The World Health Organisation has adopted new hygiene guidelines to fight the spread of Ebola –with support from the University of Brighton.

The guidelines are the result of advice from experts from around the world, led by Professor Huw Taylor, the University of Brighton’s Professor of Microbial Ecology. He headed an international panel of experts to help develop emergency guidelines using the latest research from the university’s School of Environment and Technology.

Professor Taylor said: “We received excellent feedback from the WHO on the advice we provided. Our Environment and Public Health Research Group has been developing low-cost ways to disinfect human waste following disease outbreaks and the fact that the potential of these methods is now recognised by the WHO is testimony to the team’s excellent research, hard work and commitment.

“We are pleased that in this way we are helping to combat this dreadful disease which is claiming so many lives.”

Professor Taylor thanked colleagues, particularly postgraduate researcher Emanuele Sozzi, who ran laboratory experiments in Brighton to test methods for disinfecting human waste at Ebola treatment centres.

The new guidelines will help people working with Ebola victims to reduce the risk of the disease spreading in healthcare settings by better sanitary practice.
Professor Taylor gave an outline of his work to a Parliamentary and Scientific Committee at Westminster and the work of his research group is having an impact around the world.

Next week (7 Dec) he and colleagues Dr James Ebdon and Dr Sarah Purnell will be in Vellore, India, working with the Christian Medical College on a Gates Foundation-funded research project ‘Sanipath’.  As well as laboratory work at the medical school they will be out in the city looking at pollution pathways with Indian colleagues.

The same team, along with the university’s Dr Brian Jones, will be in São Paulo, Brazil, at the beginning of February to run a British Council-funded week-long workshop in collaboration with the São Paulo State Environment Agency.

The final event of our school’s ‘Employabilty November’ took place last night (ok, just into December!). A really stimulating and interesting talk and Q & A with the founders of hiSbe supermarket.

The Anslow sisters (Amy & Ruth) outlined the ethical and sustainable stance of the social enterprise, how they came to the point in their careers where this felt the right step – and the right place – to set up an alternative model of supermarkets.
They stressed the importance of local sourcing food, paying suppliers well, involving the community and giving customers reassurance about the origins and quality of their produce. A sense of ‘social value’ above all else.

Social media played a big part in the establishment and growth of the store, with large amounts raised by crowd funding and networking with interested parties and individuals.

This weekend is their 1st anniversary, go along to the shop and see the link below to see how you can support them and help them in their vision to develop the hiSbe chain and brand, as a viable option to the large supermarket chains.