A Speech about Coexisting with Infectious Diseases by Professor Taro Yamamoto

Kaohsiung Medical University and the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, Kaohsiung Office, organized an international exchange lecture on December 19, 2022. We invited Professor Taro Yamamoto, from Nagasaki University in Japan, to give a speech titled "A Brief Sketch of with-Corona Era". Professor Yamamoto guided the audience to review the history of infectious diseases during his talk and re-analyzed the situation of the COVID-19 global pandemic. He illustrated how the medical profession and society coexisted with viruses and infectious diseases throughout human history. Regarding public health issues in the 21st century, Professor Yamamoto emphasized that to construct new infectious disease countermeasures, the concept of "coexistence" must be placed at the core. As long as human beings are part of nature, new infectious diseases will appear. It is challenging to face contagious diseases. However, human beings will develop immunities, and society will become stronger. Infectious diseases are not only an issue in the medical field but also a social problem. Professor Yamamoto encouraged the audience to think about what the society should be like after the pandemic is over.