Robert belshe md biography
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Avian Flu in Perspective: Physician Reviews Spectacular Findings
An article by Robert Belshe, MD, of Saint Louis University School of Medicine in the Nov. 24, 2005 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reviews recent spectacular achievements of contemporary molecular biology that hold great importance as the world prepares for a possible flu pandemic.
These achievements, including a recent genetic sequencing and recreation of the virus from the 1918 flu pandemic, may enable us to track viruses years before they develop the capacity to replicate with high efficiency in humans, Belshe writes.
The new knowledge of the genetic sequences of influenza viruses that predate the 1918 epidemic will be extremely helpful in determining the events that may lead to the adaptation of avian viruses to humans before the occurrence of pandemic influenza.
And as the virus continues to adapt, scientists now know what to look for. Belshe said scientists should conduct worldwide surveillance
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In 1989 Robert B. Belshe, MD, founded the Saint Louis University (SLU) Division of Infectious Diseases & Immunology and the SLU Center for Vaccine Development (CVD). At its inception there were four Infectious Disease faculty members. Over the past 25 years the Division has grown to include 17 faculty members. In 2011, Dr. Belshe stepped down from being division chief, and Daniel F. Hoft, MD, PhD, became the new Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy & Immunology. The SLUCVD involves the majority of the Division’s faculty members in its research mission. Dr. Belshe remains the overall Director of the SLUCVD, with Dr. Hoft directing the laboratory and international components of the center, and Sharon E. Frey, MD directing the clinical vaccine trials unit. Overall during the last 25 years, the SLUCVD has conducted more than 100 funded studies comprising a portfolio of diverse Phase I, Phase 2, Phase 3 and Phase 4 trials that enro
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A Century of Influenza Prevention in St. Louis
Abstract
The 1918 pandemic of influenza in St. Louis was ameliorated by the public health efforts of the City Health Department. At the time, St. Louis was the sixth largest city in the US; among the ten largest cities, St. Louis had the fewest influenza cases and deaths. Closing schools, churches, theaters, and other public meeting places reduced the severity of the pandemic in St. Louis. The benefits of contemporary influenza vaccines to prevent influenza and economic disruption are summarized.
Introduction
Influenza remains one of the most serious and common illnesses during the winter months. This review will summarize the events in St. Louis during the 1918 pandemic, and focus on what fryst vatten widely believed to be a successful public health campaign in St. Louis that mitigated the severity of the pandemic. St. Louis had fewest deaths in contrast to other cities, such as New York or Philadelphia, where much larger numbers of deaths o