From Molecule to Drug

Ankara Pilot Course Successful


Transmissible, as a member of the larger project Consortium led by Ankara University, recently participated in a collaborative workshop in Ankara, Turkey. The workshop aimed to pilot an educational program covering various stages of pharmaceutical development, from molecule discovery to drug production. It provided a platform for professionals from diverse backgrounds, including chemists, bioinformaticians, biologists, pharmacologists, entrepreneurs, clinicians, and regulatory agents, to share knowledge and contribute to a comprehensive understanding of drug creation. Transmissible's role is to develop creative training materials and organise two project meetings. Among the materials that Transmissible develops are an educational comic book, the project website and an e-course.

The workshop, titled "A Journey Through the Pipeline into a New Drug," was developed over the past year as part of an Erasmus+ project. It aimed to integrate all critical aspects of drug creation into educational experiences. The feedback from the pilot workshop was overwhelmingly positive, indicating significant progress in participants' understanding, as evidenced by pre- and post-activity tests, course assessments, and feedback. With the support of the European Union and the Turkish National Agency, the project is moving closer to realizing its vision. More information about the project can be found on the Erasmus+ project website.

Transmissible joins HBV-HCV Consortium

On 9 November 2022, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published the call for tender “Sentinel surveillance for hepatitis B and C”. A Consortium led by Epiconcept, France, and including the partners from the Croatian Institute of Public Health (CIPH), (Croatia), National Institute of Public Health (NIPH), Romania, and Transmissible (Netherlands) submitted a successful proposal.

Transmissible's responsibility will be to design the training activities for this project. The framework contract for the “Sentinel surveillance for hepatitis B and C” was signed on 14 July 2023 and the first specific contract was signed on 24 October, 2023 and will end by 31 March 2024, a total of just over five months.

Get Ready for Battle: Healing Blade: Defenders of Soma - Riveting Second Edition Now Live!

Hello, fellow gamers and enthusiasts!

We are beyond thrilled to announce the arrival of the newest gem in our webshop: the second edition of the riveting card battle game - "Healing Blade: Defenders of Soma", designed by the brilliant minds at NerdCore Medical.

Set in the mystic world of Soma, the game presents a riveting tale of conflict and resilience. The land is under a catastrophic siege by the vile Lords of Pestilence, dreadful beings embodying the likes of Anthrax, Pertussis, Cholera, and the Black Death. These malevolent invaders are attempting to annihilate the innocent inhabitants of Soma.

But despair not! The people of Soma are not unguarded. The Apothecary Healers, their messianic saviours, rise to defend their homeland. Commanded by the venerable warriors Penicillin, Cipro, and Tetracycline, the Healers tirelessly engage in combat, repelling wave after wave of relentless attackers. Each Apothecary Healer carries a unique speciality that requires thoughtful and strategic deployment.

However, the task is not easy; the invaders are cunning and evolve quickly to resist the Apothecary powers. Struck down, some of them return even more powerful.

About the game

Defenders of Soma is a unique blend of fantasy and reality, designed to emulate the real-world struggle against infectious diseases and bacterial resistance. In this two-player card game, one player sends out the Lords of Pestilence to attack the innocent villagers, while the other defends with the Apothecary Healers. The game's dynamics mirror the escalating challenges of antibiotic use against the world's most common and dreaded bacterial infections today.

Created by a collaboration of hardcore gamers and practising physicians, this game doesn't merely provide a complex strategic gameplay experience. It subtly educates players about the urgency of today’s medical predicaments, particularly the growing issue of antibiotic resistance.

Now, onto the exciting part! The second edition of Defenders of Soma is now available! This version features an updated set of antibiotics, aligning with the US-FDA standards 2021. It also includes an extended collection of villager cards for a more immersive experience.

Get your copy now

Healing Blade: Defenders of Soma, brought to you by NerdCore Medical, is now distributed in the Netherlands by Transmissible. Check out our webshop. To get a feel for the game, you can watch the 2017 Transmissible Briefs episode below, explaining the game in-depth

Let's brace ourselves to join the Apothecary Healers in their noble cause. So, gear up for a gaming experience like no other, and together, let's save the world of Soma from the dreaded Lords of Pestilence.

Visit our webshop now, and let the battle begin!

The Revamped FEMWiki: Your Ultimate Guide to Field Epidemiology

Exciting news for field epidemiology enthusiasts! The ultimate online resource, FEMWiki, is back and better than ever! Transmissible has breathed new life into the comprehensive Field Epidemiology Manual in Wiki format, and it's now available for you to explore and expand your knowledge in this crucial field.

Originally crafted by the supervisors and scientific coordinators of the European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training (EPIET), FEMWiki was first published in 2007 under a Creative Commons License. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) commissioned the development of this interactive platform to the innovative City eHealth Research Centre (CeRC - City University, London). Between 2007 and 2016, the FEMWIKI community grew, wrote new content, and added curricular tools, including MS PowerPoint lectures.

After migrating to a Microsoft SharePoint wiki in 2017, the ECDC eventually discontinued the interactive project in 2022, converting all its content into a single large PDF. But the story doesn't end there!

Arnold Bosman, one of the original FEMWiki developers, was determined to revitalize FEMWiki and uphold its Creative Commons License; he brought the interactive repository back to life through Transmissible.

We're thrilled to announce that on April 1st, www.femwiki.org was re-launched. As of April 18, 2023, the entire contents of the original FEMWiki platform are once again accessible to the global community of field epidemiologists.

Don't miss out on this invaluable resource! Whether you're a seasoned expert or just starting your journey into field epidemiology, FEMWiki offers a wealth of information on methods, principles, and best practices. Join us in celebrating the return of this vital tool and take advantage of the opportunity to deepen your understanding and expertise in the field of epidemiology.

Discover the revamped FEMWiki now at www.femwiki.org and become part of the growing community dedicated to advancing field epidemiology. Together, we can make a difference in public health and disease prevention worldwide.

SO HRMO!

In this game, the players face unusual infections with particularly resistant microorganisms (HRMO) in a nursing home.

How do you detect an unusual number of BRMO infections, and what role does the resistance mechanism play? What measures are taken at the patient and institutional levels? And how do you discuss the different roles within the outbreak team?

SO BRMO can be played with geriatric specialists (SO), but also well with the members of the infection prevention committee. SO BRMO is a scenario game. The game is a tool to reflect as a team on the specific challenges that scenarios in which BRMO play the leading role entail. Explore relevant challenges and perspectives together!

