A talk by a Lancaster University expert will explore what other viruses lie in wait for humanity in the wake of the Ebola outbreak.

Dr Derek Gatherer worked on Ebola as part of a World Health Organisation Project on standards for diagnosing the disease which broke out in 2014.

It struck a densely populated part of west Africa where it had never been seen before, infecting nearly 30,000 people and killing almost half of them.

Dr Gatherer said: “Previously, we now realise, we had just been lucky and in 2014 our luck ran out.

"Nearly two years later, the outbreak is finally coming to an end but in its wake a handful of other previously obscure viruses are just waiting to make a name for themselves – Zika, Chikungunya and enterovirus 71 - along with some of our older enemies striving for a comeback – such as polio, bird flu and MERS.”

His talk is at the Dukes Theatre on Moor Lane in Lancaster from 6pm on April 27.

Register for free tickets at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/public-lecture-ebola-and-the-next-pandemic-threats-tickets-20548648561)