Impact of Arbovirus Infection on Pregnancy

The adverse impact of Zika (ZIKV), dengue (DENV), and chikungunya (CHIKV) virus infection in pregnancy has been recognized in Latin America and Asia but is not well studied in Africa. Although originally discovered in sub-Saharan Africa, the non-specific clinical presentation of arbovirus infection may have hampered our detection of adverse clinical outcomes and outbreaks. This prospective study of arbovirus infection in pregnant women in north-central Nigeria sought to characterize the prevalence of acute arbovirus infection and determine the impact on pregnancy and infant outcomes.

Dr. Phyllis Kanki will talk about her research on this important topic and attendees are encouraged to join the discussion by sending us their questions. Dr. Louise Ivers will moderate the conversation.

The event is free and open to the public.

About the Speakers

Phyllis Kanki, DVM, DSc, Mary Woodard Lasker Professor of Health Sciences

Phyllis Kanki is the Mary Woodard Lasker Professor of Health Sciences at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. She has worked in West Africa since 1984, where her research in Senegal provided the initial characterization of HIV-2, demonstrated reduced virulence, transmission and progression to disease and interactions with HIV-1 subtypes. In 2000, she founded the AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN), supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation modeled after the Senegal research collaboration. She led Harvard’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program supporting prevention, care and HIV antiretroviral therapy for over 200,000 patients in Nigeria, Botswana, and Tanzania (2005-2013). In West Africa, following epidemics of Ebola (EBOV) and Zika virus (ZIKV), she documented the multi-decade presence of ZIKV, demonstrating the endemicity of this unique arbovirus in the region. She described the longevity, specificity and cross reactivity of T cell responses to ZIKV and DENV and characterized the T cell responses in survivors and exposed health care workers from the 2015 Nigeria EBOV outbreak. She has just completed a 3 year study of ZIKV, dengue and Chikungunya virus infection in pregnant women and documenting associated microcephaly and other birth abnormalities.

Louise C. Ivers, MD, MPH, DTM&H, Faculty Director, Harvard Global Health Institute

Dr. Louise C. Ivers, MD, MPH, DTM&H is the Faculty Director of the Harvard Global Health Institute and the Executive Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Global Health. Dr. Ivers is also the David Bangsberg Endowed Chair in Global Health Equity at MGH and a Professor of Medicine and Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Ivers has spent her career providing care to the rural and urban poor and engaging in patient-oriented investigation that offer solutions to barriers to healthcare. She works on the design, implementation, and evaluation of large-scale public health programs in resource-limited settings with the goal of achieving health equity. She has worked on healthcare delivery in India, Southeast Asia, and Africa. From 2003-2017, Dr. Ivers served in various leadership roles for Partners in Health, including Clinical Director, Chief of mission, and Director of strategic implementation. In addition to expanding access to healthcare for the poor, Dr. Ivers has contributed to published research articles on HIV/AIDS, food insecurity, and cholera treatment and prevention and is involved in global policy and advocacy.