Preventing Pandemics

Nathan Wolfe, the founder of the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, discusses how he devotes his life to tracking viruses before they infect human populations. His speech summarizes ten years of research conducted in Central Africa, working with local tribes and collecting blood samples from a variety of hunted species. During his speech, Nathan Wolfe reveals that viruses, like AIDS, originate in animal populations long before they infect humans. While AIDS became a global pandemic in the 1980s, Nathan Wolfe's research demonstrates that chimpanzees were carrying the disease as early as the 1930s. His research, initiative and partnerships with African communities, are dedicated to tracking similar types of viruses before they spread to humans. His speech discusses his dedication to finding viruses and then finding ways to control them as a preventative measure. Nathan Wolfe explains how his efforts to create a global network of researchers, scientists and tribesmen, can help make viral forecasting a reality.