Information about the game:

Game time: 60 minutes
Number of players: 4-6
Guided Play: Yes

This game can be ordered at our webshop.

(C) Copyright Pandemos BV - 2023

Board Game Strengthens Antibiotic Awareness

Knowledge about antibiotic resistance and infection prevention is essential in the fight against ABR. So get started with infection prevention in different scenarios! The games Resistance and SO BRMO are specially made for this. It is a fun way of learning, and the increased knowledge improves insight into specific antibiotic resistance challenges.

Resistance

In this board game, a team of healthcare professionals (the players) takes on highly resistant micro-organisms (HRMO). The game takes place in a ward in a nursing home. Several consecutive infections have been discovered in this department. Is there an epidemic? How does HRMO spread? What actions should be taken to stop the spread? The players work together to answer these questions. This is done in three stages:

The first discovery of infections caused by HRMOs.
Research into the transmission route of HRMOs.
They are reporting an unusual number of infections, who are reporting what?
The game master manages the game. The players analyze and discuss the situation in each phase from their role in the department. National protocols, department protocols, medical devices and the division of a department are discussed. The rounding-off takes place based on a point count of the number of infections that can be traced. Whoever can explain the most infections wins. Do you manage to explain most of the infections, or will the HRMOs continue to spread? Watch the explainer video of the game.

Information about the game:

Game time 30 min.
Game Guidance: Yes
Number of players 6-8
Players: healthcare professionals working in nursing homes, small-scale living and institutions for people with an intellectual disability.

The game is currently available in Dutch and can be ordered via the webshop.

(C) Copyright Pandemos BV - 2023

FluFighters™ at University College London

We took the train from Houten (NL) to London (UK) to play FluFighters™ with the Global Digital Health students at UCL. This Outbreak Learning Game lets students step into the shoes of epidemic responders at different levels. The scenario is set in the Netherlands, though the narrative was translated into English. The story starts with an unusually severe Influenza outbreak at an elementary school in the center of the Netherlands. The players are local outbreak investigators and have to make smart choices. They must ask the right questions to figure out what is going on and who is most at risk. And they discover the challenges of getting the right resources together to enable the investigation.

Group of students playing the FluFighter card game

The game is collaborative, so players have to make all decisions together. But the clock ticks, as it does in real life when an outbreak hits a population.

Once the players have determined the most important questions to investigate, they must gather the necessary resources in time to allow the investigation to take off.

FluFighters™ was developed by Transmissible and Grumpy Owl Games and is distributed through Pandemos.

Can you count to 386…?

That’s how many multidisciplinary experts we have from 112 countries & territories on the @Nature global #COVIDconsensus which I am proud to announce that I am a part of. This paper focuses on how to end the #COVID19 pandemic as a public health threat, and officially launched TODAY at https://go.nature.com/3NtcfCM!

Specific actions are required to end #COVID19 as a public health threat & our new #COVIDconsensus paper provides actionable recommendations with a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach to make that possible in the months, not years, to come.

As a result of the large number of experts, wide geographical representation & Delphi study design, this may prove to be a model for developing responses to future global health emergencies. https://go.nature.com/3NtcfCM!

Transmissible Director co-authors  COVID-19 vaccine safety study

Arnold Bosman, M.D., participated in the observational study published in Frontiers in Public Health showing low rates of reported severe adverse events after immunization

Selangor Public Health Advisory Council Visit

Transmissible hosted the Selangor Public Health Advisory Council Visit on Friday, 14 October 2022, at our office in Houten.

Step into my Shoes- An Exciting Simulation Game

Arnold Bosman moderated the Pandemos game 'Step into my shoes at the European Health Forum Conference in Gastein, 2022. MSD and ESIP organised the session.

"This was indeed a very interesting game!"
(Dimitra Pantelli, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies)

Health Managers and Gaming: Stakeholders put Spotlight on Ecosystem

At the European Health Managers Association (EHMA) Conference in Brussels, it was all about Health Managers and Gaming. Commissioned by MSD / Sanofi, Transmissible supported Pandemos to moderate a Vaccination Stakeholder Engagement Game at the EHMA Conference in Brussels.

Health Managers and Gaming

Pandemos developed the Vaccination Ecosystem game to engage stakeholders in an interactive debate about the European Vaccination Action Plan. Ten stakeholders each receive a specific assignment to take actions that will improve two Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the Vaccination Ecosystem. The more support their chosen action receives from other stakeholders, the more effective it will have. However, different stakeholders will focus on different KPIs, so you need to choose well.

Five players form one stakeholder team: the Ministry of Health, Regulators, Vaccine Manufacturers, Health Care Professionals, EU Agencies, Media, Procurement Bodies, NITAG, Civil Societies and R&D Partners. And once the actions are implemented, the Ecosystem changes. And though an action may promote some KPI, it will undermine others. So, all stakeholders must work together to identify the best actions to heal the Ecosystem again.

Curious? Check out the Pandemos website.

Webinar on field epidemiology

Ashis Brahma hosts a weekly webinar on the topic "Good care in healthcare and public health". Recently, he interviewed Arnold Bosman of Transmissible on the topics of Field Epidemiology, Trans-Disciplinary work, and Creativity. View this, and more interviews on Crowdale.com.

Ashis and Arnold speak Dutch (so, be warned)

Ashis Brahma interviews Arnold Bosman, 9 May 2022, on Crowdale.com

New Field Epidemiology Competencies - the ultimate guide

ECDC publishes revised Epidemiology Competencies.

On April 8, 2022, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published the revised  Competency Framework for Public Health Epidemiology. Transmissible participated in this revision process. The Association of Schools for Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER) led the revision process.

Lastly, based on this work, ECDC developed a self-assessment tool for these competencies in their EVA platform.

Why is this impactful? What is at stake? Firstly, competency frameworks are essential for the harmonization of public health capacities between countries. Next, these frameworks provide valuable guidance for future curricula of educational institutions. Lastly, they offer a repository of functional descriptions that can be used for job profiles and performance monitoring.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control expressed appreciation to the team involved in this revision.

I take this opportunity to thank and to congratulate the whole team on the work accomplished
(Jeanine Pommier, ECDC)

ECDC publishes revised Field Epidemiology Competencies. 

ECDC publishes revised Field Epidemiology Competencies. 

