Film Screening: Pest Fest 2018

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To commemorate World Pest Day on June 5 American Center Moscow invites you to film showing: Zika:The Untold Story; The Return of the Black Death; Malaria and the Silent Spring, screened as part of 2018 Pest Fest organized by the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) in a partnership with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival (JHWFF). Film series explore the threats vector-borne disease pose to people everywhere, as well as ways to address this growing problem.

Film Synopsis

Zika: The Untold Story: In 2016, panic spread through the Americas as a once obscure virus—Zika—reached epidemic proportions. To the surprise of the medical community and the public alike, the little known virus was discovered to cause severe birth defects in children born to infected mothers. But where did this virus come from? And how did it suddenly become a problem of such devastating proportions? A year after the devastating disease exploded in the Americas, this film takes a closer look at how this virus grew to become such a monster. The film traces the disease back to its origins… back to the tropical forests of Uganda, where it was discovered during a golden age of virus discovery.

The Return of the Black Death: The black plague has broke out in Madagascar. In late 2013, a deadly outbreak of the plague hit small villages around the country killing dozens of people. Rumored to have taken root in overcrowded prisons, the disease has flourished amid Madagascar’s increasing poverty and poor waste management. Antibiotics to treat the disease have been developed and are available in most countries, but Madagascar’s rudimentary healthcare system has left a number of people stranded without care.

Malaria and the Silent Spring: Rachel Carson is often credited with helping give rise to the environmental movement with the publication of Silent Spring – her treatise on the danger of pesticides. Regulations were passed that virtually banned the use of DDT in the U.S and most other countries followed suit. But Carson’s critics point out that DDT was more than an effective agricultural pesticide — it was a defense against a host of insect-borne diseases, such as malaria. These critics are right that malaria remains a devastating burden, but they err in their understanding of why, as Retro Report’s trip to Burkina Faso shows.

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