Malik Peiris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Malik Peiris
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|---|---|
| මලික් පීරිස් | |
| Born |
Joseph Sriyal Malik Peiris
10 November 1949 Kandy, Ceylon
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| Nationality | British and Sri Lankan (dual national) Permanent resident of Hong Kong, China |
| Other names | Joseph Sriyal Malik Peiris Joseph Peiris JSM Peiris |
| Alma mater | University of Ceylon (MBBS) University of Oxford (DPhil) |
| Spouse(s) | Sharmini Arseculeratne |
| Children | Shalini (d) Shehan (s) |
| Relatives | Sarathnanda "Chubby" Arsecularatne (father-in-law) |
| Awards | John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award Silver Bauhinia Star Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Virology |
| Institutions | University of Hong Kong Royal Victoria Infirmary University of Peradeniya |
| Thesis | Enhancement by antiviral antibody of the replication of togaviridae in mononuclear phagocytes (1980) |
| Doctoral advisor | James S. Porterfield |
Joseph Sriyal Malik Peiris, born on November 10, 1949, is a famous virologist from Sri Lanka. He is best known for being the first person to find and isolate the SARS virus. Dr. Peiris works in Hong Kong and is a professor at the University of Hong Kong. He has also advised the World Health Organization on important health matters.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Malik Peiris was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka. He went to school at St. Anthony's College, Kandy. In 1967, he started studying at the University of Ceylon. He earned his first medical degree, called an MBBS, in 1972.
After working for a year at a hospital, Dr. Peiris joined the Microbiology Department at his university. There, he became interested in studying virology, which is the study of viruses. In 1977, he received a special scholarship. This allowed him to go to the University of Oxford in England. He earned his DPhil degree in 1981. During his studies, he researched how some antibodies (which are part of our body's defense system) can sometimes accidentally help viruses, like the West Nile virus, enter cells.
Career and Research
After finishing his studies in England, Dr. Peiris returned to Sri Lanka. He became a senior teacher and started a new virology department at the University of Peradeniya.
In 1988, due to the Sri Lankan civil war, Dr. Peiris moved back to England. He worked as a specialist in virology in Newcastle upon Tyne. Then, in 1995, he moved to Hong Kong. His job was to set up a new unit for studying viruses at the Queen Mary Hospital and the University of Hong Kong.
Studying New Diseases
Dr. Peiris is very interested in new viral diseases that spread from animals to humans. He uses a special approach called "One-Health." This means he believes that animal health, environmental health, and human health are all connected. He thinks that experts from these different areas should work together to fight diseases.
Currently, Dr. Peiris is a top professor at the University of Hong Kong. He helps lead important labs for the World Health Organization that study Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).
Important Discoveries
Dr. Peiris and his team have made several very important discoveries about viruses.
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
In 1997, a type of avian influenza called H5N1 (also known as bird flu) caused an outbreak in Hong Kong. Many people who caught it became very sick. Dr. Peiris's research showed that this virus could make the body's immune system overreact. This overreaction is called a "cytokine storm." It causes a lot of inflammation and damage in the body.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
In 2003, Hong Kong faced another serious outbreak. This time, it was an unknown respiratory disease that caused severe breathing problems. It was named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Dr. Peiris became famous worldwide because his team was the first to find the virus causing this disease. It was a new type of coronavirus, now known as SARS-CoV-1. By June 2003, Dr. Peiris and his colleagues had also created a quick test to find the SARS virus.
COVID-19
In February 2020, Dr. Peiris published an article that warned about a new coronavirus outbreak. The next month, he reported that a Pomeranian dog had been infected with COVID-19. This was one of the first signs that animals could also catch the virus. Later, more cases of animal infections were found, including a tiger at the Bronx Zoo.
Dr. Peiris and his team also developed a quick test for the new virus, SARS-CoV-2. They also found that the virus could survive on smooth surfaces. However, they discovered that common disinfectants like household bleach and ethanol could easily kill it.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Peiris has received many awards for his important work.
- He is a Fellow of the Royal Society (2006). He was the first person from Sri Lanka to receive this honor.
- He was named an "Asian Hero" by Time magazine in 2006.
- He received the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur from France in 2007.
- He was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star by Hong Kong in 2008.
- In 2021, he received the John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award.
Personal Life
Dr. Peiris is married to Sharmini Arseculeratne. They have a daughter, Shalini, and a son, Shehan. His father-in-law, Sarathnanda "Chubby" Arseculeratne, was also a professor of medicine and an early mentor to Dr. Peiris.