Pandemic? Vaccines are not enough

The COVID19 pandemic is still with us after 22 months. And globally, there is no sign of stopping. The World Health Organization provides expert guidance to all countries on the best-known response to this public health threat. Still, we see large variations in national approaches. In The Netherlands, for example, the government has put most emphasis on vaccination, while releasing most of the non-pharmacological interventions that were in place to keep the virus transmission in check. Even when the baseline rate of infections was still high (over 2000 cases daily).

Unfortunately, soon after releasing these control measures, numbers started rising again in September, despite a vaccination coverage of 85% of the population over 12 years of age.

News Channel EenVandaag invited Arnold Bosman (Transmissible) to comment on the situation and the need for specific measures. The below fragment is in Dutch.

The key message is that vaccines are important, but will not be sufficient to control the pandemic alone. Additional control measures will always be needed. The challenge is to find the right mix of baseline measures, that will allow society to remain open at most levels. The key is to adopt a strategy of containment. This would be the biggest step forward for The Netherlands, where the government still maintains a mitigation strategy, allowing significant virus circulation up to levels that are just under the healthcare capacity threshold. As the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control have stated regularly: mitigation strategies are not advisable, as the risk of uncontrollable outbreaks, that require stringent lockdown measures, is very high.

URGE - but still, they come....

Gameplay in progress at NSPOH

We designed the learning game URGE with Grumpy Owl Games as a multidisciplinary public health challenge in three rounds. The game is produced and distributed by Pandemos - the public health gaming company. URGE forces specialists out of their professional silos to team up against the greatest challenge of their careers. The team must race against time and develop scenarios to protect the population. For this, they must come out of their comfort zone and start making decisions as a team.

The Netherlands School of Public Health (NSPOH) commissioned Pandemos to create this game as part of their curriculum.

We tried out the game on July 14, 2021, to test the first reactions at the school for public health. This helped us to finalise the game and launch it on September 2 at the NSPOH.

EPIET Anniversary Interviews

ECDC Report: STI Control Strategies

On 4 September 2019, ECDC published the report "Developing a national strategy for the prevention and control of sexually transmitted infections". The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) commissioned this contract through contract ECD.8353, coordinated by Otilia Mardh and Andrew J Amato-Gauci, and produced by Transmissible B.V., represented by Arnold Bosman, Marita van de Laar and Jurgita Pakalniskiene.

A strategy should be evidence-based and take into account national STI epidemiological data. Prevention and control activities should consider the determinants of sexual transmission, for example, factors such as transmissibility of pathogens, contact rates, and duration of infectiousness. A combination of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention activities may be used, based on their proven effectiveness; equally relevant when selecting prevention activities are strategy objectives and the characteristics of the epidemic in question.

The development of a new national strategy and action plan should consider alignment with other policies, strategies and action plans – both national and international – in order to create synergies between related policy areas.

The report proposes a seven-step approach for the development, implementation and monitoring of a national strategy and action plan:
- Establish a national coordination mechanism
- Engage stakeholders in the process
- Perform a situation analysis
- Develop the strategy document
- Develop an action plan
- Coordinate and manage the action plan implementation
- Establish a monitoring and evaluation plan

Simulation Exercise Flu

On 11 and 12 September 2019, we supported Trimension in coordinating a regional Simulation Exercise for severe seasonal influenza. The exercise was held in the east of the Netherlands and involved public health services, hospitals, general practitioners, crisis coordination teams, and other healthcare partners. The exercise aimed to test the preparedness and the functions at a tactical crisis response level.

Transmissible supported the exercise with epidemiological and public health scenario content and counter-play in the exercise response cell.

Micro-learning for busy professionals

Professional life is demanding. At the technical expert level, you are faced with rapid new developments in your field. As an executive manager, you face demands and priorities 360 degrees around you. Even if you are motivated to learn, where will you find the time?

Microlearning offers added value when learners are busy managing many priorities. Microlearning gives learners bite-sized programs that fit into their workday more easily than traditional training. Video lectures of 3-4 minutes are more attractive than those taking 30-40 minutes. But there is a catch! You must resist the temptation to take the easy road, and simply chop up a lecture in 10 smaller parts, without modifying the storyline. Because doing that forces the learner to follow all lectures in a fixed sequence. Plus you risk that a single short video raises more questions than it answers.

Recently, a corporate client approached us with the request to create training for senior managers within the organisation. The topic had technical aspects, as well as tactical and strategic elements. The purpose of the training would require the managers to update knowledge and to align with the global corporate policy. Knowledge and experience varied within the group and as a consequence, so would the individual learning objectives.

Microlearning offered a solution. We categorised the field of knowledge into 6 domains. For each of the domains, we identified six to ten concepts that managers had to know. Each of these concepts could be explained briefly, which is what we did. Together with Vetpot Video productions, we created bite-sized video lectures, varying in length from 3 to 9 minutes. The micro-lectured were designed such, that they could be viewed in any sequence. The lectures could be viewed on a desktop, tablet or smartphone, to optimize the access.

But very short lectures alone are not enough to make micro-learning successful. Motivation to engage with the training is not a matter of course (no pun intended). To achieve this, we introduced three online problem-based debating events, each one around a specific topic. Pegbarians created cartoon invitations, which we sent around to introduce the topics for debate. Also, we distributed a syllabus with an overview of all micro-learning. This included provocative comic book stories created by Jordan Collver, to jumpstart the debate.

This combination of micro-learning and problem-based awareness-raising proved to be very popular and successful. Participants agreed or disagreed with the comic-book narrative. Either way, this filled the online events with lively discussions about perceptions, values and expectations around the three topics. It also helped to separate knowledge from opinions. To share knowledge, we referred to the microlearning videos. This allowed focussing the discussions on opinions and strategic directions.

An additional benefit of microlearning is improved accessibility to the learning content. The short lectures easily fill idle time, for example, while travelling.

Thanks to the ubiquitous mobile devises and connectivity, microlearning can be enjoyed on your own conditions, anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

Our project on HIV Drug Resistance Surveillance

In 2017, Transmissible started a project for ECDC to pilot surveillance of HIV Drug Resistance (HIVDR) in 9 European countries. Marita van de Laar and Arnold Bosman worked with a team of experts from ECDC and 9 pilot countries to design, perform and analyse the pilot.

The article reporting on the outcome of this pilot was published in Eurosurveillance on 9 May 2019. (See below)

Vaccine hesitant mother learned about value of vaccination. The hard way.

