Four state universities collaborate on $10 million center to address Zika and other diseases
December 22, 2016 -- GAINESVILLE – With a $10 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the University of Florida will lead a highly collaborative research program focused on stopping diseases such as Zika before they spread farther into the United States. Read More
UF faculty take part in decision to send one million doses of cholera vaccine to Haiti
December 22, 2016 -- GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Hurricane Matthew’s sweep through southern Haiti last October killed hundreds; left nearly 200,000 without homes; and flooded rivers, latrines and wells, contaminating drinking water and prompting reports of increasing cholera cases in the hardest hit areas of the nation. Read More
Eliminating Cholera Transmission in Haiti
December 7, 2016 Read More
UF to receive nearly $10 million to support new agricultural safety and health center
November 29, 2016 -- GAINESVILLE -- The University of Florida has received a grant of nearly $10 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, for a five-year project to explore the occupational safety and health of people working in agriculture, fishing and forestry in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and North and South Carolina. Read More
World Melioidosis Congress report featured in WHO’s Weekly Epidemiological Record
November 29, 2016 -- Read More
Cameroon’s cholera outbreaks vary by climate region
November 21, 2016 Read More
Former student researcher at EPI presents cholera findings at UK water conference
November 8, 2016 -- Read More
Why Zika has infected so many people in Puerto Rico
October 28, 2016 -- Diana Rojas, University of Florida The United States declared Zika a public health emergency in Puerto Rico in August 2016. Over 28,000 cases of Zika were reported in Puerto Rico as of Oct. 26. Read More
UF Emerging Pathogens Institute shares in 7 million euro grant to research Zika virus
October 28, 2016 -- GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A European Union research commission will award the Emerging Pathogens Institute (EPI) at the University of Florida nearly 1 million euros as part of a grant supporting interdisciplinary research on the Zika virus and its effects on pregnancy. Read More
Ancient strain of cholera likely present in Haiti since colonial era
October 27, 2016 -- GAINESVILLE -- A non-virulent variant of the deadly Vibrio cholerae O1 strain has likely been present in Haitian aquatic environments for several hundred years, with the potential to become virulent through gene transfer with the toxigenic strain introduced by UN peacekeepers Read More
UF researcher and collaborators win Aspen Institute Italia Award for Ebola research
October 26, 2016 -- Ira Longini, a professor in the department of biostatistics in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions and the College of Medicine Read More
KC Jeong finds biological treatment for cow disease; could help humans, too
October 13, 2016 -- A UF/IFAS researcher and his colleagues are far more certain now that a new biological treatment could prevent dairy cattle from getting uterine diseases, which might improve food safety for people. Their findings, in which they used chitosan microparticles to cure bacteria in the uteri, are published in a new study. Credit: Tyler Jones, UF/IFAS photography Read More
Biostat researchers discuss roles in ongoing Ebola vaccine trial
EPI Society and Newsletter Naming Contest
October 12, 2016 -- As part of our efforts to increase engagement and build support for the Emerging Pathogens Institute, we will be creating a society for interested community members and a newsletter highlighting research, outreach, and other achievements by EPI faculty, students, and staff. Read More
*UPDATE*: EPI Haiti labs in wake of Hurricane Matthew
October 5, 2016 -- We have heard from our colleagues in Haiti, and so far, reports suggest that everyone is safe. Read More
UF experts addressing outbreak of New World screwworm fly in Florida Keys
October 5, 2016 -- GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Responding to the announcement yesterday that the New World screwworm fly has been detected in Florida for the first time in a half-century, experts with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine are taking steps to educate ranchers, property owners and residents about the pest, and assist in eradication efforts in the Florida Keys, where the fly’s larvae were found infesting wild deer. Read More
New faculty member publishes study on link between El Niño and dengue epidemics
Dr. Derek Cummings’ research in Southeast Asia found that temperature spikes during El Niño led to a higher incidence of dengue infection Read More
Federal government funds Zika research in Haiti
September 15, 2016 -- GAINESVILLE -- Despite intransigence in Washington over Zika funding, the National Institutes of Health have awarded more than 1.75 million dollars to the University of Florida to study the Zika virus. Read More
