Alice in Typhoidland Speaker Programme
A public series of expert talks about typhoid from historians, scientists, philosophers and social scientists covering:
the importance of water, sanitation, and hygiene
historical sanitary reform
the ethics of human challenge study research
a new vaccine and mapping disease burdens
solving the riddle of a historic outbreak
In light of COVID-19 we have decided to postpone the remaining talks in the Alice in Typhoidland Speaker Programme until further notice. Hopefully, we will be able to reschedule in the future.
12th Feb, 5.30-6.30pm, Weston Library, Dr Katrina Charles ‘Climate change and water: There is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable engineering’ Book Here
Drawing on work across Africa and Asia this talk will explore the emerging challenge to sustaining and advancing progress through engineering and management to reduce the diarrhoeal disease burden in a changing climate.
12th March, 6-7pm, History of Science Museum, Dr Claas Kirchhelle & Dr Samantha Vanderslott ‘Typhoid in Oxford’ Book Here
A talk about the extraordinary efforts to eliminate typhoid fever from a rapidly-expanding Victorian city. We delve deep into the murky underworld of cesspits and sewers beneath Oxford’s dreaming spires.
29th April, 5.30-6.30pm, Oxford Martin School, Prof Julian Savulescu ‘The ethics of human challenge studies’ Book Here
Purposeful infection of healthy volunteers with a microbial pathogen seems at odds with acceptable ethical standards, but is an important contemporary research avenue used to study infectious diseases and their treatments. This talk highlights the ethical issues of human challenge studies as seen through a well-constructed framework.
18th May, 5.30-6.30pm, Oxford Martin School, Prof Andrew Pollard & Dr Virginia Pitzer ‘A new typhoid vaccine’ Book Here
In this joint talk, Prof Andrew Pollard will speak about the development, evaluation and deployment of a new typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) and Dr Virginia Pitzer will speak about how the potential impact of TCVs is being predicted using mathematical models to help policy decisions.
2nd June, 5.30-6.30pm, Oxford Martin School, Dr Roderick Bailey ‘Who did it? Solving a typhoid mystery’ Book Here
Drawing on new data, this talk discusses the causes of an infamous outbreak of typhoid that occurred in the coastal town of Acre (Akka) in Palestine in 1948, when Jewish and Arab communities were in open conflict.
