Conquering Epidemics

We can never stop fighting

Humans and pathogens are locked in a bitter arms race—and the pathogens are winning. They are evolving to resist our best medicines, and humanity’s pipeline of effective antibiotic weapons is empty. Meanwhile, in a world of packed cities, constant travel, and a warming planet, the danger of a massive outbreak is more acute than ever.

We’re fighting on many fronts to make sure humanity is ready when the next big outbreak happens. Whether it’s a virulent new virus or a persistent killer like AIDS, TB, or Malaria, we’re determined to outsmart our infectious disease foes. We’re mining mountains of data to reveal clues about how these diseases spread. We’re cracking the pathogens’ biological codes. And we’re helping teams around the world build better systems for surveillance and response.

We’re stopping patient 0 from leading to patient 6.7 billion.

Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics
The Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics (CCDD) has been a key center for research and policy analysis on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and has been at the forefront of the COVID-19 response.
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Recent Stories

Sikhulile Moyo named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential for 2022

Sikhulile Moyo, the Botswana-based researcher who helped alert the world about the existence of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus, has been named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2022.

The latest on the coronavirus

Harvard Chan School experts offer comments and context about the coronavirus in a variety of media outlets.

Experts offer tips on taking COVID rapid tests

Experts have been urging people to take advantage of rapid COVID tests and have offered advice on how to use them most effectively.

Masking on planes is ‘good public health sense,’ says expert

Although on April 18th a judge tossed out the federal requirement for masking on airplanes and other forms of transportation, many experts recommend continuing to mask up while flying to protect against the coronavirus.

White House focusing on air quality to fight COVID-19

Harvard Chan School's Joseph Allen spoke at a White House event focused on the importance of clean indoor air in fighting COVID-19.

Caroline Buckee
Associate Professor of Epidemiology

"One of the key things you want to know about an infectious disease is where is it spreading, how quickly, to which populations? Traditionally, we’ve had very few sources of data about how people move around. But today, everyone has a mobile phone."
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Yonatan Grad
Melvin J. and Geraldine L. Glimcher Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases

"In the future, our understanding of the diversity of pathogen species, and the interaction between host and pathogen, will improve."
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Jessica Cohen
Bruce A. Beal, Robert L. Beal, and Alexander S. Beal Associate Professor of Global Health

"Over the next 30 to 50 years, a game changer would be a highly effective malaria vaccine... Meanwhile, lots of kids with malaria are misdiagnosed or undertreated. A vaccine would allow us to circumvent these many behavioral barriers."
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Jeff Wagner
Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases

"In the near future, we’re going to see rapid diagnostic tests: for example, a simple and cheap readout that says whether a person has Zika or dengue—two viruses with similar symptoms."
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