Epidemiologists on a joint WHO-China mission are trying to complete their understanding of the new respiratory virus that has gripped Wuhan, its surrounding areas, and beyond. That in turn will allow public health experts to better predict the likely length of the outbreak, says China Current host James Chau. He draws on his experience covering the SARS epidemic 18 years ago, and explores if there are relevant parallels between that the coronavirus outbreak unfolding today. This is an example, he says, of a fast-moving disease that is ahead of even our scientific advances.
(Photo by Xinhua News agency)
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Feb 19 , 2020 | COVID-19World Health Organization Chief Scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, hosted a meeting of the world's top scientists and research funders in Geneva last week to focus urgent attention on the global COVID-19 response. Our host James Chau interviews Dr. Swaminathan about the outcomes of the meeting, the science and medical community's priorities, the likelihood of a vaccine, and modified treatments that can be used to save lives now. She speaks to us from Geneva.
Feb 15 , 2020 | COVID-19Strong community engagement in fighting outbreaks is a key lesson from fighting Ebola, and especially the global AIDS response. That’s according to WHO Chief of Staff Dr. Bernhard Schwartländer, who has ben deeply involved in both. Stigma and misinformation challenge this approach and create barriers to working together toward a solution, he tells our host, James Chau. In our interconnected world, where we all live and thrive together, we need global solidarity, not a shut-down borders, to solve a collective problem like the coronavirus.
Feb 12 , 2020 | COVID-19As the novel coronavirus outbreak grows and expands, scientists are rushing to identify a life-saving treatment – possibly a vaccine, or an innovation on an existing treatment. Antiretrovirals used in the AIDS response, and drug therapies from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, are being explored. But the World Health Organization says no effective treatments have been confirmed, and that further and urgent studies are underway. China Current host James Chau breaks down the latest, and talks about the mental health challenges for millions of people in China.