School Notes: School of Public Health
March/April 2013

A new tick-borne disease emerges

A new tick-borne infection that shares many similarities with Lyme disease has been discovered in 18 patients in southern New England and neighboring New York by researchers at the Yale Schools of Public Health and Medicine. It is the first time that the disease—so new that it does not yet have a name—has been confirmed in humans in the United States. Blood tests were used to detect evidence of infection by a bacterium that is found in deer ticks and is related to the one that causes Lyme disease. Yale scientists discovered the bacterium, known as Borrelia miyamotoi, in deer ticks from Connecticut more than a decade ago. In 2011, they published the first evidence of human infection in Russian patients. 

The benefits of active transportation

The acts of bicycling to the office and walking to the store appear to deliver significant health benefits to adults, including reduced risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease. A new study coauthored by a YSPH researcher found evidence that people who engage in even modest levels of “active transportation” (classified as engaging in at least 10 minutes of continuous bicycling or walking in a typical week to get to a destination) enjoy a range a health advantages over their more sedentary peers. Active transportation is “an untapped reservoir” of opportunity for physical activity for many US adults, said Mayur M. Desai ’94MPH, ’97PhD, associate professor in the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at the School of Public Health. 

Previous studies demonstrating a link between levels of physical activity and health outcomes have tended to focus on the effects of leisure-time physical activity. This study provides evidence that a regular regimen of walking or bicycling for transportation may also slow, or prevent, the onset of several chronic diseases.

Alumnus awarded Yale Medal

Robert E. Steele ’71MPH, ’75PhD, who has created scholarships, organized internships, and served the school in a variety of volunteer capacities, has been recognized with the prestigious Yale Medal. The medal is the highest award presented by the Association of Yale Alumni and is conferred annually to honor leadership and outstanding individual service to the university. He received the award along with five other Yale alumni at a ceremony in November.