Listen Now

We're back, and this week our topic is river blindness, or onchocerciasis, an ongoing major public health challenge in South America, Yemen and Africa. Join us for a quick and upsetting tour of fly bites, worm sex, antiparasitic drugs, and eradication campaigns • Theme music is "Valerie Plain" by Rondo Brothers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What affects sailors, Irish peasants, rich babies and picky eaters (especially those who smoke)? What makes your teeth fall out and your gums bleed? What may actually be worse than half-rotten salt beef with a side of weevils? This week it's not groovy, it's scurvy. • Theme music is "Valerie Plain" by Rondo Brothers. Also featuring "Drunken Sailor" by Cooper Cannell and record scratch.wav by luffy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We'll be back soon, we promise!MUSICHustle by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100793Artist: http://incompetech.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Remember the last time a pandemic threatened the Olympics? Revisit the 2015-2016 Zika Virus epidemic with us, taking in socieconomic inequality, pesticides, Ugandan forests and sympathy for the devil along the way.SOUND ATTRIBUTIONS:botanical gardens park tropical jungle birds crickets distant wind through trees echo Entebbe, Uganda, Africa 2016.wav by kyles -- https://freesound.org/s/406925/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Flying Mosquito.wav by Zywx -- https://freesound.org/s/188708/ -- License: Creative Commons 0SELECTED SOURCEShttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5760164/?report=printable https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0007994https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/08/opinion/the-zika-virus-and-brazilian-womens-right-to-choose.html https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/zika-white-house-cdc-congress/458943/ https://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/02/health/zika-forest-viral-birthplace/index.htmlhttps://www.who.int/bulletin/online_first/16-171082/en/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week it’s all about fungal skin infections, aka ringworm. Tune in as Lara delves into the grisly history of treatment and Kylie tries her best not to have hysterics. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Trench foot bedeviled troops during World War One, and it’s still a challenge today. Join us for a whip round the world of wet socks, whale oil, imperialist trade networks, and military boot design.Further Reading:That great article by Captain Basil in 1916: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2347526/pdf/brmedj07049-0006.pdfThe article from which I got that fantastic turn of phrase "hygienic negligence" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1002454/pdf/westjmed00118-0089.pdfBacking for "Dulce Et Decorum Est":Coughing by BOBtheROSS -- https://freesound.org/s/407839/ -- License: Creative Commons 0Cough by Fabrizio84 -- https://freesound.org/s/457972/ -- License: Creative Commons 0Cough.wav by Harris85 -- https://freesound.org/s/208761/ -- License: Creative Commons 0017_Toser-009.wav by aabbccddee123 -- https://freesound.org/s/469442/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 double_cough_01.wav by joedeshon -- https://freesound.org/s/266019/ -- License: Attributionflare fire into sky with tail.wav by kyles -- https://freesound.org/s/450833/ -- License: Creative Commons 0Incoming Artillery.wav by bendodge -- https://freesound.org/s/170991/ -- License: AttributionGunfire by qubodup -- https://freesound.org/s/205588/ -- License: Creative Commons 0FIELD_LA Rain_Park_Under Umbrella-Running in mud_02.wav by WilliamJMeyer -- https://freesound.org/s/465676/ -- License: Creative Commons 0steady late night rain.WAV by mshahen -- https://freesound.org/s/242892/ -- License: Attribution Firefight by TheBuilder15 -- https://freesound.org/s/404334/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week it's a whirlwind tour of ruined holidays, calamine lotion, social inequality and general itchy stingy woe for boys and girls of all ages as we ask, why on earth would anyone want to catch chickenpox? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week's topic is Marburg Virus Disease, a haemorraghic fever found mostly in Equatorial Africa. Let's talk about bats, caves, bleeding from everywhere, and the impact of diseases with a high case-fatality rate on healthcare workers and the people left behind dealing with the aftermath. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hold your nose and shut your eyes as we dive into the murky world of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, a nearly always-fatal infection caused by an amoeba called Naegleria Fowleri. In this episode: ethmoid bones, pseudopods, stiff necks and lots of love for chlorine. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne disease in the world? It's not Malaria, it's Dengue Fever. Find out the who, how and why of this neglected tropical disease with hosts Lara and Kylie.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.