95 episodes

Eradicating Smallpox: The Heroes that Wiped out a 3,000-Year-Old Virus

One of humanity’s greatest triumphs is the eradication of smallpox. This new eight-episode docuseries, “Eradicating Smallpox,” explores this remarkable feat and uncovers striking parallels and contrasts to recent history in the shadows of the covid-19 pandemic.

Host Céline Gounder brings decades of experience working on HIV in Brazil and South Africa, Ebola during the outbreak in New Guinea, and covid-19 in New York City at the height of the pandemic. She travels to India and Bangladesh to bring never-before-heard stories from the front lines of the battle to wipe smallpox off the face of the Earth.

“Epidemic” launched in early 2020 and quickly became a key source of reporting on the rapidly unfolding coronavirus pandemic. The show premiered at No. 1 in health and fitness and No. 1 in medicine on the Apple Podcast charts.

EPIDEMIC with Dr. Celine Gounder KFF Health News and JUST HUMAN PRODUCTIONS

    • Health & Fitness
    • 4.6 • 1K Ratings

Eradicating Smallpox: The Heroes that Wiped out a 3,000-Year-Old Virus

One of humanity’s greatest triumphs is the eradication of smallpox. This new eight-episode docuseries, “Eradicating Smallpox,” explores this remarkable feat and uncovers striking parallels and contrasts to recent history in the shadows of the covid-19 pandemic.

Host Céline Gounder brings decades of experience working on HIV in Brazil and South Africa, Ebola during the outbreak in New Guinea, and covid-19 in New York City at the height of the pandemic. She travels to India and Bangladesh to bring never-before-heard stories from the front lines of the battle to wipe smallpox off the face of the Earth.

“Epidemic” launched in early 2020 and quickly became a key source of reporting on the rapidly unfolding coronavirus pandemic. The show premiered at No. 1 in health and fitness and No. 1 in medicine on the Apple Podcast charts.

    S2E8 / The Scars of Smallpox

    S2E8 / The Scars of Smallpox

    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?

    • 16 min
    S2E7 / What Good Is a Vaccine When There Is No Rice?

    S2E7 / What Good Is a Vaccine When There Is No Rice?

    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.

    • 18 min
    S2E6 / Bodies Remember What Was Done to Them

    S2E6 / Bodies Remember What Was Done to Them

    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.

    • 20 min
    S2E5 / The Tata Way

    S2E5 / The Tata Way

    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.

    • 24 min
    Live Web Event: Thinking Big in Public Health, Inspired by the End of Smallpox

    Live Web Event: Thinking Big in Public Health, Inspired by the End of Smallpox

    Join an online conversation led by Céline Gounder, a physician-epidemiologist and the host Season 2 of the “Epidemic” podcast, at noon ET on Thursday Sept. 14 about what the success of smallpox eradication can teach us about the public health challenges of the future.

    • 48 sec
    S2E4 / Speedboat Epidemiology

    S2E4 / Speedboat Epidemiology

    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.

    • 21 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
1K Ratings

1K Ratings

RT irritated ,

Best public health podcast

Convincing people to save their own lives through public health measures sounds like it should be easy but this smart podcast shows how hard it can be, whether it’s smallpox or COVID. My favorite parts are when Dr. Gounder weaves in information about her experience treating patients during the peak of the pandemic.

ArlieLP ,

Thank you, Dr. Celine!

This is the podcast that I tell all my friends about! With incredible guests, high-quality information, and captivating conversations, every single episode is an A . Highly recommend!

you crossed the line ,

Excellent, informative app

Wish everyone could listen. It would benefit our world.

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