This work describes an approach to support evidence-based public health decisions and policy, which may help inform other responses to similar outbreak events.
Angus Hughes, Romain Ragonnet, Pavithra Jayasundara, Hoang-Anh Ngo, Elvira de Lara-Tuprio, Maria Regina Justina Estuar, Timothy Robin Teng, Law Kian Boon, Kalaiarasu M. Peariasamy, Zhuo-Lin Chong, Izzuna Mudla M Ghazali, Greg J. Fox, Thu-Anh Nguyen, Linh-Vi Le, Milinda Abayawardana, David Shipman, Emma S. McBryde, Michael T. Meehan, Jamie M. Caldwell, James M. Trauer

Objective:

In this viewpoint article we aimed to outline and describe a collaborative modelling approach between our unit and a range of partners across the Western Pacific in the Philippines, Malaysia and Viet Nam. The work focused on providing real-time modelling projections to support to policy and public health decisions in each country.

Findings:

The important findings from this reflection include demonstrating the capacity to develop real-time COVID-19 modelling in low- and middle-income countries that had tangible impact to support policy decisions, the importance of close in-country partnerships required to undertake such work when providing support from an external country and strengthening partnerships across the Western Pacific that may help build capacity to respond to infectious disease threats.

View full modelling report
First published: Dec 6, 2022
Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
The Monash University's [Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine](https://www.monash.edu/medicine/sphpm/epidemiology) in the [School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine](https://www.monash.edu/medicine/sphpm) has initially focused on TB epidemiology and control, but recently shifted its focus to include a strong interest in the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus comprises the use of methodological approaches in the areas of deterministic and stochastic Modelling, Agent-based Simulations, Applied Mathematics, Bayesian inference, Statistics, Epidemiology, Health Economics, Computer Science and Data Visualisation.