Global health R&D at work in Alaska
The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention operates the Arctic Investigations Program (AIP) in Alaska, which focuses on reducing and preventing infectious diseases that disproportionately affect Alaska Native and other northern Indigenous peoples. One area of research is the study of animal-to-human zoonotic infectious disease threats, including the transmission of intestinal giardiasis, a dangerous diarrheal disease that not only impacts Alaskans but also millions of people in low-income countries worldwide. Giardiasis, a parasitic infection, is spread mostly by the consumption of inadequately treated surface water. Repeated exposure can lead to developmental delays in children due to malabsorption of nutrients. AIP’s research could point to new strategies to combat the disease.