Plagues, pestilence and influenza
dealt with at Handbury Lecture
10 June 2008
While science is an important combatant in the Global fight against infectious disease, it is not a substitute for good public health policies and sound health infrastructure, Laureate Professor Peter Doherty told the capacity audience at this year’s Handbury Lecture.
The attraction of world-class medical professionals to the annual Handbury Lecture at Hamilton Base Hospital reached great heights last week, with the appearance of the first Nobel Prize winner to speak at the highly regarded annual lecture.
Introducing Prof Doherty, Western District Health Service Chief Executive Officer Mr Jim Fletcher said he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1996 with Swiss colleague Rolf Zinkernagel, for their discovery of how the immune system recognises virus infected cells.
Prof Doherty entertained the audience with delightful humour when he delivered his presentation - “Plagues, Pestilence and Influenza”. He described his rise to Nobel prize winner and science celebrity, and having the same resonance in the broader community as a minor character in a coffee commercial.
In the science world though Prof Doherty is highly regarded, and currently divides his time between the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne, and the St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, in the United States.
Prof Doherty provided insight into virulent diseases of the 20th Century – influenza, SARS and AIDS - and the role of scientific research, vaccinations, the impact of Global travel and cultural behaviour on the spread and containment of the diseases.
The SARS epidemic provided a good example of how science could protect humanity, and also demonstrated internationalism at it best, Prof Doherty said.
“This epidemic was handled professionally and well by the established global influenza network. The scientists used both classical and avant garde virology techniques, and the relatively low infectivity of the virus allowed quarantine measures to work,” he said.
The AIDS story exemplified both the triumphs and limitations of modern science, Prof Doherty claimed.
“The AIDS lesson is that embedded cultural and social practices can be lethal. While open public campaigns in Africa stressing harm reduction through abstinence, faithfulness and condom use have worked well, recent under-funding of women’s health programs is undermining AIDS prevention.”
“We are changing the picture, but there is a long way to go,” Prof Doherty concluded.
ABOVE: Rowly and Judy Patterson, WDHS CEO Jim Fletcher, Geoff Handbury, Laureate Professor Peter Doherty and WDHS board president Richard Walter at the 10th annual Handbury Lecture.