Zika Virus
"A new virus invading parts of Central and South America and now the Caribbean is causing concern among people living in and travelling to infected countries. Transmitted by the aggressive Aedes mosquito, the Zika virus has spread to at least 23 countries and will likely infect tens of millions of people in a few short years." (CTV News)
Brian Ward, Centre for the Study of Host Resistance, McGill University
"In healthy, non-pregnant travelers, Zika virus is not a very serious infection (like the flu). In fact, most infected people have either no or few symptoms. The major concern at the current time is the possible association between Zika and congenital malformations including microcephaly. This concern has led to warnings for pregnant women living in or traveling to areas where Zika virus is actively circulating."
—Brian Ward
Professor Ward is an expert on vaccines, immunity and infectious diseases.
brian [dot] ward [at] mcgill [dot] ca (English, French)
Media coverage
Philip Oxhorn, Political Science, Founding Director of the Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
Professor Oxhorn is an expert in democracy, economic development and Latin American Comparative Politics. He can comment on social, political, and economic angles.
philip [dot] oxhorn [at] mcgill [dot] ca (English, Spanish)
Dr. Michael Libman, Director of the JD MacLean Centre for Tropical Diseases, McGill University
He's also the director of the Centre for Tropical Diseases Director at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
public [dot] affairs [at] muhc [dot] mcgill [dot] ca (English)
Dr. Cedric Yansouni, Associate Director, J.D. MacLean Centre for Tropical Diseases, McGill University
He's also Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medical Microbiology. His research focuses on the development and field-validation of diagnostic tools for severe infections in low-resource and remote setting, with current projects in Ethiopia and Canadian Arctic communities.
cedric.yansouni@mcgill.ca (English, French)