UNICEF 

Polio and the March of Rubles: Why Medicine Trumps Politics

Series: Our Big Shot (with Dr. Seema Yasmin, producer Chalk + Blade)

Listen to the podcast here https://lnk.to/QDlBxr 

Podcast series part of UNICEF's Humanly Possible campaign, dedicated to understanding the power of vaccines, marking key moments in the science of immunisation. 

This episode looks 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.

The episode then turns to the current challenges with wild polio in Pakistan and Afghanistan with Dr. Hanan Balkhy, regional WHO director, examining how immunisation levels can be approved through distribution, technology and societal changes. Celebrating a story of success, the episode closes with a conversation with Dr. Tunji Funsho about how Polio eradication was achieved in Nigeria, including lessons from engaging community leaders, celebrities and parents to achieve grass-roots community support.

UNICEF 

Polio and the March of Rubles: Why Medicine Trumps Politics

Series: Our Big Shot (with Dr. Seema Yasmin, producer Chalk + Blade)

Listen to the podcast here https://lnk.to/QDlBxr 

Podcast series part of UNICEF's Humanly Possible campaign, dedicated to understanding the power of vaccines, marking key moments in the science of immunisation. 

This episode looks 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.

The episode then turns to the current challenges with wild polio in Pakistan and Afghanistan with Dr. Hanan Balkhy, regional WHO director, examining how immunisation levels can be approved through distribution, technology and societal changes. Celebrating a story of success, the episode closes with a conversation with Dr. Tunji Funsho about how Polio eradication was achieved in Nigeria, including lessons from engaging community leaders, celebrities and parents to achieve grass-roots community support.