Plenary lecture

The 2009 influenza pandemic—unexpected beginning, uncertain future

Johan Giesecke, Chief Scientist, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden

Johan Giesecke is Chief Scientist and Head of the Scientific Advice Unit at the newly established Stockholm-based EU Agency ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control). He is also Adjunct Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute Medical University in Stockholm. From a background as infectious disease clinician, he trained epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and before joining ECDC was State Epidemiologist for Sweden for 10 years. He has been active in the efforts to harmonise infectious disease surveillance and control within the EU, and during a 1-year sabbatical to WHO Geneva in 1999/2000 he led the group working on the revision of the International Health Regulations. Research interests include: epidemic modelling, HIV/STIs, and very late sequelae of acute infections. He has published some 150 scientific papers, has written a textbook on infectious disease epidemiology and co-edited another.