Fa`ama`i Pipisi (Infectious Diseases)

O le ā le fa`ama`i pipisi? (What is an infectious disease?)

O le fa`ama`i pipisi o se ma`i e māfua mai i siama e pei o vairusi, siama, limu ma parasita. O nisi fa`ata`ita`iga ole COVID-19, fulū, misela ma le māmāpala. O fa`ama`i pipisi e ono māliliu ai le silia ma le 17 miliona tagata i le lalolagi atoa i tausaga ta`itasi ma e mafai ona māfua ai fa`ama`i pipisi i le lalolagi fa`apea fo`i ma le tele o fa`ama`i e leai ni a tatou togafiti fa`apitoa o maua.

 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.

Aiseā e tāua ai? (Why does it matter?)

O Aotearoa o lo`o māfatia i le maualuga tele o fa`ama`i pipisi ua fa`ato`ilaloina e isi atunu`u manuia o le lalolagi, ae maise fa`ama`i e māfua mai i le streptococcus, e pei o le fiva rumatika mata`utia. O le tele o nei fa`ama`i e lē fa`atusaina le `a`afia ai o faitau aofa`i o tatou tagata Māori ma le Pasefika, ma e sili atu le ogaoga o fa`ama`i ua lipotia mo fa`ama`i e pei o le fulū ma le COVID-19 pe `ā fa`atusatusa i isi fa`alāpotopotoga o atunu`u i Aotearoa.

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.

O ā mea e fai e le Maurice Wilkins Centre e fō`ia  ai fa`ama`i pipisi? (What does the Maurice Wilkins Centre do to combat infectious diseases?)

O a matou su`esu`ega o lo `o fa`apitoa i le tele o fa`ama`i pipisi e pei o fa`ama`i siama, e aofia ai le māmāpala, staphylococcus ma streptococcus fa`apea fo`i ma su`esu`ega fa`avairusi e lagolago ai lo matou taumafai e tali atu ai i le taufa`amata`u e māfua mai i siama e pei o le SARS-CoV-2 (le siama e māfua ai le COVID-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).

Matou te fesiligia fo`i pe aiseā e mafai ai e nisi siama ona fa`ato`ilaloina le faiga mo le puipuiga o le tagata, matou te su`esu`eina fo`i  vailā`au masalo pe mafai ona tapē ai fa`ama`i, ma pe `āfai o suiga fa`apitoa o lo`o va`aia i le DNA o le faitau aofa`i o tagata Māori ma Pasefika e `a`afia ai le faiga mo le puipuiga o le tagata pe fa`aapefea fo`i ona tatou tali atu ai i fa`ama`i pipisi.

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.