ATHENS, Ga. -- The outbreak of bird flu among poultry in Asia and its recent transmission to humans has put the nation and the world on alert for a possible pandemic. But what is bird flu or avian influenza? Who is at risk?

The University of Georgia Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute (BHSI) hopes to answer these questions with a public lecture on bird flu to be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10 in Master’s Hall at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education.

The bird flu lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be the first in new lecture series created by the BHSI to increase community knowledge and awareness about the public health issues that confront them in the media and at home.

“The aim of the BHSI Public Lecture Series for Community Health is to provide the public with direct access to local experts who can answer the specific health questions that concern them. We hope these lectures will allow the Athens community to take advantage of the university’s biomedical and health science expertise,” said Harry Dailey, BHSI director and professor of microbiology and biochemistry and molecular biology.

Featured speakers on Nov. 10 will be Erica Spackman, research microbiologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, and UGA College of Veterinary Medicine faculty members Ralph Tripp, professor and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Animal Health Vaccine Development, and Jeff Hogan professor of anatomy and radiology and infectious diseases.

Following the talks, additional panelists from the veterinary college will join the speakers for a question-answer session. They include Thomas Hodge, senior research scientist in infectious diseases, and John Fischer, associate professor of pathology and director of the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study.

The BHSI was established in 2001 to expand and promote biomedical sciences and human health programs at UGA and to serve as a catalyst in the development of new interdisciplinary undergraduate courses and graduate degree programs.

For more information, visit www.biomed.uga.edu.

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