Gagao Feutaaki (Infectious Disease)

Ko e heigoa e gagao feutaaki? (What is an infectious disease?)

Ko e gagao feutaaki kua moua ha ko e tau moko gagao tuga e tau viruses, bacteria, fungi mo e parasites.  Falu a gagao feutaaki tuga e koviti, fulū, misele mo e gagao māmā pala.  Fuafua kia ai molea e 17 miliona tagata he lalolagi kua okioki ai ha ko e tau gagao feutaaki he taha e tau, mo e moua mai falu a gagao foki ne nakai fai tului ke totoko atu ki ai.

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.

Ko e hā ne mahuiga ai e tau mena nai? (Why does it matter?)

Tokoluga lahi e tuaga he tau gagao feutaaki ki Aotearoa, ka e tu mitaki he falu a motu he lalolagi, mua atu ke he tau gagao tupu mai he streptococcus tuga e rheumatic fever.  Loga he tau gagao nai kua lauia lahi e tau tagata Maori mo e Pasifika, mo e tu hagahagakelea ke he tau gagao tuga e fulū mo e koviti ka fakatatai atu ke he falu a potoaga tagata foki.

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.

Ko e heigoa ha Maurice Wilkins Centre ka taute ke totoko atu ke he tau gagao feutaaki? 

(What does the Maurice Wilkins Centre do to combat infectious diseases?)

Ko e ha mautolu a tau  kumikumiaga fakamatapatu ni ke he tau gagao feutaaki tuga e tau gagao ha koe tau moko, mama pala, staphylococcus mo e streptococcus pihia foki mo e tau kumikumi atu ke he falu moko gagao ke mautali ke he tau gagao tuga e SARS-COV-2 (ko e moko ne tupu mai ai e koviti 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).

Huhū a mautolu, ko e ha ne maeke ai falu moko gagao ke tamate e immune system he tau tagata, ti kumikumi atu ke he falu a tau tegavai ke totoko atu, mo e hakahaka atu ke he DNA he tau tagata Maori mo e Pasifika po ke tau puhala ke totoko atu ke he tau gagao feutaaki.

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.