By Richard Watts

A University of Victoria microbiologist and her American colleague are looking for a vaccine to prevent syphilis, a venereal disease on the rise worldwide.

UVic’s Caroline Cameron, a professor of biochemistry and microbiology, is joining with University of Washington’s Sheila Lukehart, a professor of medicine and global health, to develop a vaccine to stop syphilis before it gets started in a body.

“It’s a preventive treatment, not a cure,” Cameron said.

Though the West African Ebola outbreak that began in 2013 is now under control, 23 countries remain environmentally suitable for animal-to-human transmission of the Ebola virus. Only seven of these countries have experienced cases of Ebola, leaving the remaining 16 countries potentially unaware of regions of suitability, and therefore underprepared for future outbreaks.

Student:  Jorge “Coco” Alarcon

Program: Master of Landscape Architecture, Global Health Certificate
Fellowship: Thomas Francis, Jr. Global Health Fellowship
Project Title: Green Spaces and Infectious Diseases, Strategies for Mosquito Control in Spaces
Location: Iquitos, Peru

Getting this support really encourages me to push boundaries of design and science, to create my own path, and to promote health in my field of architecture and landscape architecture.