When we think about declining vaccination coverage, the first that probably comes to mind is the shouting match on social media between Antivaxxers and ProVaxxers. As often in life, the ones with the loudest mouths do not represent the majority voice.

Antivaccination messages are scary, use false arguments and present falsehoods as facts. They frighten a much larger group of responsible, caring parents into hesitating about vaccination. Vaccine hesitancy has grown, not because the hesitant are stupid, but mainly because they care. They care about their children; some believe there may be truth in the Antivaxx claims that vaccines are bad for a child.

All parents have to weigh the risks for their children. Do I breast-feed, or bottle-feed? Can I let her cycle to school each day, or should she take the bus? Every choice has a risk. Not choosing also has a risk. The question is: which risk do you want to avoid?

If someone says: "Vaccines are completely safe, you will never be hurt", then that simply is not true. There is an extremely small risk attached to any medicine (even preventive) that you take. The important question is: how big is the risk when I do NOT vaccinate?

Well, this we know for as long as medicine exists. Measles kills, Whooping cough kills, Polio kills and paralyses, Rubella kills or cripples your unborn baby. These risks are at least thousands of times larger than the risk of taking the vaccines. It is an established, widely accepted scientific fact that not vaccinating presents a hugely bigger risk than vaccinating. Yes, it is true that a bridge may collapse. But do you really believe it is safer to let your kids swim across the river?

The safest choice you have as a parent is to vaccinate your children. It is a simple as that.

Better than I can ever explain, this Canadian mother tells you her story:

International Epidemiological Association Regional Meeting - Beirut

The East Mediterranean Region of the International Epidemiological Association (IEA) organised the 12th regional conference from 21-23 February 2019 in Beirut, Lebanon, in coordination with the Lebanese Epidemiological Association (LEA).

Arnold participated as a speaker in the program.

What will you give your Valentine this year?

Valentine's Day. We celebrate love. In anticipation of this wonderful day, we have a message prepared for all you lovers out there.

And the winner is.........

Yes, we do have a winner. In fact, we have several prizes to distribute. The 'Year of the Pig'-competition closed yesterday, at the Chinese New Year and we received 14 submissions online.

The fastest solution was submitted by Gudrun Freidl, who solved the Word Puzzle in 204 seconds, and suggested that the following zoonoses were missing from the list: ringworm, campylobacteriosis, pathogenic E. coli, streptococcosis, cryptosporidiosis and tapeworm.

Well done, and congratulations, Gudrun!

Runners up were Lisa Hansen (333 seconds), Joris Sprokholt (543 seconds), Hana Orlikova (591 seconds) and Brandon Patton (time not recorded); together they suggested additional missing pig-related zoonoses:

An honourable mentioning for Hana Orlikova, who also informed us about various antibody-studies in pigs and swine, that linked to the following infections and pathogens: Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium Bovis, M. tuberculosis complex, M.avium), Lyme borreliosis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia sp., Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Tick-borne encephalitis, Japanese encephalitis, and Toxoplasma gondii. Of course, this does not mean that all of these are pig-related zoonoses, but I admire the level of detail. In addition, she was the only one who provided a risk assessment for the image from the PigSaw Puzzle: Well done Hana, for this research !!

Gudrun, Lisa, Joris, Hana and Brandon; I will reach out to you with your well-deserved prize 🙂

Thanks to everyone for being such a good sport, and responding to this playful call!

Mass Game Event

On 23 January 2019, 150 bachelor students at Utrecht University played our educational game 'Greep op Griep' (FluFighters). Students play the game in groups of 5-6 players. This afternoon, five groups played in the same room and got familiar with the roles in outbreak response. During the game, players step in the shoes of four local, national and international organisations and try to solve the problems they face.

PigSawPuzzle

In the theme of the Chinese 'Year of the Pig' (5 February 2019 - 24 January 2020), we thought you'd like this jigsaw puzzle. After solving it, we will be most interested in receiving your comprehensive risk assessment for this situation. You can leave it in the comments section below (only for logged in users: registration is free))

Days to Christmas

Our Transmissible Advent Calendar counts down the days to Christmas. Each day, a new post is unveiled. You probably already see the full image that is behind each of the days. No? Just come back tomorrow, and a new part is shown.

[adventcalendar calendar="mindful"]

 

Click on each day to read the post

World AIDS Day 2018

LET'S END IT

End isolation
End stigma
End HIV transmission

You’ve helped to fight HIV. Now, let’s end it. This World AIDS Day join the fight to end the negative impact of HIV. World AIDS Day is on December 1, each year. Let's all contribute in our own way.

EDUCATE TO END IT

Mark World AIDS Day in your school by using our free teaching resources. Your students will learn about what life is like with HIV, how to protect themselves and about HIV history with our assembly PowerPoint and illustrated timeline, which you can download here.

ESCAIDE 2018 Interactions

From 21-23 November 2018, the ECDC and network partners organised the annual European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology: ESCAIDE. This year, the conference was hosted by Malta, at the Hilton Hotel in St. Julian's. The program offered inspiring speakers with a range of perspectives on communicable disease prevention and control.

The conference is coordinated by ECDC since 2007, when it was transformed from the annual EPIET Scientific Seminar (organised by EPIET since 1996) into ESCAIDE.

Among the Keynote speakers opening ESCAIDE were Dr. John Nkengasong (director at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Ethiopia) and Prof. Dr. Christian Drosten (virologist at the Institute of Virology, Campus Charité Mitte, Germany). ECDC Director Andrea Ammon opened the first day by reminding the audience of the conference aims (see picture).

 

Career Compass

The EPIET Alumni Network (EAN) has been a key partner in co-organising ESCAIDE since the very beginning. On the first day, EAN organised the 'Career Compass', an interactive session where the audience can ask a panel questions on career choices. This year, the panel (see picture on the right) included a wide range of public health experts. Behind the table (from right to left), you see Dr. Chris Barbara (Chairman of the Pathology Department at Mater Dei Hospital in Malta), Dr. Grazia Caleo (Public Health Advisor for the Manson Unit in Medecins Sans Frontieres), Dr. Emilie Perron (Pharmaco-epidemiologist at WHO), Dr. Jane Wheelan (senior epidemiologist at GSK vaccines), Thibaut Jombart (Associate Professor outbreak response analytics, Imperial College London, UK), and Dr. Alastair Donachie (graduating EPIET fellow cohort 2016).

