The series finale of “Epidemic: Eradicating Smallpox” is a visit to the home of Rahima Banu, the last person with a documented case of naturally occurring variola major smallpox. When the virus was declared eradicated, she became a symbol of one of the greatest victories in global public health. What happened to Rahima Banu afterward? The post S2E8 / The Scars of Smallpox appeared first on Just Human Productions ..read more

What good is a vaccine when there is no rice? Episode 7 of “Eradicating Smallpox” explores the barriers public health workers face in communities where people’s basic needs aren’t being met. The post S2E7 / What Good Is a Vaccine When There Is No Rice? appeared first on Just Human Productions ..read more

Trust is hard to build and easy to break. In Episode 6 of the “Eradicating Smallpox” podcast, meet Chandrakant Pandav, a health worker who used laughter and song to try to rebuild trust with communities harmed by India’s sometimes violent and coercive family planning campaign. The post S2E6 / Bodies Remember What Was Done to Them appeared first on Just Human Productions ..read more

Episode 5 of the “Eradicating Smallpox” podcast explores how a partnership between public health institutions and a huge, influential private company was key in the campaign to eliminate smallpox. The post S2E5 / The Tata Way appeared first on Just Human Productions ..read more

In Bangladesh, smallpox eradication workers went to great lengths to vaccinate even one person, sometimes traveling by speedboat, crossing rickety bamboo bridges or leech-infested paddy fields. Episode 4 of the “Eradicating Smallpox” podcast is about what it takes to bring care directly to people where they are. The post S2E4 / Speedboat Epidemiology appeared first on Just Human Productions ..read more

In the early 1970s, public health workers buoyed by the motto “zero pox!” worked across India to achieve 100% vaccination against smallpox. This episode is about what happened when these zealous young people encountered hesitation. The post S2E3 / Zero Pox! appeared first on Just Human Productions ..read more

Who gets credit for wiping smallpox from the planet? American men have been widely recognized while the contributions of South Asian public health workers have been less celebrated. Episode 2 of the “Eradicating Smallpox” podcast tells the story of Mahendra Dutta, an Indian public health leader, whose political savvy helped usher in a transformative approach to finding and containing smallpox cases. The post S2E2 / Do You Know Dutta? appeared first on Just Human Productions ..read more

The post S2E1 / The Goddess of Smallpox appeared first on Just Human Productions ..read more

The post S1E80: Vaccine Joy / Andy Slavitt & Celine Gounder appeared first on Just Human Productions ..read more

The post S1E79: Women’s Health: Fertile Ground for COVID Myths / Andrea Edlow, Stephanie Gaw, Alice Lu-Culligan, Leena Mithal, Steve Stecklow appeared first on Just Human Productions ..read more