Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program

During the past decade the world has witnessed a number of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases affecting both humans and animals. The majority of these diseases are classified as Containment Level 3 or Biosafety Level 3. Examples include SARS, tuberculosis, pandemic influenza, hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS. Microbes are the ultimate opportunists, striking stealthily and spreading quickly. In Canada the socio-economic impact of these diseases is billions of dollars - the worldwide impact is astronomical. Vaccine development to mitigate their threat has been hampered by a shortage of suitable facilities to study the disease. Canada's new International Vaccine Centre (InterVac) at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization is one of the largest and most advanced Containment Level 3 facilities in the world. It provides the infrastructure required to develop vaccines against these diseases. The goal of this Cafe Scientifique will be to highlight the impact of emerging infectious diseases to public health, discuss their popularity in Hollywood movies and television and discuss how InterVac will further vaccine development to improve the health of animals and humans worldwide. Vaccination is recognized to have done more to reduce human mortality than any other healthcare intervention.