Arnold Bosman (Transmissible) moderated the Career Compass session.

 

 

Poster Session 22 on Vaccine Effectiveness (see picture left) included 4 presentations on effectiveness of Pneumococcal Vaccines and one on seasonal influenza.

Sebastian Cortaredona presented how likely it is that vaccinated people with diabetes will re-vaccinate next year. Lukas Richter presented the impact of PCV-10 on children and adults in Austria. Camelia Savulescu (EpiConcept) gave a summary of the effectiveness studies of SpidNet for PCV-13. Larisa Savrasova discussed outcomes six years after the introduction of PCV-10 in Latvia. And Anna Alari gave an overview of geographical analysis of vaccine coverage and pneumococcal meningitis in France.

The session was moderated by Arnold Bosman (Transmissible).

 

 

Games for Health 2018

Vincent, Tom and Arnold ready for the first keynote speech.

On 1 and 2 October 2018, the 'Greep op Griep-team' joined the Games for Health Europe conference in Eindhoven. Grumpy Owl Games (formerly known as: Jade Owl Studios) and Transmissible designed and developed the educational game 'Influencing Influenza' (Greep op Griep) for the Utrecht University and presented their work at this international meeting.

The Temporary Art Centre (TAC) in Eindhoven hosted the conference. Located opposite the PSV- Philips Stadium. TAC contains 80 workspaces for starting professional artists and has a cultural program with exhibitions, readings, workshops and music. During the first two days of October 2018, this old industrial building hosted the GFHEU conference in a unique, creative atmosphere.

Jeremy explaining the game to Ting Jiang from the Centre for Advanced Hindsight.

Tom and Arnold spent the two days listening to presentations, interacting with health workers and game professionals. Vincent joined the first day, and Jeremy the second. Arnold presented the creation and performance of the game on the first afternoon.

We had two tables in the main room to exhibit the game and that proved a great position. During the breaks, there were always interested participants around our tables, curious to get info or play a round.

Keynote speeches were awesome, on thought provoking topics and state of the art game development.

 

Outbreak Game in Action

On July 4th, 2018, we ran the second session of the educational outbreak response game 'FluFighters(tm)' at the Utrecht University.

This time, the Julius Center coordinated a survey to assess the educational effect of the game. Students were requested to complete a questionnaire after playing the game. Results will be presented at the Games for Health Europe Conference (8-9 October 2018, Eindhoven).

Greep op Griep (Influencing Influenza) is an educational hybrid digital/card game designed and developed by Transmissible and Grumpy Owl Games (formerly known as: Jade Owl Studios).

Unboxing our new Outbreak Game

Today the new design of our game 'Greep op Griep' arrived ! So the unboxing was exciting: the new design by Tim Schoonhoven looks superb, and the quality production by GameCrafter.com makes it look very good.

The box comes with a sturdy quality foldable game board and two decks of cards: The Resources and the Information files. The cards have UV protection coating and a linen look and feel to the touch. All together it ensures a great game experience.

Of course, the key feature is the branched narrative of the scenario that the players have to go through, depending on their choices and their ability to get the right resources together in time. That will onfold on the computer screen.

 

All together, it looks VERY COOL 🙂

Training the Communicable Disease Team

On 28 June we organised a table top training with the Regional Public Health Services 'Hollands Midden', in Leiden, the Netherlands. The Communicable Disease Control team engaged in a challenging scenario, dealing with a biosecurity breach in the region. The scenario unfolded real time, and had started the evening before, when the director of public health called the duty officer with an assignment for support.

Transmissible prepared and executed the training together with collaborative partner Trimension. The training has been accredited for Continuous Professional Development (CPD).

 

Masterclass Digital Disaster Response

 On 21 June 2018, University College London (UCL) organised a Masterclass on Digital Disaster Response. Participants brought a rich and wide range of professional backgrounds, a majority of which in public health and disaster response. Dr. Patty Kostkova had convened the event, and invited Arnold Bosman from Transmissible (NL) and professor Carlos Castillo from Pompeu University (ES) to present.

In the morning, Arnold started with an overview of public health emergency response, and rapid assessment priorities in complex emergencies. This was followed by an exercise, where participants viewed a video about the earthquake in Haiti (2010) and had to discuss priorities for in that context. With the experience that participants brought in, including Tsunami relief in Banda Aceh (2004/5) and Haiti Earthquake relief (2010), this exercise provided a rich discussion.

In the afternoon, professor Castillo presented datamining from social media streams such as Twitter and Facebook, to achieve rapid assessment of geographical area affected, casualty counts, and severity of impact.

 

Happy Schuman Day !

On the 9th of May 2018, we celebrate the European Union. On this day, it was 68 years ago that Robert Schuman, the Luxembourg-borne French foreign minister presented a declaration that would become one of the foundations of the European Union. Together with Jean Monnet, he would draw up the Schuman-Plan for a United Europe with lasting peace.

In 1950, the nations of Europe were still struggling to overcome the devastation wrought by World War II, which had ended 5 years earlier. Determined to prevent another such terrible war, European governments concluded that pooling coal and steel production would – in the words of the Declaration – make war between historic rivals France and Germany "not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible".

The ECSC

It was thought – correctly – that merging of economic interests would help raise standards of living and be the first step towards a more united Europe.  The European Coal and Steel Community (founding members: France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) was the first of a series of supranational European institutions that would ultimately become today's "European Union". Membership of the ECSC was open to other countries.

The contribution which an organized and living Europe can bring to civilization is indispensable to the maintenance of peaceful relations. In taking upon herself for more than 20 years the role of champion of a united Europe, France has always had as her essential aim the service of peace.

 

Life-course Immunisation Report Published

The Confederation of Meningitis Organisations (CoMO), the Coalition for Life-Course Immunisation (CLCI), along with Transmissible and other key stakeholders, have co-authored and contributed to a document that was initiated and funded by MSD and produced by the Health Policy Partnership. The report discusses what a life-course approach to vaccination could look like and how it could be implemented into future vaccination policies.

The report highlights that adopting a life-course approach to vaccination could positively impact individuals, the wider community, and socioeconomic factors. For example:

  • The individual: taking a life-course approach to vaccination may help boost the individuals’ immunity over their lifetime, which may make them more resistant to other diseases
  • Public Health: vaccinating individuals helps to stop the spread of infectious disease to vulnerable, unvaccinated populations.
  • Socioeconomic impact: through preventing illness, vaccinating individuals at all ages can reduce hospitalisation rates and increase productivity in the workplace.

