The One-Day Seminar on the topic "Epidemics - Pandemics that have shaken up humanity", which is organized by IASO General Clinic, will take place on Saturday, October 15th, 2022, at the IASO Event Hall.

It has been almost three years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its toll is sobering. Globally, there have been around 613 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 including more than 16 million associated deaths.

We can learn a lot from pandemics that have shaken up humanity and comparisons between them and COVID-19 are inevitable. One thing is certain when it comes to the coronavirus vs. past pandemics, they share a lot of similarities. Understanding COVID-19’s impact through the study of history can prepare us not only for a post-COVID-19 recovery but also for global disease outbreaks to come.

Hippocratic writings in ancient Greece first proposed that miasmas (or bad air) transmit through the air to cause mass epidemics. In the Middle Ages, during the Black Death, the authorities used quarantine, face masks and physical distance between patient and doctor to control the spread of the disease.

Mass vaccination programs have been highly successful in reducing the incidence and mortality of infectious diseases. Systematic implementation of mass smallpox immunization culminated in its global eradication in 1980. Mass polio immunization has now eradicated the disease from many regions around the world.

More recent pandemics that have left their mark on the 20th century and the first part of the 21st century are these of influenza and HIV/AIDS.

Influenza viruses evolve quickly resulting in epidemics and pandemics with millions of deaths. Annual vaccination is the most important measure to prevent seasonal influenza infection. Implementation of respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette is necessary to minimize potential exposures of all respiratory pathogens, including influenza viruses.

AIDS pandemic remains a public health crisis. Despite nearly forty years of research, there’s still no vaccine to combat and eradicate HIV/AIDS. Currently, early diagnosis and prompt initiation of antiretroviral therapy remain the key to preventing and managing HIV infection.

Pandemics have significant societal, economic and political impacts. Past epidemics have also spurred scientists and physicians to reconsider everything from their understanding of disease to their modes of communication.

The above topics will be presented by experts at IASO’s conference on epidemics and pandemics and your attendance will contribute significantly to its success.

Marios K. Lazanas
Internist and Infectious Diseases Specialist
Head of the IASO Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases Clinic
Chairman of the Infection Control Committee

Scientific Program here.