The Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics, J-IDEA, was set up to rapidly respond to emergencies such as pandemics, extreme climate events, and natural and humanitarian disasters (SDG 2,3,13).It was at the forefront in the response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Imperial has a wealth of experience in planning for, and dealing with, disease outbreaks all over the world – these have included ongoing epidemics such as malaria and HIV as well as emergent diseases such as swine flu, SARS, MERS, Ebola and Zika.
In October 2019 this expertise was consolidated with the creation of Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics, which brings together leading epidemiologists, biostatisticians, medics and data scientists to form the world’s most advanced institute for disease and emergency analytics.
In early January 2020, the Jameel Institute mobilised to understand the emergence of the novel coronavirus in China. The Institute subsequently had a major influence informing government policy around the world in controlling the pandemic – primarily through its world-class epidemiological modelling.
The Jameel Institute's Director, Professor Neil Ferguson, said: “The world is facing the most serious public health crisis in generations. We provide concrete estimates of the scale of the threat countries face.”
With particular relevance to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Jameel Institute has worked with over 100 Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) during the pandemic. With the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) they produced a public, easy-to-use dashboard for disease projections and planning.
Professor Azra Ghani, who leads the LMIC team, says: “What we aim to do is to make forecasts on healthcare demand. That’s a big concern in the lower and middle income settings, since health capacity is very constrained.”
Combating disease threats worldwide
The Jameel Institute brings together global health researchers in the School and drawing on Imperial’s expertise in data analytics and epidemiology, the Jameel Institute will improve our understanding of diseases and health emergencies in the most vulnerable populations across the globe. The Institute links governments, research institutions and communities to develop practical and effective long-term solutions, shape health policy and deliver better quality of life for all.
