A Brief Introduction to Bacteria, Viruses, and Parasites
With health and infectious disease concerns sweeping the world over the past few years, it might be concerning to learn that causes of disease can be anywhere and everywhere in...
The long-term effects of ‘Long COVID’ on a post-pandemic world
Over the last 17 months, the world has been dealing with the burden caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that led to the deaths of over 4 million people globally. While...
Vaccine hesitancy in the age of COVID-19
As the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccines are being administered to the Canadian public, a significant proportion of the population remains hesitant to get their injections. Vaccines generally have minor amounts of...
Influenza Virus: The Concern of a Century
The 1918 influenza pandemic infected an estimated 500 million people or one third of the global population. This led to at least 50 million deaths, all by a single virus....
Animal reservoirs and human disease outbreaks: who is to blame?
Infectious diseases constitute one of the leading causes of death globally, killing over 6 million people per year. These diseases are caused by bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral pathogens, which...
Are We Prepared? Assessing Outbreak Preparedness in Canada
Infectious outbreaks are an increasing public health concern in today’s modern world. Inevitably, due to growing population sizes, globalization, anti-microbial resistance, and climate change, there is increasing concern surrounding the...
Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Post-Ebola Syndrome Offers Insight into Viral Evolution
[caption id="attachment_1708" align="alignleft" width="359"] Digitally-coloured SEM of Ebola particles budding from the cell surface. Image Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), 2014.[/caption] On October 19th, 2014, Dr....
Cancer Treatment Goes Viral
From the simplest to the most complex, viruses have evolved to multiply within a host cell. By harnessing the cell’s machinery, the virus is able to propagate, often causing illness...
Cinematic Immunology: Walking the Line of Scientific Accuracy
Introduction Science fiction (sci-fi) is a broad genre of motion pictures (movies) characterized by the depiction of scientific or technological advances that have not yet been appropriately peer-reviewed, and are...
Recent Comments