Webinar Synopsis
Despite significant progress in recent decades, the global burden of infectious diseases remains high. Emerging infectious pathogens pose an ongoing and likely increasing threat to public health, as the factors influencing their emergence and spread (e.g. ecological, environmental, demographic changes, global travel and commerce) appear inexorable and entrenched in modern life.
Emerging infectious diseases can spread dramatically and lead to large-scale outbreaks, as seen in pandemics of influenza H1N1, MERS, SARS-CoV-1 and, most recently, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Public health policy-makers are uniquely challenged in planning control measures for the fast-spreading and ‘stealthy’ COVID-19, but can draw on some important resources—infectious disease epidemiology and a substantial body of research from China. Research on the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 provides critical insights into the complex relationships among hosts and infectious agents to understand pathogen transmission within the community. Particularly, data-driven epidemiological parameters are essential inputs of statistical simulation and mathematical modelling for public health.
Dr. Benjamin Cowling, Professor and Division Head of Epidemiology and Biostatistics with the School of Public Health at Hong Kong University (HKU), presents an overview of the natural history of COVID-19 and shares recent findings from his epidemiological research. He will discuss the known disease dynamics at the population level and current understanding of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in outdoor and indoor settings based on data from China. Dr. Cowling draws from experience as a co-director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Control at HKU SPH to reflect on the various public health measures and their impact on suppressing COVID-19 transmission in Hong Kong.