>>Vietnamese Version
>>Full Verson
Hello! Today, we are conducting an interview with Dr. Kathryn Glass, a Research Fellow (Graduate Studies Convenor) at the National Center for Epidemiology and Population Health (NCEPH), in Australia. http://nceph.anu.edu.au/Staff_Students/staff_pages/glass.php
So, what epidemic would be your worst nightmare for Australia and the surrounding regions, and why?
Most of the diseases that kill Australians are not infectious diseases, although respiratory diseases such as influenza do kill many elderly people. In developing regions, infectious diseases are a leading cause of death, and in sub-Saharan Africa, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has killed millions. Recently, there has been global concern about the spread of an avian strain of influenza that has infected some humans. So far, it has not been able to spread effectively between humans, but if it were to adapt sufficiently to be able to spread, this could lead to a large epidemic.
How do you prepare yourself for that, and what is your plan like?
We can get some idea of what an influenza pandemic would be like by looking at pandemics that have occurred over the last 100 years. Of these, the 1918-1919 pandemic was the most severe. The world health organisation has encouraged all countries to prepare for the event of an influenza pandemic, and Australia has a national pandemic plan that is available through the Department of Health and Aging. Modelling contributed to this plan by looking at the effectiveness of interventions such as the use of antivirals, border screening, case isolation, travel restrictions and closing schools.
What are the major outstanding efforts of epidemiologists in the past few years that are the most memorable to you and why?
Within infectious disease epidemiology, one of the biggest successes has been the use of vaccination to prevent infection. Smallpox was finally eradicated around 30 years ago, and in Australia, childhood diseases such as measles and mumps are now very rare. A little over a year ago, Australia also started to vaccinate against chickenpox.
Our team would like to acknowledge you, Dr. Kathryn Glass, and your efforts, and we thank you sincerely for your time.
