Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children: A Post-Covid Autoimmune Disease | Joe DeRisi, Ph.D.

2024 Beckman Symposium, Stanford University
Pandemic Preparedness, December 6, 2024

As a nation we faced the COVID-19 pandemic that we were ill-prepared to handle. This pandemic blossomed in 2020, and went on to claim millions of lives. Today, almost five years later, we are still coping with the now endemic virus and the consequences of long COVID. Notably, another viral threat is now on the horizon. The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 is infecting our herds of dairy cows and spreading among mammals across the U.S. We are closely watching for human-to-human transmission which still remains to be verified. A significant fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic was the erosion of trust by many people in the science of public health. This symposium on Pandemic Preparedness aims to address this challenge by presenting the science behind vaccines, our immunological responses, and viral surveillance, as well as examining policy decisions and strategies on how we should and must communicate with the public.