Research suggests that shifting to a life-course approach to vaccination will require policymakers to make several changes.

These changes fall into 5 categories:

  • Involving global, EU and public health leaders
  • Changing the public’s perception of vaccination
  • Engaging healthcare professionals
  • Integrating vaccination into non-healthcare settings, such as schools or workplaces
  • Improving vaccine surveillance, data and research.

Read the full report to find out more:

[aesop_document type="pdf" src="https://www.transmissible.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/17-080-VACC_Report_interactive.pdf" caption="A life-course approach to vaccination:
adapting European policies"]

 

 

Some of the co-authors of the report have also penned an open letter to key members of DG-Santé. In the letter, they call on all stakeholders to adopt a life-course approach to vaccination. Read the open letter here:

[aesop_document type="pdf" src="https://www.transmissible.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/life_course_vacc_open_letter.pdf" caption="Open Letter on Lifelong Vaccination"]

Infographics

The Health Policy Partnership have created an infographic for members of the general public and policymakers detailing the importance of a life-course approach to vaccination:

[aesop_gallery id="4214" revealfx="off" overlay_revealfx="off"]

Digital Health - The Lyon Conference 2018

The Digital Health community is growing. And it is thanks to conferences like #DH2018 in Lyon, that experts from related disciplines can exchange results, experience and ideas for future developments. Computer scientists, clinicians, nurses, public health specialists, behavioral scientists, epidemiologists, microbiologists and, yes, also philosophers, ethicists and legal experts have a stake in the field of Digital Health.

One of the first invitations that I accepted after staring up Transmissible in June 2016, is to become co-chair of the Digital Health Conference, and join the team of Patty Kostkova, who has been promoting the field of digital health for over a decade. Starting with the eHealth conferences held in London (2008), Istanbul (2009), Casablanca (2010) and Malaga (2011), a next step was made to set up the Public Health in Digital Age Workshop. This workshop was held with WWW conference in Rio de Janeiro (2013) and Seoul (2014). In 2015, this was transformed to a full subconference on Digital Health, held under the WWW Conference in Florence (2015), in Montreal (2016) and independently in London (2017).

The aim of the Digital Health Conference is to bring together public health agencies (WHO, ECDC, CDC, PHE) and computer science and IT and MedTech industry to cross-fertilize ideas and drive this growing interdisciplinary field.

This year, in Lyon, we have set up a program around the theme "Emergency and Humanitarian Medicine". Addressing acute needs of natural and manmade disasters will leverage opportunities created by geo-located big data, mobile technology and crowdsourcing for improving resilience, early warning and response to disasters and emergencies.

Curious for a glimpse in the conference?


New vlog series on Flu Preparedness (Dutch)

To support the Trimension simulation exercise on seasonal influenza, we have created a series of video briefs to explain some key aspects of preparedness for Seasonal Influenza. Below is one example (in Dutch) on hygiene measures.

The series can be found at our Vimeo channel 'Korte Uitleg'.

 


Playful Introduction to Outbreak Response

The University of Utrecht innovates the medical curriculum and asked Transmissible to develop a game to get students acquainted with outbreak response. In partnership with Jade Owl Studios, we designed 'Influencing Flu', a hybrid game combining an adrenalin raising card-round with a branching online narrative. The scenario starts with a local outbreak of severe influenza at an elementary school. In groups of 5-6 players, the students decide on the information they want to collect for the investigation file. Through a high-paced card game, they have 2 minutes to spend the right resources to gain access to the information. In five rounds, they play roles in the key outbreak response organisations.

The game was beta tested in November 2017, and launched for first play on February 6, 2018.

Transmissible Game now part of Curriculum

We have been working on this serious game in the background for the past 9 months. In November we organized the Beta-test, and last week the general rehearsal with all game-facilitators. The game has been developed by Transmissible and Jade Owl Studios, in an assignment from the Julius Centre at the University Medical Centre of Utrecht (NL).

In 5 rounds, of 25 minutes each, a group of 5-6 students will play through an evolving outbreak scenario. In each round, they will get to learn the role of one of the organizations involved in Dutch outbreak response. Meanwhile, the outbreak spreads further, and the team needs to collect the right information in their file, to inform their decisions for interventions.

As of February 6, 2018, the Transmissible Game(TM) 'Greep op griep' will be part of the curriculum for 3rd year Bachelor Medical students in Utrecht. Instead of a rulebook, we made a podcast to explain the rules of the game.

Influencing Flu - a Transmissible Game(TM) on Vimeo.

Transmissible and Jade Owl Studios will further study the impact of the game, while it is used by the first cohort of students in February 2018.

 

 

ECDC Winter Workshop 2017

The ECDC Winter Workshop 2017 is part of the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) efforts of the Centre and was organised from 5-7 December in Stockholm. The course was well attended, by participants from 22 EU Member States, representing all regions of the EU. The event was strongly appreciated by all participants as a valuable networking opportunity.

Participants said they would recommend this workshop to colleagues, with the intention to share the materials, or use it in their own teaching. Many respondents presented specific plans for such dissemination. This suggests that the Winter Workshop is not just a successful Continuous Professional Development for EU-Member State public health professionals, yet it. The logistic and administrative arrangements received the highest praise from all participants.

The program proved to be well-balanced. Participants greatly appreciated the interactive sessions and practical exercises, and recommended that these should even expand in future editions.

 

Digital Health Conference 2018

Digital Health 2018

From 23-26 April 2018 the Digital Health Conference will be held in Lyon, France. It is only appropriate to host this event in Europe's City of Health Innovation: the event is focused more and more on public health and digital innovations, so it was only a matter of time for it to be in proximity of so many other health innovations. Lyon is the 1st Smart City in France, the 2nd Digital Cluster, and the place of the 1st European Bike System 'Velo-V'.

The previous Digital Health Conference was the first with a specific public health track. In 2018, we continue this direction, with a focus on vaccine preventable diseases. Below is a glance at this year's programme. Don't miss the opportunity to submit an abstract! The deadline has been extended to 29 January 2018.

 

[aesop_document type="pdf" src="https://www.transmissible.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DH-2018-CFP-PDF.pdf"]

Join me in my efforts to support Save the Children Federation, Inc.

For the past six years, Syria’s children have been bombed, shot at and starved to death. They’ve seen loved ones killed or injured, right before their eyes. Their homes and schools reduced to rubble. Their families torn apart.

