“Complex social, political, economic and ecological forces not only drive infectious disease emergence, but increase our susceptibility to epidemics when they occur,” says Freya Jephcott. Her interdisciplinary approach considers the science of disease outbreaks alongside the beliefs and practices of public health professionals - and how these influence the efficiency of outbreak responses.
“We have been expecting a pandemic like this for nearly twenty years,” says Olivier Restif, who uses mathematical modelling to understand how infectious diseases spread within and across species. In the midst of a global pandemic that began when one person was infected by one wild animal, he is keen to draw attention to the importance of using research to be better prepared.
Should we be concerned about the coronavirus spreading to cats? Not yet, says Dr Sarah Caddy in this article for The Conversation, even after a concerning report from Belgium.
The race is on to find a vaccine against the new COVID-19 coronavirus. Professor Jonathan Heeney explains why a cautious approach is needed and how his team is using new technology developed for influenza and Ebola viruses to target the new infection.
While the carbon footprint of the meat industry may be clear, the proposition of eating less beef and lamb is fuelling heated debate. If widespread change would be such a good thing, why can't - or won't - many people stop eating it?
Emma Glennon is a PhD candidate in the Department of Veterinary Medicine and a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Here, she tells us about her research on infectious disease and how they emerge, the importance of interdisciplinary work, and learning how to catch bats.
The next Ebola outbreak could be predicted using a new model that tracks how changes to ecosystems and human societies combine to affect the spread of the deadly infectious disease.
A contagious canine cancer that conquered the world by spreading between dogs during mating likely arose around 6,000 years ago in Asia and spread around the globe through maritime activities.
Valentina Ndolo is a Gates Cambridge Scholar in the Department of Veterinary Medicine, where she is a PhD student developing mathematical models to identify areas of Uganda most at risk of anthrax. In 2016, she founded the STEMing Africa Initiative to advocate for the active inclusion of African women in STEM by supporting talented female graduates to secure scholarships for advanced degrees at leading universities worldwide.
Some MRSA infections could be tackled using widely-available antibiotics, suggests new research from an international collaboration led by scientists at the University of Cambridge and the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
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