Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
News Release
October 02, 1998
When will the next 'AIDS' strike?
"The Threat of New and Emerging Infectious Diseases" is the topic of the 1998 Schofield Memorial Lecture to be held at the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College Oct. 8.
The lecture will be given by Frederick A. Murphy, a professor of virology in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California at Davis. Murphy was director of the National Centre for Infectious Diseases at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta.
The lecture will take place at 2:30 p.m. in Room 1714 of the OVC's Lifetime Learning Centre. The event is free and open to the public.
There is no way of knowing when or where the next threatening pathogen will emerge, or how devastating it will be, Murphy said. No one predicted the AIDS epidemic or mad cow disease. But the past few years have seen an increase in the emergence of disease episodes. The list of these diseases will only continue to grow, Murphy said, adding that it is particularly important to investigate at the first sign of an emerging disease, he said.
Murphy will discuss problems of disease investigation and control, including funding and necessary research and infrastructure. He also will discuss establishing a global surveillance network to detect threats posed by livestock animal diseases, crop plant diseases, bioterrorism.
Murphy received BS and DVM degrees from Cornell University and a Ph.D from the University of California at Davis, where he was dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. He also served as director of the Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases.
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs, (519) 824-4120, Ext. 3338