We, the rest of the world, are so far away. In fact, we live in fully different worlds. It is easy to feel powerless, hopeless, and defeated, when thinking of the horrors that Syria's children have to go through, day by day.

Still, great things can start with small gestures.

Save the Children helps us to get organised. With my company Transmissible, I want to motivate people in the network to support this fundraiser, to join the activities this month, and donate to help Syria's Children.

There is lots of space to join our team: the more members, the more funds we can raise.

Donate on our Fundraiser Page on Save the Children.

Thank you for supporting Save the Children Federation, Inc.

Your contribution is greatly appreciated!

Thanks ++,  Arnold

 

Days to Christmas

Our Transmissible Advent Calendar counts down the days to Christmas. Each day, a new post is unveiled. You probably already see the full image that is behind each of the days. No? Just come back tomorrow, and a new part is shown.

[adventcalendar calendar="transmissible17"]

 

Click on each day to read the post

Regional Simulation Exercise

Influenza Escalates

On 28 and 29 November 2017, regional authorities and health care providers of the Dutch province Zeeland participated in a simulation exercise dealing with an escalating seasonal influenza scenario.

During 24 tense hours, hospitals, general practitioners, nursing homes, home care providers, ambulance companies, public health services, mayors and city councils had to deal with a simulated flu epidemic that raged over the country.

More than a dozen organizations delegated specialists to populate the response-cell to feed the evolving narrative to the players. The Delft-based company Trimension masterminded this large operation, and Transmissible was contracted to contribute to the training scenario, and provide expertise on influenza epidemiology, prevention and control.

First impressions

Though the formal evaluation is still in progress, all parties involved shared first impressions in a 'hot debrief' at the end of the exercise. As far as testing public health preparedness goes, it is clear that there is no alternative to simulation exercises. It is not only an excellent way to remind oneself of the existing protocols; it makes you better understand the different ways in which your partners respond to emergencies; it shows how agreed emergency plans can still be interpreted differently; it demonstrates that most people struggle to anticipate the response capacity needs for the next month, when they are proudly managing double patient intakes today. These were observations that were shared across the table among all participants, immediately at the end of the exercise.

I look forward to the full evaluation report. Independent of that, I can already comment that such regional simulation exercises that involve operational experts, as well as strategic and tactical decision makers, are vital for a solid health emergency preparedness.

Very much worth the effort.

 

World AIDS Day 2017

LET'S END IT

End isolation
End stigma
End HIV transmission

You’ve helped us fight HIV. Now, let’s end it. This World AIDS Day join the fight to end the negative impact of HIV. World AIDS Day is on December 1, each year. Let's all contribute in our own way.

EDUCATE TO END IT

Mark World AIDS Day in your school by using our free teaching resources. Your students will learn about what life is like with HIV, how to protect themselves and about HIV history with our assembly PowerPoint and illustrated timeline, which you can download here.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE - TAKE THE QUIZ

[h5p id="8"]

 

 

A day to remember - Karel Raška

It was 108 years ago today that...

Karel Raška (17 November 1909 – 21 November 1987) born in the South Bohemian town Strašín, in what is now Czech Republic. He was a physician and epidemiologist, who headed the successful international effort during the 1960s to eradicate smallpox. Raska was a Director of the WHO Division of Communicable Disease Control since 1963. His new concept of eliminating the disease was adopted by the WHO in 1967 and eventually led to the eradication of smallpox in 1977.[1] Raška was also a strong promoter of the concept of disease surveillance, which was adopted by WHO in 1968 and has since become a standard practice in epidemiology.[2]

D.A. Henderson commented:

“Dr Raška’s studies in the epidemiology of hepatitis in Czechoslovakia were known to and respected by all epidemiologists concerned with this major infectious disease problem. No other country or area in the world has documented so thoroughly its experience with hepatitis. The surveillance programme in the United States was cut with a different fabric. Its construction for a variety of reasons differs from that of Czechoslovakia. Comparisons of data have to be interpreted cautiously”.

In those days, Czech studies were far superior and extensive than those in the USA. And Raška had a major influence on them.[3]  Raska received the Edward Jenner Medal awarded by the Royal Society of Medicine.

A tough deal

The recognition by the Royal Society of Medicine and WHO notwithstanding, Raska faced a tough deal back home. Walter Holland, describes the following about Raska in the Central European Journal of Public Health:

"Raška lived in challenging times. Czechoslovakia became an independent republic in 1918, after the First World War. Thus his early years were spent in a country beginning to establish its identity in the face of great uncertainty and turmoil. This culminated with invasion by Germany, Poland and Hungary of the borderlands in 1938 and full occupation by Hitler’s Germany in 1939. The war years were not pleasant for any Czech, and he participated in resistance activities. His involvement in the control of an epidemic typhus outbreak in Terezin is particularly poignant.
For the rest of his life, he worked under the communist regime. This was the time of the Cold War between East and West. There were major differences in policies and paranoia about contacts of individuals from the East with those in the West, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom. Those from Russian dominated regimes who had contacts in the West were viewed with some suspicion in their own country. Persons from the East were also treated with reserve by the West. Every WHO office had an individual from an Eastern country responsible for reporting on the behaviour and contacts of his Eastern colleagues. Only those considered “reliable” were allowed, to a small degree, to collaborate with individuals from the West. Those who did so, showed remarkable courage.

Raška was a good example of a scientist who had the courage to appreciate that medical science had no boundaries and could only advance through collaboration; infectious agents have no ideological principles and do not recognise state boundaries. He suffered the consequences of this behaviour, when he returned to Czechoslovakia, after his service with WHO in the early 1970s. It is particularly unfortunate that his enormous achievements in the control of infectious disease over a long period were not acknowledged in his own country and many of his former colleagues and pupils abandoned him and his achievements."  [3]

And he is not the only one. Look what Vladimir Zikmund writes in the same journal:

"Raška publicly criticized the invasion both at home and abroad and after he returned permanently to Czechoslovakia, he was completely deprived of all positions in public health by the Minister of Health, Prokopec. Raška became an exile in his own country for the rest of his life. It is a pity that Karel Raška was barred from educating medical students and future generations of epidemiologists. His lectures had been informative because he stated concrete cases of fighting infectious diseases. Raška was also not allowed to publish at home. The main hygienist during the period in question wrote a letter to the editor of journal Vesmír that Raška’s scientific capacity had declined and that there was no reason to publish his work. Even citing his work was discouraged. Unfortunately, some authors respected this banishment of Raška all too much." [2]

 

Raška's legacy

Fortunately, this politically orchestrated isolation that tried to make the world forget about this public health hero, failed.  Raska was a founding member of the International Epidemiological Association (IEA), and key members considered his contribution:

".....inestimable. He brought to the IEA, the views of a highly experienced Infectious Disease Epidemiologist working in Eastern Europe. His support for the Association, from his part of the world, demonstrated that the aims and objectives of the Association could transcend boundaries and Ideologies."

