Romina Libster: The power of herd immunity
Romina Libster: El poder de la inmunidad colectiva
Dr. Romina Libster investigates influenza and other respiratory viruses, searching for ways to most effectively keep viruses from spreading. Full bio
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I had to see as a pediatrician was Sol,
me tocó atender como pediatra fue Sol,
of a severe respiratory infection.
de infección respiratoria grave.
nunca había visto
a patient worsen so fast.
tan rápido.
entró al respirador
she was connected to a respirator
el caso en la sala
and after a quite distressing catharsis,
angustiosa catarsis,
de residentes me dijo:
lavate la cara,
la parte más difícil,
con los padres.
mil preguntas a la cabeza.
came to mind,
una beba de un mes
baby be so unfortunate?"
tan desafortunada,
algo para evitarlo.
something about it?"
enfermedades infecciosas
killed millions of people per year.
de personas por año.
de gripe del año 1918
tiene Argentina hoy.
current population.
un poco más grandes
remember the polio epidemic
la epidemia de polio
en el año 1956.
available against polio.
disponible contra la polio.
They were going crazy.
los árboles con cal.
with caustic lime.
en la ropa de los chicos
as if that could do something.
llegar a hacer algo.
murieron miles de personas.
thousands of people died.
secuelas neurológicas importantísimas.
with very significant neurological damage.
my generation was lucky
tan terrible como esa.
as terrible as this.
de los grandes éxitos
of the 20th century's public health.
del siglo XX.
disminuir la mortalidad,
that have most reduced mortality,
erradicar del planeta
such as smallpox from the planet
como la viruela
muchísimo la mortalidad
reducing mortality
como el sarampión,
y muchas más.
del grupo de enfermedades
vaccine-preventable diseases.
prevenibles por vacunas.
something must be done.
si no todos de los que estamos acá,
if not all of us here today,
en nuestra vida una vacuna.
at some point in our life.
cuáles son las vacunas o los refuerzos
we should receive after adolescence.
después de la adolescencia.
who we are protecting
a quién estamos protegiendo
beyond protecting ourselves?
de una determinada enfermedad,
of a particular disease,
has ever had contact with the disease.
contacto con la enfermedad,
defensas naturales
nor been vaccinated against measles.
contra el sarampión.
appears in this city
demasiada resistencia
de persona a persona,
from person to person,
se va a diseminar
throughout the community.
de la población enferma.
no existían las vacunas.
completamente contrario.
of the population
the measles, which means
ha tenido la enfermedad
survived, and developed natural defenses;
immunized against measles.
contra el sarampión.
appears in this city,
mucha más resistencia
tanto de persona a persona.
that much from person to person.
quede contenida
de sarampión.
atención a algo.
to pay attention to something.
a sí mismas
de la enfermedad
of the disease
a personas de esta comunidad
the people in this community
de escudo protector
en contacto con la enfermedad,
coming in contact with the disease,
en una comunidad,
within a community receive
de personas vacunadas,
by vaccinated people,
de esta inmunidad colectiva
on this herd immunity
en una animación.
in infographics are not just hypothetical.
and nephews, our children,
to receive their first shots.
sus primeras vacunas.
nuestros hermanos,
alguna enfermedad
que les disminuye las defensas.
that lowers their defenses.
que son alérgicas
allergic to a particular vaccine.
cada uno de nosotros
the expected effect,
vacunas son siempre
are always 100 percent effective.
casi exclusivamente
almost exclusively on herd immunity
de la inmunidad colectiva,
de la población esté vacunado.
of the population be vaccinated.
de muchas variables.
del germen,
de la respuesta inmune
that the vaccine generates.
en una comunidad
in a vaccinated community
a diseminar más libremente
to spread more freely
of this disease within the community.
at some point controlled may reappear.
que hasta ese momento
pueden volver a aparecer.
and is still happening.
un investigador británico
published an article
en una de las revistas
medical journals,
vacuna triple viral,
sarampión, paperas y rubeola,
mumps and rubella,
and stopped vaccinating their children.
fell below this threshold.
in many cities in the world --
within the medical community.
un revuelo enorme
se pusieron a evaluar
if this was actually true.
