibrio-related health risks in the United States and beyond, several USGCRP agencies including NOAA, NASA, NSF, and HHS’s National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with other partners, began a Global Initiative for Vibrio Early Warning Systems. The goal of these systems is to build capacity to predict and reduce public health impacts from Vibrio, enhance existing data collection and integration, establish baseline health and environmental data, and facilitate adaptation to climate change and connection to climate services.
Research and Societally Relevant Outcomes
The prevalence of Vibrio is expected to increase as oceans become warmer in response to climate change. This initiative aims to determine key indicators that can be integrated to develop a predictive model for Vibrio-related outbreaks, with a particular emphasis on the species of Vibrio that causes cholera. Improved data and predictions for Vibrio-related outbreaks may help to prevent such outbreaks in the future.
The following link provides additional information:
oceansandhumanhealth.noaa.gov/
While the rates of infection for most food-borne diseases have decreased in recent years, the rate of Vibrio infections has increased (rates are shown relative to 1996–1998 rates, signified by the line intersecting 1.00 on the vertical axis). Because Vibrio thrives in warm waters, infection rates have the potential to rise as ocean temperatures increase. (Source: CDC)