In September, TV presenter Jamy, known for his endless curiosity, came back to visit the Institut Pasteur campus and meet some of the scientists. Jamy first came to the Institut Pasteur back in 2007 to film an episode of “Fred and Jamy” about the immmune system. This time, the journalist and presenter was back on campus for an episode of the popular series on his "Jamy – Epicurieux" YouTube channel. 

As a partner of Pasteurdon, Jamy came to meet several of the Institut Pasteur's scientists to explore some key questions about epidemics. Which bacteria and viruses are we currently keeping a close eye on? Can we detect threats in time? Since the early 2000s, there has been an epidemic every four years on average, with COVID-19 still fresh in our memories.

Jamy visited several Institut Pasteur laboratories to learn more about their research and the challenges they face so that he could present his findings to his more than two million subscribers. The presenter met:
 

•    Rachel Bellone, a scientist in the Arboviruses and Insect Vectors Unit, to focus on the zoonoses transmitted by tiger mosquitoes and how the team are working to improve our understanding of this insect vector with the aim of mitigating its expansion, which is related to various factors including human mobility and climate change.

•    Laurent Dacheux, Deputy Head of the Laboratory for Urgent Response to Biological Threats (CIBU), to explain how pathogen surveillance is carried out and how the Institut Pasteur coordinates emergency responses to outbreak alerts, sometimes on the other side of the planet. 

•    The team at the National Research Center on Meningococci and Haemophilus Influenzae to highlight the importance of monitoring the pathogens responsible for meningitis, especially the most severe forms, at a time when vaccination against the most common meningococcal groups has recently become compulsory for infants in France (since January 1, 2025).

•    Juliette Paireau, a research engineer in the Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases Unit, to discuss the mathematical models used to monitor epidemic dynamics and the use of AI to produce forecasts at the beginning of an outbreak as a means of anticipating situations in which there is considerable uncertainty over the pathogen involved. AI can also be used as a tool in conjunction with human expertise to envisage different propagation scenarios.

•    Olivier Schwartz, Head of the Virus and Immunity Unit, to explore our ability to limit the spread of infectious diseases that are on the rise again, such as whooping cough and measles, and explore the topic of vaccines and the need for vaccine coverage to strengthen collective immunity, to avoid both contracting diseases ourselves and spreading them to potentially vulnerable individuals.

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With this year's Pasteurdon campaign in full swing, Jamy took the opportunity of this video to reiterate the cost of research and the need for public support to fund it. Every gift is essential to support research.

Check out the "Jamy – Epicurieux" video at the Institut Pasteur: "What will the next large-scale epidemic be?":
 

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