la vacuna triple viral
and autism at the population level,
que el artículo este
had incorrect claims.
sino que era fraudulento.
se retractó públicamente
the article in 2010.
for not getting vaccinated
son los efectos adversos.
can have potential adverse effects.
than possible complications.
we want to heal fast.
when we have an infection,
antihipertensivos.
when we have high blood pressure,
and we want to heal fast.
to think of preventing diseases,
when we are healthy?
ante la enfermedad,
when affected by an illness,
de peligro inminente.
de los que están acá,
la pandemia de gripe A
y en todo el mundo, en el año 2009.
in Argentina and worldwide.
empezaron a salir a la luz,
began to come to light,
estábamos entrando en la época invernal.
were entering the winter season.
ran into pharmacies to buy alcohol gel.
para recibir una vacuna,
in pharmacies to get a vaccine,
if it was the right vaccine
against this new virus.
de estar haciendo mi beca
my fellowship at the Infant Foundation,
en la Fundación Infant,
for a prepaid medicine company.
la guardia a las 8 de la mañana
my shift at 8 a.m.,
of 50 scheduled visits.
de 50 visitas programadas.
no sabía qué hacer.
people didn't know what to do.
me llamaba la atención
that I was examining.
que yo estaba viendo.
what we were used to seeing in winter,
a ver en los inviernos,
más prolongados.
lo comenté a mi mentor
to my fellowship mentor,
de un colega,
the same from a colleague,
mujeres embarazadas
of pregnant women
en terapia intensiva,
nos propusimos entender
what was happening.
agarramos el auto
we took the car
la Provincia de Buenos Aires,
in Buenos Aires Province,
el hospital de referencia
for cases of the new influenza virus.
virus de influenza.
atestado de gente.
it was crowded.
con trajes de bioseguridad tipo NASA.
in NASA-like bio-safety suits.
en el bolsillo.
durante 2 horas.
didn't breathe for two hours.
lo que estaba pasando.
en contacto
reaching out to pediatricians
and in Buenos Aires Province.
tiempo posible,
este nuevo virus en nuestros chicos.
in contact with our children,
this new H1N1 virus had
tenía este nuevo virus H1N1
hospitalized by this virus.
por este virus en estos hospitales.
got more seriously ill:
que más gravemente se enfermaban,
less than one year old;
pulmonares crónicas.
with chronic pulmonary diseases.
was important
fue importantísimo
como grupos prioritarios
de la vacuna antigripal,
for getting the influenza vaccine,
which the pandemic not yet reached.
una vacuna disponible
H1N1 virus became available,
lo que había pasado.
campaña de vacunación,
los grupos de riesgo,
of the at-risk groups vaccinated,
de riesgo vacunados,
of individual responsibility,
responsabilidad individual,
impacto colectivo.
protegiendo a mí misma,
not only am I protecting myself,
protegiendo al otro.
y todavía no había recibido
her first vaccine against whooping cough.
qué hubiera pasado
had been vaccinated.
alrededor de Sol
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Romina Libster - Medical researcherDr. Romina Libster investigates influenza and other respiratory viruses, searching for ways to most effectively keep viruses from spreading.
Why you should listen
Dr. Romina Libster is a staff scientist and assistant investigator at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She received her Doctor of Medicine, with High Honors from the University Of Buenos Aires School Of Medicine in 2004. She then completed her pediatric internship and residency at the “Pedro de Elizalde” Children’s Hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 2004-2008. Upon completion of this training she began her Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at the Fundación INFANT in Buenos Aires under the tutelage of a renowned investigator, Dr. Fernando P. Polack. Shortly after assuming her fellowship position, she began the Master in Clinical Effectiveness Program in Buenos Aires. She conducted a series of complex and innovative studies on respiratory viruses, with a special focus on influenza. Romina was invited by Dr. Kathryn M. Edwards to join the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program team at Vanderbilt University in 2009 where she is leading a large clinical trial to determine the safety and immunogenicity of sequential rotavirus vaccine schedules. In 2013, Dr. Libster returned to her home country through a repatriation program from Fundación INFANT where she joined the faculty at the institution.
Romina Libster | Speaker | TED.com