An all-ages educational exhibition celebrating the history of lifesaving scientific medical exchange between France and Hong Kong, in conjunction with the 120th anniversary of the Institut Pasteur.
In June 1894, Alexander Yersin, who had been sent to Hong Kong at the request
Of the Institut Pasteur and the French Government, identified and isolated the bacillus of Bubonic Plague, one of the deadliest diseases in human history.
This great discovery, made from an ill-equipped laboratory in a straw hut in Hong Kong’s Kennedy Town, paved the way for sera and vaccines against this disease.
Yersin’s remarkable story is just one of many in the 120-year history of Louis Pasteur’s Institut Pasteur (IP). Louis and his successors have built a network of thirty international research centres that play a major role in the global effort to identify, contain, and cure infectious diseases in Asia and all over the world.
Locally, the Hong Kong University Pasteur Research Centre continues this valuable and vital work, focusing specifically on dengue fever, Avian Influenza, and most recently in the detection and treatment of SARS.
This fascinating and engaging look at the past and future scientific collaboration between France and Hong Kong offers an entertaining and enlightening experience for all members of the community.
This exhibit is presented by Friends of the Institut Pasteur Hong-Kong Limited
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