International coalition expresses support for medium-term plan to fight cholera in Haiti
September 14 ,2016 -- Noting that cholera continues to take a heavy toll on the people of Haiti, representatives of international partner organizations are urging strong financial and political support for a medium-term cholera plan recently released in draft form by the Haitian government. Read More
Zika Virus and the Emerging Pathogens Institute
September 12, 2016 -- Read More
UF Researchers organize and participate in the Eighth World Melioidosis Congress 2016
September 7, 2016 -- Writers: Prof. Herbert Schweizer and Prof. Apichai Tuanyok Read More
Dengue vaccine could increase dengue’s virulence in some settings
September 7, 2016 -- The first approved dengue vaccine may increase the incidence of more severe disease if used in populations with low dengue transmission Read More
Dr. Afsar Ali speaks to Korean radio host about cholera
New mosquito-borne disease detected in Haiti
August 26, 2016 -- GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A child in Haiti was identified with a serious mosquito-borne illness that had never been reported in the Caribbean nation, according to researchers at the University of Florida’s Emerging Pathogens Institute (EPI). Read More
Non-travel Zika cases in Fla. could approach 400 by summer’s end
August 24, 2016 -- GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Nearly 400 non travel-related Zika infections will occur in Florida before the end of the summer, according to a new study by biostatisticians at the University of Florida and other institutions. Read More
In Memorandum: Dr. Donald A. Henderson, who helped eradicate smallpox, dies at 87
As Zika spreads, UF/IFAS faculty on front lines battling the virus
August 22, 2016 -- Common Aedes Aegypti mosquito, magnified 2,000 times at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, 6/28, prepares to feed on human skin. After 15 years of test on more than 3,900 compounds, Jerry Bulter, professor of entomology, has developed a safe, natural insect repellent that protects people against everything from mosquitoes to ticks and tiny “no-see-ums.” Its the first effective alternative to products containing DEET, the most widely used ingredient in insect repellent now on the market. Butler’s new herbal repellent is patented by the UF and licensed to a commercial firm.(AP Photo, Jerry Bulter) Read More
Long-term global threat posed by Zika virus remains unknown, review finds
July 14, 2016 -- GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Zika virus could become endemic in parts of Central and South America, but the long-term global threat posed by the virus remains unclear without more research, according to the authors of a paper published online in today’s issue of the journal Science. Read More
Leading virologist and Italian Parliament member moves to UF to lead “One Health”
Institute director visits Haitian school of medicine construction site
EPI researchers receive RAPID grants to study Zika virus
EPI sponsors inaugural UF Drug Discovery Symposium
Flu vaccination programs have potential to be self-sustaining in Florida
Miami Herald Reports on Zika in Haiti in 2014
Zika present in Americas longer than previously thought
Virus-specific CPE in simian kidney cell line LLC-MK2. Non-inoculated cells (A) and cells inoculated with plasma specimen 1225/2014, 8 days post-inoculation (B). Perinuclear vacuoles are evident. Read More
Mattia Prosperi and Volker Mai win Illumina Go Mini Scientific Challenge
April 26, 2016 -- Dr. Mattia Prosperi (right) with Una McVeigh (left), the challenge’s third prize winner and Dr. Hongmei Li-Byarlay, the second prize winner Read More
Study finds elk habitat overlaps with potential anthrax reservoir in Montana
Multiple anthrax bacteria (green) are being enveloped by an immune system cell (purple) — Camenzind G. Robinson, Sarah Guilman and Arthur Friedlander, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. Read More
Has Haiti’s cholera epidemic become a permanent problem?
UN’s interventions in Sierra Leone significantly slowed Ebola
Quick Facts
EPI director quoted in Politico article on food safety
Research Day 2016
The Emerging Pathogens Institute hosted its ninth annual Research Day on Thursday, February 18, 2016. Read More
WHO/S. Hawkey-Nene Aminata Diallo and Gamou Saiman Gaston, from the World Health Organization Ebola vaccination team, carefully go through the consent process with a participant in the Ebola vaccine trial
Researchers present inner workings of Ebola vaccine trial
WHO/S. Hawkey-Nene Aminata Diallo and Gamou Saiman Gaston, from the World Health Organization Ebola vaccination team, carefully go through the consent process with a participant in the Ebola vaccine trial Read More
Fighting Ebola with numbers and statistics
February 5, 2015 -- Read More
Insect Expert Writes Op-Ed on Protecting Florida from Zika Virus
Zika Demystified: EPI Member Explains How Zika Virus Spread in Brazil
January 27, 2016 -- Read More