Avian Flu - Public Forum @ Brookfield Zoo

The Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, is partnering with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and Cook County Department of Public Health to host a lecture regarding the latest information about avian influenza. The free public forum will be held at Brookfield Zoo’s Discovery Center on Thursday, August 10, at 7:00 p.m.

Presenters during the evening are John Herrmann, DVM, MPH, of the UIUC’s College of Veterinary Medicine; Joanna Shisler, PhD, of UIUC’s College of Medicine, Department of Microbiology; Catherine Counard, MD, MPH, assistant medical director of Communicable Disease Control for the Cook County Department of Public Health; and Tom Meehan, DVM, director of veterinary services for the Chicago Zoological Society.

This informative lecture will feature an overview of the avian flu virus, how animals contract it, what it would take for humans to become infected, what can be done to prevent its spread, and the precautions in place should an outbreak occur. Following the presentation, there will be a question and answer session.

Registration is not required. Those attending the lecture should enter the zoo via the south gate entrance, which is located off First Avenue near Riverside-Brookfield High School. For further information about the public forum, call Brookfield Zoo at (708) 485-0263, ext. 351.

The Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) has been a leader in working with public and private partners to study wildlife disease ecology. More than a decade ago, CZS developed support for a program in which the University of Illinois veterinary pathologists study wildlife disease in Cook County. In 1999 the Society joined the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine to form the Conservation Medicine Center of Chicago (CMCC). This collaboration was established to study the relationship among animal health, human health, and our changing global environment.

The mission of the Chicago Zoological Society is to inspire conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature. Open every day of the year, the zoo is located off First Avenue between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) expressways and is also accessible via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter line, CTA, and PACE bus service. Brookfield Zoo is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer M/F/D/V. For more information about Brookfield Zoo, visit www.BrookfieldZoo.org.