Using Historical Epidemiology during Covid with Kaspar Staub
Episode 83 - December 17, 2021
Kaspar Staub (University of Zurich) talks to Merle and Lee about his work in historical epidemiology and the ways in which it helps contextualize the ongoing Covid pandemic. After first offering background on the field and his education, Kaspar discusses one of his goals, which is to help public health officials and policy makers today understand the historical context of pandemics in the past. He then talks about his work on the 1918 Influenza in Switzerland and its implications for Covid policy, along with how it – and earlier pandemics such as the 1890 “Russian Flu” – fall into the disaster memory gap. At the end, Kaspar, Merle, and Lee have a wide ranging conversation about the role human values play in responding to pandemics and how to help shape those in the future.
Further Reading
- Kaspar Staub, “If immunisation is too low, dropping temperatures in fall 2021 may lead to epidemic resurgence – as in 1918, 1957 and 2020,” Swiss Medical Weekly.
- Kaspar Staub, Frank Rühli, Joël Floris, “The “Pandemic Gap” in Switzerland across the 20th century and the necessity of increased science communication of past pandemic experiences,” Swiss Medical Weekly.
- Kaspar Staub, et al. “Public Health Interventions, Epidemic Growth, and Regional Variation of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic Outbreak in a Swiss Canton and Its Greater Regions” Annals of Internal Medicine, April 2021, 174.4, 533-539.
- Graham Mooney, “The Dangers of Ignoring History Lessons during a Pandemic,” Annals of Internal Medicine, April 2021, 174.4, 556-557.
Our Guest
Kaspar Staub
Head Anthropometrics & Historical Epidemiology Group, Institute Manager, University of Zurich
