The Zoonotic B-List
Nine stories of disease you've never heard of and what you can learn from them. In Spring of 2024, a group of UCLA undergraduate Human Biology and Society majors—HBS majors—set out to explore the B-list of diseases. But they nonetheless prevailed and together they created this amazing series stories about a B-list of zoonotic diseases, from Brucellosis to Virulent Newcastle Disease. Together, they explored a series of diseases you've never heard of and asked: what can we learn from them?
The Zoonotic B-List
The Mystery of Virulent Newcastle Disease
In this episode, we delve into the devastating impact of VirulentNewcastle Disease (VND) on backyard bird owners in Southern California. Following Kerri Hand's story, we uncover the harsh reality of state-run culling protocols. Through sound clips and interviews, we explore the heartbreak of families who see their pets as family members. We examine the broader implications of the 2018-2019 outbreak, which led to the culling of over 1.2 million birds and significant financial costs. We also discuss the political and economic factors behind the preference for eradication over vaccination and the ethical challenges involved. Join us as we explore the complexities of controlling VND and consider alternative approaches to protect birds.
Produced by Cara Weigand and Maanasi Kademani
These podcast episodes were created by members of the 2024 Spring Capstone course in the Human Biology and Society major at UCLA's Institute for Society and Genetics (https://socgen.ucla.edu/). The faculty sponsor is Christopher Kelty. For questions or concerns email ckelty@ucla.edu. For more information about any of these diseases please consult the US Centers for Disease Control (https://www.cdc.gov/) .