Page 21 - University of Pretoria Research Review 2017

Foreword
Introductory Messages
DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE
Water
PEOPLE AND CONTEXTS
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
PLANET AND SUSTAINABILITY
Awards
Lead Researchers
19
Water and health
Maureen Taylor, Rand Water Chair in Public Health, Department of Medical Virology, School of Health Systems and Public Health
Professor Maureen Taylor, the Rand Water Chair in Public Health, in the Department of Medical Virology and the School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH), addresses new and emerging issues of concern in the drinking water industry. As water
and health-related issues are complex and diverse, Professor Taylor collaborates with Dr Natalie Aneck- Hahn, Environmental Chemical Pollution and Health Research Unit (ECPH), Professor Marthie Ehlers
and Dr Marleen Kock in the Department of Medical Microbiology to identify the potential human health risks associated with reusing treated wastewater to produce safe potable water.
The Enteric Virus and Environmental Research Group, under the mentorship of Professor Taylor, focuses
its research on the analysis, molecular epidemiology, clinical relevance and evaluation of risks of selected human pathogenic enteric viruses in water systems destined for agricultural, recreational and drinking water use. Dr Janet Mans in the Department of Medical Virology, champions the norovirus and associated diarrhoea research aspects of the programme. The enteric virus research involves several national and international collaborators, including the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases, the Botswana International University of Science and Technology, and the University of Washington, Seattle
Water resources are under threat due to increasing populations, land use change, chemical contamination and climate change, thereby creating challenges for the production and delivery of safe water for human consumption.