Almost two hundred school students from across the North-east are today (April 26) descending on the University of Aberdeen to hear about diseases from the past and the present.

The Fifth and Sixth Year Higher and Advanced Higher Biology pupils are attending a lecture being delivered by Professor Joanna Verran, who is a Professor of Microbiology at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Her lecture entitled Plagues, Pestilence and People will outline the history of infectious diseases and include examples of the epidemiology of old and new diseases, as well as emerging ones.

Diseases from the past which will be covered in the talk include the plague, leprosy and tuberculosis. Influenza and HIV will be among those mentioned from the present day.

Professor Verran, who was the recipient of the Society for General Microbiology Peter Wildy Award for Microbiology Education in 2005, said: “I’m really honoured to be asked to give this talk at the University of Aberdeen and I’m very much looking forward to it.

“I’m hoping it will inform and inspire the school students about microbiology, about how useful, interesting and how important a subject it is.”

Maggie Smith, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Aberdeen, added: “Microbiology is a subject that affects our lives in many ways. We seem to hear from the newspapers everyday about some horror story concerning superbugs, avian flu or other life-threatening disease.

“The aim of the Schools Easter Microbiology lecture is to allow students to hear from the

experts the microbiological facts and we are pleased this year to have Professor Jo Verran from Manchester Metropolitan University delivering the lecture. Professor Verran's lecture promises to be informative, stimulating and entertaining.'

Plagues, Pestilence and People is taking place at the Medical School at Foresterhill between 1.30pm and 2.30pm. Pupils from Aboyne, Bridge of Don, Kemnay, Meldrum, Northfield and Turriff Academies and Milne’s High School in Fochabers are attending.