Charlie Rose Science Series Explores the Threat of Pandemics

Charlie Rose Science Series Explores the Threat of Pandemics

Episode Eight of Science Series to Focus on Pandemics Such as Influenza, Polio, Tuberculosis, Precautions/Preparedness for These Infectious Diseases, and the Challenges Faced by the Medical and Public Health Sectors

NEW YORK, Aug. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Charlie Rose will once again be joined by co-host Sir Paul Nurse, Nobel Laureate and President of Rockefeller University for the next installment of the "Charlie Rose Science Series," which will focus on the growing threat of pandemics, such as influenza, polio and drug-resistant tuberculosis. The eighth episode of the 12-part series on PBS will feature a panel of distinguished experts in pandemics and public health policy. The in-depth discussion will include an overview of the beginnings of an influenza pandemic, the science of the virus, domestic and global preparations for a pandemic, available medicines and vaccines, and ways the scientific community is addressing the crisis.

Sponsored by Pfizer Inc, the "Charlie Rose Science Series" episode on pandemics begins airing on Wednesday, August 15, 2007 on more than 200 PBS stations across the country.

By definition, a pandemic is an outbreak of an infectious disease that spreads across a large region or even worldwide. A number of significant pandemics, such as influenza, tuberculosis, and cholera have been recorded in history. The first known flu pandemic of 1510 -- traveled from Africa and spread across Europe. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the 1918 "Spanish Influenza" pandemic was the most virulent, claiming more than 40 million people worldwide, and ending as quickly as it began -- vanishing completely within 18 months.

"A potential pandemic poses a critical global risk," said Charlie Rose. "The challenges may be great, but leaders and communities worldwide are finally initiating measures to fight the growing threat."

Charlie's special guests will include: Larry Brilliant, MD, MPH, Executive Director of Google.org and Founder of the Seva Foundation; Jeff Koplan, MD, Director of Emory Global Health Institute and Former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; David Nabarro, MD, Senior United Nations Systems Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza; and, Laurie Garrett, Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council of Foreign Relations and Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist.

Although health care has improved in the last decades, the CDC projects that today a pandemic is likely to result in two million to 7.4 million deaths globally. The impact of the next pandemic is likely to be the greatest in developing countries because of the lack of health care infrastructures while putting a strain on health care systems in developed countries as well.

The current vaccine manufacturing system produces flu vaccines inside chicken eggs, a time-consuming process that takes up to nine months, and is constrained by limited manufacturing capacity and the ability to quickly adapt vaccines to emerging strains of influenza. New DNA-based technology has potential advantages over egg-based vaccines and could lead to improved efficacy compared to traditional ones.

"As recent history has shown, there is always a possibility of new forms of infectious diseases striking with little or no warning," said Dr. Michael Dunne, Therapeutic Area Head of Infectious Diseases at Pfizer. "There is a critical public health need for new, more effective vaccines to prevent and treat infectious diseases. We believe we can be a part of the solution to these major public health concerns by taking a fresh approach to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. While the research is at an early stage, we are hopeful that DNA-based vaccines may offer an innovative approach towards containing the threat of influenza and other chronic viral diseases."

Scientists and doctors cannot predict where or when the next pandemic will strike or how devastating it will be. However, the international medical, scientific and public health communities are working to devise strategies for vaccine research, development and production. In addition, global coalitions have been established to plan for, detect, prevent and respond rapidly to a potential outbreak.

"The threat of a pandemic or pandemics in general is obviously of great concern to all of us," said Dr. Nurse. "We live in a global village and all of this makes the problem particularly crucial. However, it is important to emphasize that we do know more about the problem and are in better shape than we were. There is a great deal of investment on the research end to help in understanding pandemics and I feel optimistic that we are at least going in the right direction."

Pfizer's support for the Charlie Rose Science Series and its exploration of the advances being made in scientific research, their contribution to our understanding of the world around us, and how these breakthroughs may be applied to improving human health is part of Pfizer's commitment to expanding scientific understanding.

Past episodes of the Charlie Rose Science Series have explored research that has led to a better understanding of the human brain; the discovery and mapping of human DNA; new insights into longevity and the body's aging mechanisms; an in-depth look at cancer, the latest advances in stem cell research; the problem of obesity in the American population especially among children and teenagers; and the continually growing problem of HIV/AIDS worldwide.

For more information about the Charlie Rose Science Series or to watch clips from past episodes, please visit www.charlierose.com.

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CONTACT: Maria Konnikova, Charlie Rose, +1-212-617-1600,
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