A University of Northern British Columbia assistant professor will give a talk this Tuesday evening on why a debilitating disease persisted on the Maltese islands for nearly 100 years and what can be learned from it.
Also known as brucellosis, undulant fever is a debilitating disease that is often caused from consuming unpasteurized goat's milk. Originally discovered in Malta in 1887, the undulant fever bacteria caused great illness in the Maltese islands throughout the 1900s.
"Today, although it is a little known disease, undulant fever is one of the most common zoonotic diseases - one which is transmitted from animals to humans," said Dr. Lianne Tripp, a biomedical anthropologist.
"Undulant fever is a cause for concern in the United States and in many countries in Asia, especially in areas where animal husbandry is common place.
"Studying infectious diseases and epidemics in the past, informs us about how the disease pathogen, the environment, and the culture and biology of population, intersect to promote the transmission of disease."
Part of UNBC's ongoing Anthropology in Our Backyards speaker series, Tripp will give her talk on Tuesday at ArtSpace - above Books and Company - at 1685 Third Ave., 7 p.m. start.
