Marc Van Ranst

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Marc Van Ranst

Who is Marc Van Ranst?

Prof. dr. Marc Van Ranst studied medicine at the former Limburg University Center - now UHasselt - and at KU Leuven. After graduating in medicine, he studied and worked at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and obtained a doctorate in virology (1994) and in clinical biology (1998). He took on the role of crisis manager (in his capacity as inter-ministerial commissioner) during the Mexican swine flu pandemic in 2009. He also advised politicians in the fight against the corona pandemic in 2020/21. Marc has become a much sought-after media guest and a ‘celebrity’ virologist. He was awarded the Career Prize for Scientific Communication from the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium in 2020. 

    COVID-19 or ‘Spanish flu light’: one hundred years on and our approach is remarkably similar

    The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on modern society should not be underestimated. The corona virus and, in particular, the measures required to combat it, limit the freedom of our citizens and our communities. 

    Yet it is not the first time that the world has faced this type of pandemic. The Spanish flu of 1918-1919 claimed more than 50 million lives worldwide, because much less was known about the virus than today. And although the current corona pandemic pales into insignificance in comparison to the Spanish flu, there are a surprising number of similarities, even more than 100 years later. 

    During this lecture Prof. Van Ranst points out that little has changed in that time. Using unique images from the time of the Spanish flu, he reviews the approach to quarantine in the event of infection, outdoor education, the criticism levelled at experts and politicians, and the use of face masks and painkillers. Vaccine producers also found it difficult to satisfy demand in 1919.

    History repeats itself. Because, apart from the development of both pandemics, the approach adopted by the authorities and the impact on the population are also comparable. The repercussions and aftermath of this crisis will likewise be similar to the Spanish flu. 

    Infectious diseases; back from (never) having been away

    COVID-19, Ebola outbreaks, the emergence of the Zika virus, AIDS in Africa, resistance to tuberculosis, a recent measles outbreak in Europe... We are confronted with new infectious diseases or those we believed were under control on an almost daily basis. 

    Following the eradication of smallpox in the early 1970s, people were optimistic about the fight against such diseases. Yet only a few decades later, they now realise that the battle is far from over. Why do we continue to face the same challenge? Which factors influence this phenomenon? Are our technological advances really contributing to the increase in (new) infectious diseases? 

    But most importantly: can we do something about it? And what will the future bring?

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