人类的发展始终伴随着微生物的进化。随着人类步入农业社会，人口聚集的生活方式促进了传染性疾病的产生和传播，流感、天花、艾滋病、霍乱、鼠疫、结核病等疾病相继出现，并由人畜共患病演变为人类大流行或地方性流行疾病。此后，工业化和城市化进一步加速了传染病的演化和扩散，人类群体免疫的建立也重塑了人与微生物之间相互作用、共生共存的关系。现代医学与科学技术的进步部分缓解了大流行带来的灾难性后果。如今在走出新冠疫情之后，我们该如何运用现代科技为未来未知的挑战做好充分准备，仍然是微生物学家、免疫学家、临床医生、公共卫生专家及产业界共同面临的重大问题。我们尚不能自信地说已为未来做好准备，但必须加强合作并进行全面布局与积极应对。


The development of humankind has always occurred alongside the evolution of microorganisms. With the transition to agricultural societies, human settlement and population concentration led to the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, driving the evolution from zoonotic diseases to human pandemics and endemic diseases. such as influenza, smallpox, HIV/AIDS, cholera, plague, and tuberculosis. Industrialization and urbanization further accelerated the evolution and dissemination of infectious diseases, profoundly altering patterns of human herd immunity and reshaping human-microbial interactions toward symbiosis and coexistence. Advances in modern medical science and technology have partially mitigated the catastrophic impacts of pandemics. As humanity emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, how modern medical technology should prepare us for future threats remains an enormous challenge facing microbiologists, immunologists, clinicians, public health experts, and industry leaders. While we cannot yet claim to be fully prepared for future crises, comprehensive strategic planning and global collaboration are essential.

The world is threatened by emerging infections as never before. Professor Tom Solomon CBE FRCP FMedSci has been studying such diseases for 30 years, initially in the Southeast Asia, and subsequently in Africa, Latin America and Europe. In this seminar he will review current approaches to pandemic prediction, preparedness, prevention, response and recovery. He will draw examples from his own research, which focuses on emerging brain infections, and the wider research of The Pandemic Institute in Liverpool, UK, where he is Director.