Molecular Methods and Shoe-Leather Epidemiology for the Control of TB in Georgia

Dinner and social hour begin at 7:00 pm with an approximately hour-long presentation and question-and-answer session to follow. There is a suggested contribution of $3 for non-students.

Our Open Seating Policy (https://www.meetup.com/AtlantaScienceTavern/messages/boards/thread/14871501) will be in effect for this event.
Venue capacity = 80 / Estimated day-of RSVP turnout = 60%

Molecular Methods and Shoe-Leather Epidemiology for the Control of TB in Georgia

David Maggio, Epidemiologist
Georgia Department of Public Health
Division of Health Protection
Epidemiology Program

Patient zero is on a long international flight. He is not coughing and looks well. But three weeks later, you get a letter in the mail stating you have been exposed to tuberculosis on your flight and to report to your local health department as soon as possible. Months later it's still all over the news: Multiple drug resistant TB on an airplane. And you were sitting right next to him.

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This is a story that actually happened in Atlanta in 2007. Could it happen again? Join us for our August meetup at Manuel's and meet David Maggio of the Georgia Department of Public Health (Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GaDPH)), the man who keeps infectious passengers off airplanes to keep you safe, and hear about some of the amazing stories behind the Georgia TB Program.

Only since 2010 has a national online database been available to track the DNA fingerprints of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes TB. Hear about how these emerging technologies are being used to keep you safe and about the emerging threats that stand in the way. Driven by the HIV epidemic, TB is the number two killer by infectious disease worldwide, accounting for nearly 5,000 deaths each day, and one new infection every second. Learn about how molecular genotyping and shoe-leather epidemiology are protecting you and your family from this deadly disease.

About our speaker

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/6/8/8/event_260461672.jpegDavid Maggio is a TB epidemiologist with the Georgia Department of Public Health. He holds an M.P.H. from Emory University and a B.S.A. from UGA. For the past 15-years, he has worked as a research scientist investigating the emergence of antibiotic resistance that lead to the development of MRSA, the immunology of the anthrax vaccine in humans and primates, and has assisted in the development of DNA based HIV vaccine. Today, David serves Georgia's public by ensuring a community safe from tuberculosis.

Photo upper right: Mycobacterium tuberculosis 15,549x magnification (credit: Janice Carr | CDC)