Mate Hōrapa (Infectious Disease)

He aha rā te mate hōrapa? (What is an infectious disease?)

Ko te mate hōrapa he māuiui nā ngā moroiti tahumaero pēnei me ngā huaketo, huakita, hekaheka me te pirinoa. Ko ētahi tauira ko te KOWHEORI-19, te rewharewha, te karawaka me te kohi. Mā ngā mate hōrapa e mate ai te 17 miriona tāngata i te ao i ia tau, ā, ka hua pea i ētahi o ēnei he mate urutā, he mate rānei kāore anō kia whai rongoā motuhake.

An infectious disease is an illness caused by germs such as viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. Some examples are COVID-19, influenza, measles and tuberculosis. Infectious diseases kill over 17 million people worldwide each year and can cause pandemics as well as many diseases for which we have no specific treatments available.

He aha e whaitake ai? (Why does it matter?)

Ka mate nei a Aotearoa i ngā pāpātanga nui o ngā mate hōrapa kua whakamutua ki whenua kē atu i te ao whanake, inarā ko ngā mate e hua ana nā te pokenga streptococcus, arā ko te rūmātiki tāhapa. Kua kino kē atu te ngau o ēnei pokenga ki te taupori Māori, Pasifika hoki i tēnā o iwi kē atu i Aotearoa nei, ā, kua kikino hoki ngā pāpātanga kēhi e rīpoatahia ana hei mate, pērā i te rewharewha me te KOWHEORI-19.

Aotearoa suffers from very high rates of infectious diseases that have been conquered elsewhere in the developed world, especially diseases resulting from streptococcus infection, such as acute rheumatic fever. Many of these infections disproportionately affect our Māori and Pacific populations, with more severe case rates reported for diseases such as influenza and COVID-19 compared to other ethnic groups in Aotearoa.

E aha ana te Pūtahi o Maurice Wilkins ki te kaupare i ngā mate hōrapa? (What does the Maurice Wilkins Centre do to combat infectious diseases?)

Ko ā mātou rangahau e aro ana ki ngā tū mate hōrapa maha pēnei me ngā pokenga huakita, tae ake ki te kohi, te staphylococcus me te streptococcus tae atu ki ngā rangahau huaketo e tautoko ai i tō mātou āheinga ki te urupare ki ngā whakawehi nā ngā huaketo pēnei me te SARS-CoV-2 (te huaketo e hua ai te KOWHEORI-19).

Our research focuses on a range of infectious diseases such as bacterial infections, including tuberculosis, staphylococcus and streptococcus as well as viral research to support our capability in responding to the threats posed by viruses such as SARS-CoV- 2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).

Ka pātai mātou he aha e toa ai ētahi o ngā huakita i runga i te pūnaha awhikiri tangata, ka tūhura mātou i te pitomata o ngā pūroi patu-moroiti, ā, mēnā rā he urutau tūhāhā e kitea kautia ana i te pītau ira o ngā taupori Māori, Pasifika hoki me te pānga o ō tātou pūnaha awhikiri me tā tātou urupare ki ngā mate hōrapa.

We ask why some bacteria can defeat the human immune system, we investigate potential antimicrobial drugs, and if unique adaptations seen only in the DNA of Māori and Pacific populations affects our immune system or how we respond to infectious diseases.