Event: Understanding the COVID-19 outbreak - An Open Dialogue with Prof Keiji Fukuda

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The current coronavirus outbreak (now called COVID-19) has had a major impact on Hong Kong, mainland China and the world. The issues are complex, but one thing is clear – outbreaks are about more than just ‘health’.

Right now, the outbreak is creating huge health, political, economic and societal concerns and pressures in many countries. This can be seen in Hong Kong where concerns about the spread of infection, and consequences such as school and work closures, runs for face masks and paper products like toilet paper have become the “norm” in the immediate period.

So what are the actual issues? How do these factors influence the decisions of governments and organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO)? What is the role of social media in communicating risk? How does an outbreak impact trade and the economy?

Join us for a dialogue with Professor Keiji Fukuda, who has worked on many outbreaks in the past like avian influenza, SARS, pandemic influenza, Ebola and MERS and will take the audience through some of the key health, political, economic and societal challenges that we are facing in the current COVID-19 outbreak.

For enquiries, please write to ghdsph@hku.hk or dial (852) 3917 9921.