2018/04/26 by May Chu · 1 citation
Medicine · Health Professions · #Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research #Viral Infections and Vectors #Disaster Response and Management
paper · doi:10.1128/9781555819545.ch31
openalex publication_date 2018/04/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
Patricia Ann Webb (1925–2005) left a rich legacy of work undertaken during a time when arbovirus and hemorrhagic fever virus studies were coming of age. She participated in the discovery and characterization of some of the most consequential infectious diseases of today. She had a role in the classification of the arenaviruses, including Machupo and Lassa viruses. She identified, by immunofluorescence, that Ebola virus was a new pathogen in 1976. She demonstrated that AIDS was unlikely to be transmitted by mosquitos or bed bugs. Patricia was a part of a legendary group of physicians, veterinarians, epidemiologists, microbiologists, entomologists, and ecologists whose findings and stories have inspired new generations of scientists. How they elucidated disease transmission, treatment, and control serves as the best examples of studies on emerging zoonotic diseases. Those who signed up had to have a yen for adventure, and Patricia thrived in exotic places. Colleagues fondly remember her as smart, sharp-witted, demanding, tenacious, detail-oriented, and crusty, but all knew that she could be counted on for support when needed. Her professional credentials and personal notes attest to her endeavors and achievements. In this chapter, by May Chu, some of those achievements are recounted, interspersed with personal recollections to give insight into a demanding and distinguished public health career. One can only imagine what she would have to say about today’s situation as the world is recovering from the largest-ever Ebola virus epidemic and as arboviruses like Chikungunya and Zika viruses are spreading from their natural habitats.