Now Try... When Science Finds a Way
Our Big Shot
Thanks for listening to Our Big Shot. We have some exciting new episodes on the way shortly but in the meantime, we thought you'd like to fill your time with this fantastic episode from our friends at When Science Finds a Way. It's all about vaccination trials and pregnancy and so it should be right up your street. You can find the rest of the series by searching for When Science Finds a Way wherever you're reading this. _________ Over the years, the reluctance to include pregnant participants in vaccine trials has been increasingly challenged. That’s because their...
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Our Big Shot - how do we reach 500 million children?
Our Big Shot
In the final episode of this series, we revisit where we are now. The Covid-19 pandemic forced the world to work together, and this was eye-opening in showing how much can be achieved with co-ordination and collaboration. We examine how we can replicate this without the need for a global crisis with Dr Chikwe Iheweazu Assistant Director General of WHO. We finish with the story that started Seema’s journey to become a doctor - her mother, Yasmin Halima, with her work as an AIDS activist in 90s and 2000s. Yasmin talks about making science and politics meet to combat HIV and how that...
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Sharing is caring - the politics of combating MPox
Our Big Shot
In this episode we track the spread of Mpox and ask, how does the pandemic alarm system work? Does the global alarm system work? We have powerful vaccine technologies and we are making incredible strides in understanding pathogens that threaten the health of our populations, but how we move vaccines and resources to people in need is still a major challenge for global health organisations and governments. Seema explores mpox and it’s recent global spread and talked to Dr Mark Ecclestone-Turner about global health systems, and asks difficult questions about the effectiveness and...
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Smallpox - the disease that changed science
Our Big Shot
Smallpox is a pathogen specific to our species and it has wreaked havoc with human populations over the centuries. Ultimately it gave rise to what we now think of as immunisation and vaccine technology and is the only disease we have ever eradicated. In this episode we explore this epic history of the Variola virus with Professor Gareth Williams, hear from Dr Celine Gounder, who sought out and interviewed the last survivor of smallpox in the wild, and confront a still controversial predicament: should all remaining live samples of the smallpox virus be destroyed? with...
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HIV - The African Journey
Our Big Shot
African nations have a painful and particular relationship with HIV, they have also been at the forefront of the fight against the disease. In this episode, we explore the battle against HIV from their perspective, how a post-colonial legacy combined with complex societal factors provided fertile ground for the spread of the disease. We then follow how Africa dealt with the spread of HIV through the 20th century, to the eventual global escalation that forced international coordinated efforts to battle the epidemic. Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Professor Salim Abdool Karim tell us...
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The Black Angels - rethinking how we see Tuberculosis
Our Big Shot
Tuberculosis is often assumed to be a disease of the past, but it kills over 1 million people a year - a higher rate than malaria and HIV combined. In this episode we visit a forgotten and critical turning point in vaccine development. 'The Black Angels' were a group of black nurses who faced almost certain death to perform the world’s very first clinical trials using the drug that would become the gold standard for TB treatment today. They helped cure tuberculosis in New York City's Sea View Hospital during the mid-20th century. We talk to New Yorker Maria...
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Lies are contagious - MMR vaccine and the virality of a conspiracy.
Our Big Shot
The ‘single shot’ MMR combined vaccine is one of the biggest achievements in childhood infectious disease prevention, directly responsible for saving millions of lives. Fast-forward to the late 1990s, just as communication was becoming increasingly digital - encouraged by lawyers and his own alternative vaccine patent, a fraudulent paper was published by Andrew Wakefield in a highly respected medical journal falsely linking the jab to autism in children. No one could have predicted the devastating effects this would go on to have on MMR vaccine hesitancy for generations to come, the...
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Polio and the March of Rubles - why medicine trumps politics
Our Big Shot
In this episode we look at the fight against polio from ‘The March of the Dimes’ - a famous episode in the history of mass immunisation in which ordinary Americans were inspired to fundraise for research that would go on to end Polio in the US. Professor Dora Vargha leads us through a lesser-told chapter of that story, which is the astonishing international cooperation between US and Soviet scientists at the height of the Cold War. We look at the current challenges with wild polio in Pakistan and Afghanistan with Dr. Hanan Balkhy, regional WHO director, examining how...
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The Covid effect on vaccine reality: defending the memory of Grant Wahl
Our Big Shot
In this episode we confront a new reality for vaccines post Covid. On the one hand, the acceleration of science thanks to mRna derived vaccine design - that allowed the Moderna team in the US to respond in just 66 days. On the other, the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation fuelled by social media. We hear from Dr Kizzmekia Corbett-Helaire about the early days of Covid-19 and the work in developing the vaccine. Dr Yasmin talks to Dr. Céline Gounder who found herself tangled in this new reality of conspiracy theories, as she dealt with the tragic and sudden death of her late...
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Trailer: Introducing 'Our Big Shot' with Dr Seema Yasmin
Our Big Shot
New Podcast Announcement. Welcome to Our Big Shot with Dr Seema Yasmin, a podcast series dedicated to understanding the power of vaccines, marking key moments in the science of immunisation. As we reach the 50th anniversary of the Essential Programme on Immunisation, we look at how we best prepare for the next global push in fighting infectious disease and taking Our Big Shot at wiping out disease.
info_outlineAfrican nations have a painful and particular relationship with HIV, they have also been at the forefront of the fight against the disease. In this episode, we explore the battle against HIV from their perspective, how a post-colonial legacy combined with complex societal factors provided fertile ground for the spread of the disease. We then follow how Africa dealt with the spread of HIV through the 20th century, to the eventual global escalation that forced international coordinated efforts to battle the epidemic.
Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Professor Salim Abdool Karim tell us about their groundbreaking work examining the impact of sociological behaviours on transmission and world renowned HIV expert, Linda-Gail Bekker, explores the latest developments in treatment options.
Guests featured:
- Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Professor Salim Abdool Karim on their celebrated research on vulnerable populations and critical interventions https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2024/09/30/g-s1-25433/hiv-prevention-lasker-prize-aids
Dr. Linda-Gail Bekker on African researchers' role in the development of Lenacapavir and its promise for the Africans moving forward https://idm.uct.ac.za/contacts/linda-gail-bekker