Short Course in mathematical modelling for infectious diseases

Professor Marc Lipsitch from Harvard School of Public Health	Dr Gabriel Leung from University of Hong Kong

A three-day training course was held from January 5 to 7 to show health care professionals how mathematical modelling techniques can be applied to the prevention and control of infectious diseases.

The training course, entitled "Short Course in Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases", was organized by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health, with the support of the CHP's Scientific Committee on Advanced Data Analysis and Disease Modelling.

While attending the course, the Controller of CHP, Dr PY Leung, said that the course was designed to promote understanding of mathematical modelling as a public health tool, and to stimulate interest in its practical application.

"Mathematical modelling is useful in increasing the application of infectious disease surveillance data and generating information to assist in risk assessment, risk communication and formulation of evidence-based public health policy.

"In infectious disease outbreaks, it can also help in assessing the situation, which in turn facilitates the planning of control strategy," Dr Leung added.

Speakers of the course comprised local and overseas experts namely Dr Azra Ghani from the Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Professor Marc Lipsitch from the Department of Epidemiology, the Harvard School of Public Health, as well as Dr Gabriel Leung, Dr Steven Riley, Dr Joseph Wu and Dr Ho Lai-ming from the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, of the University of Hong Kong.

About 200 health care professionals, including medical doctors, infection control nurses and researchers attended the course.

End/Saturday, January 7, 2006