The Pandemic & Disaster Preparedness Center (PDPC) was officially opened on Friday May 21 at Erasmus MC. Researchers at the PDPC study future virus outbreaks and disasters to be better prepared.
Chairmen Ernst Kuipers of Erasmus MC, Ed Brinksma of Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tim van der Hagen of TU Delft opened the PDPC at Convergence Square in Erasmus MC. They did this in the presence of the mayor of Rotterdam Ahmed Aboutaleb and the mayor of Delft Marja van Bijsterveldt.
Momentum
The COVID-19 crisis painfully demonstrates how vulnerable our society is to disasters. Climate change and overpopulation are causing more frequent and severe extreme weather events. This is linked to the risk of new infectious diseases, as we have seen in recent decades. The PDPC is turning the momentum of COVID-19 into a sustained investment in scientific and technological innovation.
‘We need to learn lessons from what’s happening now. What can we learn now to be better prepared for future outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases and health threats?’ said professor Marion Koopmans, Head of the Department of Viroscience at the Erasmus MC and initiator of the PDPC.
Read more [ https://amazingerasmusmc.com/news/pandemic-disaster-preparedness-center-opened/]
Source: Erasmus MC
Date: 21 May 2021
