One of the world’s leading experts on avian flu will be speaking at Downing College, Cambridge next week.

Professor Jeremy Farrar is to be presented with the Oon International Award for Preventative Medicine for his work on avian flu (H5N1).

For the past ten years Professor Farrar has been director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

His work has put him at the forefront of tackling bird flu, in a country with 93 diagnosed human cases of the disease.

So far this year there have been 73 deaths worldwide from this virulent form of influenza. This is more than in any previous year since the current outbreak started in 2003.

What scientists really fear is an airborne mutation of H5N1, which could potentially lead to a pandemic on a scale not seen before.

In a recent interview, Professor Farrar commented: “I don‘t necessarily share all the gloom and doom of the global community, but I do think influenza is probably the only infectious disease we know about that has the potential to cause a global nightmare.

“There are very few infectious diseases that can affect everybody, whether you’re rich or poor, whether you live in San Francisco, London, or Ho Chi Minh City, that can potentially kill a lot of people, and that in reality you can’t do much about.”

The Oon International Award is given every two years and made possible through the generosity of the late Oon Khye Beng, a former student of Downing College.

Professor Farrar’s lecture, ‘Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Implications for International Health’ will take place in the Howard Building, Downing College on Tuesday 14th November at 5.30pm. Members of the University and others who are interested are welcome to attend.

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