ITV

Tag: Malik Peiris

  • Discovery looks to expand programme repertoire with SARS doc

    MUMBAI: Discovery has set itself the agenda of widening its viewership spectrum by increasing the depth of programming. As part of this aim the channel will air the one-hour documentary The Science of SARS on 27 May at 8 pm .with repeats on 31 May at 1 pm and on 3 June at 10 am.
    Addressing a media briefing this morning Discovery Networks India’s marketing director Aditya P. Tripathi said that the SARS documentary was an attempt on the part of the broadcaster to cover current topics of interest. He pointed out that last year the channel had aired a series of specials to commemorate the 9/11 anniversary. “In the last couple of years we have expanded our genres. We have action and adventure for the teens, a kids slot as well as a time band dedicated to woman. With this documentary our aim is to widen our horizons by moving beyond and below the headlines to see how important issues affect our society. This documentary is not just scientific. It also examines the sociological impact of the virus.
    An advantage with this kind of show is that unlike our other programmes which require years of research Science of SARS can be made in a couple of weeks. We are examining a host of topics that we could do specials on and depending on how events unfold we could have a sequel to Science Of SARS.”


    The one-hour programme is divided into four parts and examines the efforts that Professor Malik Peiris a microbiologist and head of the team at Hong Kong university who discovered the virus are making to find a cure. It also examines quarantine efforts being made by the government to control the spread of the virus. On cracking the SARS code Peiris was surprised at finding that it was a coronary virus which one associates with the normal common cold. The show visits China and Singapore explaining what a virus is in the first place and how SARS is different. “It replicates itself through RNA rather than DNA” Peries explained. The show also warns that SARS is possibly be the prelude to another influenza epidemic which could be even bigger than what was seen in 1918.

  • Cavian influenza expert and bio-medical scientist, Malik Peiris, on CNN’s ‘Talk Asia’

    Human virologist Professor Malik Peiris speaks with CNN’s Anjali Rao in this weekend’s TALK ASIA on identifying the SARS virus, the latest global avian influenza concerns and what it’s like to join other eminent scientists, including Stephen Hawking and Sir Isaac Newton, in Britain’s prestigious Royal Society.

     

    Peiris came to prominence three years ago when SARS swept through parts of Asia but is also a leading expert on avian influenza. As an authority on the mutating virus, he explains that intensive raising of backyard poultry, live animal markets and the ease with which geographic boundaries can be crossed have all contributed to the emergence of prominent viruses in Asia: “The fact of the matter is no one, no country still is fully prepared to confront an influenza pandemic and certainly not a pandemic arising from a virus like H5N1.”

     

    According to Peiris, the SARS virus has not been contained completely: ”The parent virus from which the SARS virus emerged is still out there. It’s out there in the animal reservoir … and conceivable that this virus might readapt to human transmission.”

     

    Looking back at historical cycles of global pandemics, Professor Peiris suggests that another one is due to erupt in the near future. “Within the next 10 year time frame, it is extremely likely that the world will have to confront a pandemic. At this point in time, H5N1 seems to be the most concerning of the potential candidates for such a pandemic,” he says.

     

    To inspire a future generation of scientific researchers, he explains “This century is really going to be the century of bio-medical research and discovery. Biological revolution is just beginning to gather steam and I think for young people, this is a great opportunity.”

     

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    For more program information and details on upcoming guests on TALK ASIA visit http://edition.cnn.com/ASIA/talkasia/