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David Heymann is a professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He led the World Health Organization's global response to the SARS epidemic in 2003.
Dr David Heymann is Head and Senior Fellow of the Centre on Global Health Security at Chatham House, London; Chairman of the Health Protection Agency, UK and Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
David Heymann holds a BA in general science from Penn State University, an M.D from Wake Forest School of Medicine, and a DTM&H from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). He is currently Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at LSHTM and a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre on Universal Health at Chatham House, London.
David Heymann holds a BA in general science from Penn State University, an M.D from Wake Forest School of Medicine, and a DTM&H from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). He is currently Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at LSHTM and a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre on Universal Health at Chatham House, London.
- Overview
- ‘Western countries are doing less well’
- ‘The jury is still out’
- Mild cases, outlook, and climate change
In conversation with World Health Organization (WHO) expert advisor Prof. David Heymann, Medical News Today heard about his past experiences with SARS and MERS, what individuals can do to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, and how long he expects the pandemic to last.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, expert advisors are urging countries to take measures to slow down the spread of the infection.
One of these experts is Prof. David Heymann from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom.
An infectious disease specialist, Prof. Heymann’s career has seen him working across the globe on Ebola, polio, smallpox, and a host of other infectious diseases. He is also no stranger to coronaviruses.
MNT: What were your roles during previous coronavirus health emergencies?
Prof. David Heymann: When SARS occurred, I was the executive director of the communicable diseases program at the WHO. In that capacity, I led the global response to the outbreak.
For the MERS coronavirus outbreak, I was working with Public Health England as the chairman of their advisory board, and I participated in two different missions to Saudi Arabia for outbreaks of MERS coronavirus.
And during this outbreak, I am chairing a group at WHO called the STAG-IH — the Scientific, Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards. We are the group that supports the WHO in its risk assessment for infectious disease outbreaks. We just finished a meeting today looking at what’s going on in the world and talking with Executive Director of the Emergencies Program Mike Ryan about what we would suggest be done in the next few weeks.
“So in Italy, for example, we’re seeing people die because they can’t access hospitals because there is not sufficient surge capacity. Hopefully, that same thing won’t happen in other European countries.”
MNT: Do you feel that the lessons learned during SARS and MERS, as well as Ebola, have helped prepare the world sufficiently to respond to the current pandemic?
MNT: Do you feel that with the information that governments are giving out and the WHO are publishing on different forums every day, the general public has a good understanding of the implications of the pandemic? Or is this something that you wish people would take more notice of?
Prof. David Heymann: People need to understand that they can prevent themselves from getting infected by washing hands and by maintaining a physical distance from each other and that they can protect others by wearing a mask if they’re coughing and sneezing.
They can also prevent others from becoming infected if they don’t cough or sneeze directly on them. The effectiveness depends on how well a country can get its population to understand these measures and contribute to the response.
If you’re looking at what governments can do, they should be identifying all cases if they can, and trying to trace where those cases come from and the contacts that they have had, so that they can stop outbreaks by rapidly identifying new cases and making sure they’re isolated.
MNT: Do you think it would be good if all countries were testing all suspected cases, and what are the practicalities of doing that?
Prof. David Heymann: Well, again, it depends on what a country is able to afford to do. Countries that have discrete outbreaks can learn a lot by investigating them and by doing contact tracing, monitoring of contacts, and isolating those who are or become ill.
MNT: Many health authorities report that about 80% of people who have the disease experience mild symptoms. For many people, this will imply that it will feel akin to a common cold. But actually, looking at the guidelines for healthcare professional staff that WHO have produced, there is quite a lot more to the severity of symptoms. How rotten might people expect to feel while their experience is medically classed as a mild case?
Prof. David Heymann: Mild illness resembles influenza, with muscle aches, pain, headaches, fever, just feeling bad for a few days, coughing — of course — and then recovering.
Those who do not recover and become progressively shorter of breath require hospitalization and, depending on the age and any existing comorbidities, may not recover, with illness ending in death.
MNT: Do you think there is an end in sight? Is there a prediction of when this pandemic might be over?
Prof. David Heymann: You know, with all new and emerging infections, what’s unknown is what the outcome will finally be — the final destiny of the infection. HIV emerged in the early 20th century and then became endemic throughout the world.
Seasonal influenza has emerged from the animal kingdom, and there are currently three endemic seasonal influenza viruses carried by humans.
Dec 1, 2014 · This new version of Control of Communicable Diseases Manual (CCDM), the 20th revision of this 96-year-old favorite of the health community, is now available to address these important concerns." From the Forward - Georges C. Benjamin, MD, Executive Director, American Public Health Association. Read more.
- M.D. Heymann, David L.
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Paperback – 30 Jun. 2022. by David L. Heymann (editor) (Author) 4.9 31 ratings. See all formats and editions. Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, 21st Edition, is the trusted source for public health professionals on identifying and controlling infectious diseases for over 100 years.
- David L. Heymann (editor)
