A team of researchers at the University of Windsor is tracking the instances and spread of Avian Flu in Windsor-Essex. The team, led by Dr. Kenneth Ng, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and collaborators Dr. Mike McKay (GLIER/SOE) and Dr. Dan Mennill (iBio) and their graduate students and post-doctoral fellows are studying the spread of the virus, as well as developing effective sampling regimes and workflow processes to analyze the samples. Since Windsor-Essex is a large agricultural region, as well as at the confluence of two major migratory flyways, the potential impact of Avian Flu could be great in this region.
The research is being conducted under a one-year $150,000 Canadian Institutes of Health Research Catalyzing One Health Research on Avian Influenza grant, sponsored by the CIHR Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies.