Karen Mossman – The Conversation

Normalizing the use of masks by vulnerable people during flu season could save many lives, even after the threat of COVID-19 has receded. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

February 6, 2022

A better post‑pandemic future means not giving in to COVID‑19 now

Karen Mossman, McMaster University and Matthew S Miller, McMaster University

After two years of COVID-19, it’s understandable that many people are weary of infection prevention measures. But simply being tired of the pandemic is no reason to let our guard down.

Coronaviruses get their name from the crown, or corona, of spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, as seen on this illustration of a highly magnified virus. (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

March 25, 2020

I study viruses: How our team isolated the new coronavirus to fight the global pandemic

Karen Mossman, McMaster University

By isolating SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, researchers can now work on developing tests, treatments and vaccines in Canada.

Paramedics bury a man who died of the Nipah virus in Kozhikode, southern India, in May 2018. There is no vaccine for the virus, which can cause raging fevers, convulsions and vomiting, and kills up to 75 per cent of people infected. (AP Photo/K.Shijith)

December 12, 2018

‘One Health’ keeps humans one step ahead of the microbes

Arinjay Banerjee, McMaster University; Karen Mossman, McMaster University, and Kaushal Baid, McMaster University

As new viruses “jump” from wildlife to humans and we struggle with antimicrobial resistance and even climate change, a new interdisciplinary approach to human health might just save the day.

Health workers get ready to spray insecticide in advance of the 2016 Summer Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to combat the mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus in this Jan. 26, 2016 photo. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)

May 28, 2018

Viruses can cause global pandemics, but where did the first virus come from?

Arinjay Banerjee, University of Saskatchewan; Karen Mossman, McMaster University, and Vikram Misra, University of Saskatchewan

Recent discoveries of ancient viruses are helping scientists understand their origins.

Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. Scientists believe flight may influence their immune responses to coronoviruses, which cause fatal diseases such as SARS and MERS in humans. (Shutterstock)

November 23, 2017

Can bats help humans survive the next pandemic?

Arinjay Banerjee, University of Saskatchewan and Karen Mossman

Scientific studies show that bats may carry “coronoviruses” causing SARS and MERS - without showing symptoms of disease. Could the bat immune system be key to human survival in future pandemics?

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