A One Health Introduction to Zoonotic & Vector-Borne Diseases - Part I

Link to Part II:    • A One Health Introduction to Zoonotic & Ve...  
Correction to the slide about measles: I wrote "93% effective" for the two dose MMR series, but it should say "97%" To clarify: The MMR vaccine is 93% effective at protecting against measles after 1 dose, and 97% effective against measles after completing the 2-dose series.

Watch the One Health Playlist:    • One Health in the Arctic: University of Al...  

This lecture provides a One Health introduction to zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, examining how infections shared between humans, animals, and the environment emerge, spread, and are controlled. Core epidemiologic concepts—including endemic, epidemic, and pandemic disease, modes of transmission, epidemic curves, and measures of communicability and virulence—are introduced to build a foundation for understanding infectious disease dynamics.

Using applied examples such as measles, schistosomiasis, and toxoplasmosis, the lecture explores the epidemiologic triangle and the roles of host, agent, vector, and environment in disease transmission. Vaccine effectiveness, herd immunity, and misinformation are discussed to highlight how scientific evidence informs prevention strategies. This session lays the groundwork for later lectures by defining zoonotic and vector-borne diseases and emphasizing their overlap through a One Health lens.

Mary McQuilkin, NP, MPH is an adjunct faculty for the University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for One Health Research

00:00 Intro to zoonotic and vector-borne diseases
00:37 Endemic, Epidemic, Pandemic
02:32 Modes of Transmission
03:52 Epi Curves
07:41 Measles
08:19 MMR Vaccine
09:19 Vaccine Misinformation
11:09 Herd Immunity
13:25 Incubation Period
14:06 Window Period
14:24 Period of Communicability
15:03 Virulence
15:34 Epidemiologic Triangle
16:00 Host
16:29 Vector
17:24 Agent
17:50 Environment
18:30 Schistosomiasis
20:01 Practice Question 1
20:31 Toxoplasmosis
23:35 Practice Question 2
24:04 Zoonotic Disease
24:49 Vector-Borne Disease
25:38 Overlap of Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases
26:15 End Part I

This video is part of a course developed for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Center for One Health Research and emphasizes examples relevant to population health, infectious disease, and environmental change in the Circumpolar North—while remaining applicable to epidemiology practice anywhere.

#vaccines #vaccinesafety #prevention #measles #herdimmunity #zoonoticdiseases #vector #epidemiology