At 10 a.m. on Feb. 24, “Fudan’s first class for 2020 spring semester: COVID-19 prevention and control”, an online public health lecture brought by Fudan University and Chaoxing, a digital service company, was streamed on about ten e-platforms, such as Weibo, WeChat, Tencent Video, Bilibili, Douyin, etc.
Click to watch the lecture videos.
Lecture by Wu Fan, Vice Dean of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University and Chair of Shanghai Preventive Medicine Association
Lecture by Zhang Wenhong, Director of the Infectious Diseases Department, Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University
Wu Fan and Zhang Wenhong, two leading medical experts from Fudan University, talked about COVID-19 based on their own experience and expertise, with a purpose to educate the general public about COVID-19 and dispel fear with their first-hand information from the frontline. Since the outbreak, Wu and Zhang have caught the attention of the public for their medical professionalism and down-to-earth straightforwardness.
On Bilibili, a popular video sharing website among China’s millennials, the number of followers of Fudan University’s account jumped from 50,000 to 57,000 within minutes (6,2000 as of 8p.m. on Feb. 26) during the live broadcast. The comments and “bullet screens” (real-time comments that fly across the screen like bullets) made this lecture more of an interactive experience. Many followers sent e-gifts to express their support and appreciation. The Fudan University live chat room at the site peaked at over 100,000 popularity points. Bilibili’s popularity points are calculated based on a user account’s audience size and its activeness.
Other universities, such as Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance and Harbin Institute of Technology, issued official notices to encourage their students to attend this Fudan lecture.
Zhang Wenhong
Wu Fan
The following are the major takeaways of the lecture.
Where does influenza come from? Scientists have confirmed that all types of influenza originate from birds and fowls, said Zhang Wenhong, Director of the Infectious Diseases Department, Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University. In the past, as our ancestors domesticated fowls and dogs, viruses live symbiotically inside them evolved. Due to close contact with these animals, humans are infected with new influenza viruses. As a result, a major epidemic appeared every once in a while throughout the history.
Zhang took the audience back to the 1918 influenza pandemic, the most severe pandemic in recent history with a death doll of 25 to 50 million which exceeds the number of military and civilian deaths resulted from WWI. Over the past century, influenza viruses has been mutating each year. However, as medical technology progresses, the mortality rate for common influenza has dropped to only 0.2% and people seem to have become used to influenza.
During the lecture, Wu Fan, Vice Dean of Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University and Chair of Shanghai Preventive Medicine Association presents a chart showing the number of newly confirmed cases is on the decline, which is exhilarating news. However, considering the return of people to the workplace, we are yet to arrive at the turning point where the number of total confirmed cases starts to drop. This is why it’s so important for everyone to understand how the virus spreads and take preventive measures.
So far, COVID-19 has been confirmed to be transmitted through mucous membranes which cover body organs and various cavities in the body such as the mouth and nostrils. Therefore, wearing a mask and gloves can greatly reduce the possibility of getting infected from a virus-carrier’s body fluid. Wu also reminds the audience that COVID-19 can be inactivated by UV and heat, as well as common household cleaning supplies such as 75% alcohol and chlorine-containing disinfectant, etc.
The current mortality rate of COVID-19 across China is 2% and that for Shanghai is only 0.5%, so there is no need to panic, said Zhang. One of the major threats posed by COVID-19 is that it has a relatively long incubation period when no symptom is shown. Since the incubation period varies among people, the original spreaders may fall ill later than the people infected through them. Wu thus advised the audience to voluntarily report their health conditions and travel history to their neighborhood committees. There are cases where people tried to hide their illnesses and infected others when wandering in public places, and they have been prosecuted for doing so.
“You play a more important role than doctors”. Zhang told the audience that by choosing to stay in, they can contribute more to the containment of COVID-19 than doctors saving lives at hospitals.
After the 2003 SARS outbreak, many thought humans were invincible before epidemics. But time and again, they were proved wrong. While “limited” human-to-human transmission occurred during SARS, COVID-19 showed no mercy. It has been found that in many cases, mothers get infected through their children. This is because close contact can greatly increase the risk of infection and mothers are usually the ones to take care of their sick children.
In 2013, when Zhang’s colleague found a novel pneumonia in a patient in Shanghai. The thought of the return of SARS alerted him and Fudan affiliated-Huashan Hospital immediately began looking into the virus. Later it was confirmed H7N9 virus. The influenza was contained swiftly, but thanks to not the medics who indeed did a fantastic job treating the patients, but the government’s decision to shut down poultry counters in farmers’ markets across China. That’s why the first move Wuhan authorities made this time was to shut down Huanan Seafood Market where prohibited wildlife trade that happened on the sly is suspected to be the reason why humans are infected with COVID-19 in the first place.
The two experts also elaborated on how to put on and remove masks, the importance of hand washing and the danger of face touching in public spaces, etc. More tips and information can be found on the official WeChat account of Fudan affiliated-Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center (SPHCC).
WeChat: SPHCC
Editor: Deng Jianguo
