Hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works - Examining the Human Health Impacts of Global Warming Panel II

Interview

Hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works - Examining the Human Health Impacts of Global Warming Panel II

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SENATOR JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY): Thank you very much, Madame Chairman.

Dr. Roberts, if I could, looking at your background with the tropical health -- Department of Preventive Medicine at the Uniformed Services Health Science Center, I remember fully when that program was begun. I want to focus on your comments on -- it's politics versus science, and are you concerned we're overreacting and where we ought to be going from here.

DR. ROBERTS: My specific -- my specific concern, Senator, is that we not enact policies precipitously, specifically on the basis of the reported increase in diseases like malaria and Dengue, which is another anthroponosis, increasing beyond our ability to control it specifically as a result of global warming. In my opinion, that will not happen.

SEN. BARRASSO: When I look at West Nile Virus, which we've certainly had in my state, certainly it's something we've seen this summer, but my understanding from the study of it was that it didn't have to do with global warming, it just had to do with the disease and how it's transmitted and how it exists. Would you want to comment a little bit more on that?

DR. ROBERTS: This was with West Nile?

SEN. BARRASSO: Yes, sir.

DR. ROBERTS: Right. West Nile -- West Nile virus is a zoonotic infection, and as a consequence, we acquire that infection mostly outside, outdoors. Our ability to control it, therefore, is extremely limited because of the very broad environment in which that disease cycles.

And so, basically, the disease will run its course. And there's not a lot that we can do about it, except in urban areas of concentrated populations some spraying could be beneficial.

And it's very different than what we see with malaria or, say, Dengue Fever. These are anthroponotic infections. They cycle entirely within mosquito populations, in humans, and therefore our ability to control those -- what I call the great diseases -- is entirely different. We can control those through appropriate use of preventive measures.

SEN. BARRASSO: Thank you.

No further questions.

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