Prof. Anna Papa
Can you share a little about yourself and your research?
Professor Emeritus at the School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece; Head of the EU Reference Laboratory for Public Health on Vector-borne Viral Pathogens (EURL-PH-VZV) in Greece. Research focus on diagnostics, pathogenesis and molecular epidemiology of emerging viral diseases, especially those transmitted by arthropods, e.g. mosquitoes, ticks, sandflies. My team promptly detected the first cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, West Nile fever and tick-borne encephalitis in Greece enabling the rapid implementation of prevention and control measures and active surveillance of the diseases.
Hoe does your research fit into the bigger picture of Durable?
Multiple local and global factors, including the climate change, or even small changes in the environment or in the virus genome, are implicated in the emergence of arboviruses into new regions where they usually cause outbreaks, while novel arboviruses are being identified globally. Since there is no specific treatment for most arboviral diseases, timely and correct recognition of the pathogens is crucial for effective public health response. Therefore, my research fits into the bigger picture of Durable which aims to rapidly detect, analyze, and respond to emerging infectious disease threats.
What motivates you to be part of Durable?
The network of expert scientists which enables a collaborative and holistic approach for tackling outbreaks.
What do you expect to accomplish in the upcoming years within your own institute and by being connected to Durable?
A. To gain a better insight into several aspects of arboviral diseases, especially those which are emerging in Europe and those which expand their geographical distribution (mainly Crimean-Congo hemorrhagiv fever and West Nile viruses).
B. To identify novel viruses through metagenomic analysis in arthropod vectors.
What do you expect from Durable in the upcoming near future?
To generate, collect and share data with other partners of the consortium to perform holistic multi-perspective studies aiming to contribute to preparedness and effective response to emerging diseases.