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Mark Honigsbaum and Sir David King on Taming Covid and Preventing the Next Pandemic

Science &
Technology

We brought together two of Britain's most esteemed experts to discuss what we got wrong about the virus and how we can learn from those mistakes

Flu season is coming. After months of death and destruction we’re taking a break from the first wave of Covid-19. But we are about to enter a new unknown. Can we really afford to open schools? Will the seasonal influenza create confusion in tracking covid? And have we really learned the right lessons to tame the virus and enter a post-pandemic world?

Intelligence Squared brought together two of Britain’s most esteemed experts to discuss what we got wrong about the virus and how we can learn from those mistakes. Drawing on examples from history and scientific research, medical historian Mark Honigsbaum and former Chief Scientific Advisor to the U.K Government Sir David King, outlined the measures that need to be put in place, at both national and international levels, to end the pandemic and prevent this kind of catastrophe from ever happening again. The event was chaired by Manveen Rana, host of Stories of our times, a podcast from The Times.

The Pandemic Century: A History of Global Contagion from the Spanish Flu to Covid-19, by Mark Honigsbaum is available to purchase from Waterstones, by clicking the book jacket below.

Event Name

Mark Honigsbaum and Sir David King on Taming Covid and Preventing the Next Pandemic

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Speakers for the motion

  • Mark Honigsbaum

    Medical historian, journalist. Author of The Pandemic Century: A History of Global Contagion from the Spanish Flu to Covid-19

  • Sir David King

    Former Chief Scientific Advisor to the U.K Government

Chair

  • Manveen Rana

    Senior investigative journalist and host of The Times and Sunday Times flagship podcast Stories of Our Times

Speakers are subject to change.

Speakers

SPEAKERS

Mark Honigsbaum

Medical historian, journalist. Author of The Pandemic Century: A History of Global Contagion from the Spanish Flu to Covid-19

Medical historian, journalist, and author of five books including The Pandemic Century: A History of Global Contagion from the Spanish Flu to Covid-19 and The Fever Trail: In Search of the Cure for Malaria. He hosts the podcast series, 'Going Viral: The Mother of all Pandemics', marking the centenary of the 1918 influenza pandemic. He is a former chief reporter at The Observer and holds a PhD in medical history. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at City, University of London and his TED-ED animation, 'How Pandemics Spread', has been viewed more than 2.75 million times.

Sir David King

Former Chief Scientific Advisor to the U.K Government

Former Chief Scientific Advisor to the U.K government from 2000 to 2007 and the current chair of ‘Independent SAGE’ a group of leading independent experts looking at how the UK should respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. He was previously the government’s Special Representative for Climate Change from 2013 to 2017, the Founding Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment at Oxford University and head of the Department of Chemistry at Cambridge University.
Chair

Manveen Rana

Senior investigative journalist and host of The Times and Sunday Times flagship podcast Stories of Our Times

Senior investigative journalist and host of The Times and Sunday Times flagship podcast Stories of Our Times. She was previously a broadcaster and reporter for BBC Radio 4's The Today Programme and The World at One.

 

Speakers are subject to change.