Proactive Engagement of the Expert Meeting in Managing the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Epidemic, Japan, February-June 2020.

To deal with the risk of emerging diseases with many unknowns, close and timely collaboration and communication between science experts and policymakers are crucial to developing and implementing an effective science-based intervention strategy. The Expert Meeting, an ad hoc medical advisory body, was established in February 2020 to advise Japan's COVID-19 Response Headquarters. The group played an important role in the policymaking process, promoting timely situation awareness and developing science-based proposals on interventions that were promptly reflected in government actions. However, this expert group may have been overly proactive in taking on the government's role in crisis management. For the next stage of managing the coronavirus disease pandemic and future pandemics, the respective roles of the government and its advisory bodies need to be clearly defined. Leadership and strategic risk communication by the government are key.

[Novel influenza H1N1 pandemic: lesson learned].

The efforts made by the government of Japan and its people to prevent and control the spread of the disease and to limit its health impact had three major characteristics: (1) Suspension of schools in wide geographical areas particularly at the early stage of the outbreak. (2) High proportion of the infected persons who were given antiviral drugs. (3) High level of public awareness and personal hygiene such as regular hand washing. Although more research needs to be done, it seems fair to say that the three characteristics mentioned above contributed to Japan's globally one of the lowest mortality rate associated with the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. Nonetheless, in the process of implementing prevention and control measures, the following four major lessons have been learned: (1) At the early stage of the outbreak, when the epidemiological information by definition is limited, control measures have to be based upon the worst case scenario. And as more information becomes available, measures have to be adjusted accordingly. (2) Risk communication is certainly one of the areas where more improvement have to be made, because some key messages did not reach the general public in a timely and accurate manner. (3) Essential is the development of "situation-based" intervention strategies, which take into consideration both infectivity and health impact such as mortality rate. (4) Decision making process is another area where there is more room for improvement, for example, clarification has to be made as to who are responsible for what.

[Tuberculosis control strategy in Asia for the 21st century--tuberculosis control in the Western Pacific Region of World Health Organization].

The unprecedented and rapid changes at the global level posed a big challenge to public health. The tuberculosis disease as one of major health problems today should be viewed from this context. These global challenges include 1) population issue particularly on growth and ageing; 2) epidemiological issue such as health transition; and, 3) social and environmental issues such as rapid urbanization and global warming. Furthermore, we should also take into account other changes such as the role of the government in the health service delivery, clinical or cure-oriented approach to prevention, increasing consumer demand and health financing. The burden of tuberculosis is devastating. Everyday in the Western Pacific Region (WPR), about 1000 people lose their life due to tuberculosis. Most of them are between the ages 14-54, which are the so-called economically productive age group. The economic impact, therefore, is significant. In addition TB is a disease of poverty of which the risk of getting TB is higher in poor who have less access to TB services due to financial barrier and lack of knowledge. Despite this devastating situation, TB has a significant and cost effective tool called DOTS. WPRO put highest priority in TB control programme not only because of the facts mentioned above but I also consider TB as an agenda carried over from the last century. I would like, then, to commit myself to this cause for the betterment of the future of the next generation.