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12 November 2018 Photo Johan Roux
December graduations to conclude the UFS academic year
UFS December graduations: three days and six ceremonies of paying tribute to hard work, persistence, and perseverance.

The University of the Free State (UFS) is looking forward to conferring undergraduate, postgraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees in all faculties during the upcoming end-of-year graduation ceremonies taking place in December 2018.

The UFS Bloemfontein Campus will host inspiring celebrations for graduates and their families in the Callie Human Centre on the dates specified below.
 
For more information about the upcoming ceremonies, visit the graduation home page, where graduating students can also access the graduation frequently-asked questions (FAQs).  Additional enquiries can be directed to graduations@ufs.ac.za
 
Graduation ceremonies for the different faculties will take place on the following dates:

4 December 2018

09:00 - Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences and Education

14:30 - South Campus: Open Distance Learning 

5 December 2018

09:00 - Faculties of the Humanities and Theology and Religion

14:30 - Faculties of Law and Natural and Agricultural Sciences

6 December 2018

09:00 - Faculty of Health Sciences (including School of Nursing)

14:30 - Master's and Doctorate degrees (all faculties)

News Archive

Researchers receive study grant for research into Congo Fever
2015-03-10

UFS researchers will be contributing significantly to the search for a vaccine against the deadly tick-borne disease known as Congo Fever.

Prof Felicity Burt from the Department of Medical Microbiology and Virology was recently awarded a research grant by the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) to study candidate vaccines for Crimean-Congo heamorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus and other arboviruses.

Arboviruses are viruses transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, or other arthropods.

Prof Burt is an internationally-recognised expert on the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF). The Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus is a tick-borne virus that is associated with severe haemorrhagic disease in South Africa and other parts of Africa, Asia, and eastern Europe. Her interests focus on medically significant viruses that are transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes. Her research group is involved in determining the immune responses that are induced by different viral proteins.

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus, a tick- borne virus found in Africa, Asia, the Balkans, and eastern Europe, causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks.

Although a number of tick species are capable of becoming infected with CCHF virus, ticks of the genus Hyalomma, commonly referred to in SA as the “bont-legged ticks”, are the principal vector. The ticks have distinctive brown and white bands on their legs.

In February 1981, the first case of CCHF was recognised in South Africa (SA). To date, there have been nearly 200 cases of CCHF infection in SA with a 20% fatality rate. The majority of cases occurring in SA were in patients from the Northern Cape and Free State provinces.

“The funding that has been awarded will be used to profile immune responses against CCHF viral proteins, and investigate mechanisms and strategies to enhance these immune responses. We hope that the study will contribute knowledge towards the development of a vaccine against this medically significant virus.”

For more information or enquiries contact news@ufs.ac.za.

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