Raska was greatly appreciated by many leaders in public health, among which was Alexander Langmuir. In his "Appreciation of Raska", that was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology the year after his death, Langmuir writes:

"From our first meeting we related warmly to each other. Behind a somewhat stiff, even brusque exterior, my first impression was a warm personality, great enthusiasm for scientific ideas, and a mission to achieve. He deeply believed that the principles of what he termed epidemiological surveillance should be applied worldwide."

D.A. Henderson, director of the active phase of the smallpox eradication program, added:

"Karel made two further important contributions to epidemiology. The first was his enormously successful efforts as a professor, to recruit and to train young Czech physicians in the subject. It was apparent to all of us that of the countries of Europe, Czechoslovakia was one of the strongest in epidemiology and contributed a number of first-rate epidemiologists to WHO programmes. Almost all of these were trained by Karel.
The second was regarding the smallpox eradication: he [Karel] played an important role [....] without which the programme could not have succeeded"

In his article in 1988, Henderson summarized his view on Raska's contribution to smallpox eradication as follows:

“Raška played an important role in gaining acceptance of a number of vital administrative and policy matters without which the program could not have succeeded”.

Imagine how many lives are saved each year, as a legacy of Raska's efforts: the World Health Organization estimates that in 1967 still 15 million people contracted the disease and that two million died in that year. [4]

Karel Raska is one of the people, we owe a debt of gratitude. So let's celebrate his birthday on 17 November.

References

  1. Karel Raska, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, accessed 12 December 2014
  2. "Karel Raška and Smallpox". Central European Journal of Public Health. March 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
  3. "Karel Raška — The Development of Modern Epidemiology. The role of the IEA.". Central European Journal of Public Health. March 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-17
  4. "Smallpox"WHO Factsheet. Archived from the original on 2007-09-21
  5. AD Langmuir. An Appreciation of Karel Raska. International Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 17, Issue 3, 1 September 1988, Pages 491–492, https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/17.3.491

Among Europe's Top Competitive Regions

The Utrecht Region continues among the absolute pinnacle of Europe’s most competitive regions. According to the European Commission (EC), Utrecht is ranked equal second, close behind London and ahead of regions such as Paris and Frankfurt. The index was compiled on the basis of over seventy indicators. These relate to topics including innovation, accessibility, digital infrastructure, education, health and the labour market.

According to the Commission, the Utrecht Region is among the European leaders in the field of education and the labour market. In order to retain this position, however, considerable investments will have to be made during the next few years, to ensure that the skills of Utrecht’s working population adequately match labour market demands. The same applies when it comes to rendering Utrecht attractive to talent from abroad. Furthermore, a higher level of enrolment in IT courses is essential if we are to remain competitive.[1]


Read the report [2].

References:

  1. UTRECHT REGION ONCE AGAIN AMONG EUROPE’S MOST COMPETITIVE REGIONS. Utrecht Science Park.
  2. Utrecht Region continues to lead Europe's most competitive regions. 

The 'other' Saint Martin - Patron Saint of Public Health Workers

No, we are not talking of St. Martin of Tours, the former Bishop of Tours, whose name we celebrate on November 11. This post is about the other Saint Martin, patron Saint of Public Health Workers.

What is said about St. Martin de Torres?

St. Martin de Torres

St. Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru on December 9, 1579. Martin was the illegitimate son to a Spanish gentlemen and a freed slave from Panama, of African or possibly Native American descent. At a young age, Martin's father abandoned him, his mother and his younger sister, leaving Martin to grow up in deep poverty. After spending just two years in primary school, Martin was placed with a barber/surgeon where he would learn to cut hair and the medical arts.

As Martin grew older, he experienced a great deal of ridicule for being of mixed-race. In Peru, by law, all descendants of African or Indians were not allowed to become full members of religious orders. Martin, who spent long hours in prayer, found his only way into the community he longed for was to ask the Dominicans of Holy Rosary Priory in Lima to accept him as a volunteer who performed the most menial tasks in the monastery. In return, he would be allowed to wear the habit and live within the religious community. When Martin was 15, he asked for admission into the Dominican Convent of the Rosary in Lima and was received as a servant boy and eventually was moved up to the church officer in charge of distributing money to deserving poor.[1]

Life in the convent

During his time in the Convent, Martin took on his old trades of barbering and healing. He also worked in the kitchen, did laundry and cleaned. After eight more years with the Holy Rosary, Martin was granted the privilege to take his vows as a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic by the prior Juan de Lorenzana who decided to disregard the law restricting Martin based on race. However, not all of the members in the Holy Rosary were as open-minded as Lorenzana; Martin was called horrible names and mocked for being illegitimate and descending from slaves.

Martin grew to become a Dominican lay brother in 1603 at the age of 24. Ten years later, after he had been presented with the religious habit of a lay brother, Martin was assigned to the infirmary where he would remain in charge until his death. He became known for encompassing the virtues need to carefully and patiently care for the sick, even in the most difficult situations.[1]

Epidemic response with compassion

During an epidemic in Lima, many of the friars in the Convent of the Rosary became very ill. Locked away in a distant section of the convent, they were kept away from the professed. However, on more than one occasion, Martin passed through the locked doors to care for the sick. However, he became disciplined for not following the rules of the Convent, but after replying, "Forgive my error, and please instruct me, for I did not know that the precept of obedience took precedence over that of charity," he was given full liberty to follow his heart in mercy.

In January of 1639, when Martin was 60-years-old, he became very ill with chills, fevers and tremors causing him agonizing pain. He would experience almost a year full of illness until he passed away on November 3, 1639.

He has become the patron saint of people of mixed race, innkeepers, barbers, public health workers and more. His feast day is November 3.

 

 

Reference:

  1. From: 'Catholic Online - Saints and Angels - St Martin de Porres', Accessed 3 November 2017

 

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