Month: April 2010

Social Justice Summit at Cal State Fullerton

April 19, 2010 / Sonia Shah

This weekend I spoke at the Social Justice Summit at California State University at Fullerton. It’s organized annually by an all-volunteer team of students and staff, who spend the better part of the year hatching an all-day series of lectures, workshops, food and fun revolving around a wide range of social justice issues, from anti-war activism and malaria to animal rights and local poverty.

What a lovely event! Full of warm, enthusiastic students and community members, with tons of energy and passion. I found it quite inspiring. Thank you, Students ACT, for inviting me! I wish I could have stayed longer!

New piece on pharmaceutical pollution

April 15, 2010 / Sonia Shah

My story on the problem of pharmaceutical residues in the environment–which has led to the mass poisoning of vultures in South Asia–is now up on Yale e360, and here on this website.

I’ll never look at my medicine cabinet, or drugstore aisles, the same way. I had no idea that so many drugs we take pass through the body–and waste treatment plants–virtually intact. All those antibacterial soaps and sprays and pills and potions at your local CVS? Turns out that a vast majority of the drugs within, after use, will end up in waterways and sediments, where their residues will rub shoulders with soil and marine bacteria, exchanging genes. Whatever doesn’t kill them makes them stronger.

I know first-hand. My son just survived a bout of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphlococcus aureus) rash. For him, it was a minor annoyance (albeit an alarming one.) For people with compromised immune systems or with background illnesses, drug-resistant bacteria are killers.

RIP Gyps vultures, too, poisoned to the brink of extinction by the anti-inflammatory drugs in the treated livestock they feed upon.

Richmond, KY

April 14, 2010 / Sonia Shah

April 14, 2011. Richmond, KY, Eastern Kentucky University, “The Fever,” Chautauqua Lecture Series. 7:30 pm, with reception and booksigning to follow.

Early praise for The Fever

April 13, 2010 / Sonia Shah

Some very much appreciated early praise for The Fever! Bart Knols had this to say:

“Extremely well-researched, The Fever provides a highly gripping account of one of mankind’s worst diseases…Highly recommended.” –Malariologist Bart Knols, Managing Director, MalariaWorld

Bart runs MalariaWorld, which he has recently turned into a dynamic forum for malaria scientists and others interested in the disease. And he’s blogging about it for TH!NK 3.

And the renowed malaria expert Malcolm Molyneux added this:

“A thrilling detective story spanning centuries, about our erratic pursuit of a villain still at large and still a threat to mankind…Rich in colorful detail and engagingly told…An astonishing array of characters have joined the fray, and you can only be amazed at the deviousness and skill of the arch-enemy.”–Professor Malcolm Molyneux, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, WHO expert panel on malaria

Molyneux, who was also kind enough to review the book for accuracy, is a huge figure in malariology. He led the Garki Project, a seminal study on the possibilities of malaria eradication in Nigeria, in the 1960s and 1970s. And he established an internationally renowned malaria research center in Blantyre, Malawi, in connection with the Wellcome Trust and the University of Malawi. A paper dedicated to his life and science recently appeared in the Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

How did the daughter of Indian immigrants, with zero connections, get in touch with these esteemed personages, you wonder? Well, ninety-nine percent of my reporting relies on the kindness of strangers. But in the case of Molyneux I had a helpful connection. My old friend from South End Press, Loie Hayes, is related in some complicated way to Terrie Taylor, who is probably the world’s top pediatric malaria expert. Through Loie I got in touch with Terrie, who became a major source for The Fever. I shadowed her for about a week in Malawi, which was amazing. And Terrie connected me to Molyneux, who is a senior colleague of hers.

Much gratitude to Knols and Molyneux for their kind words!