Managing the ever-present risks of H5N1 | MEDICUS 2024 Issue 3

From Asia’s frontline: Managing the ever-present risk of H5N1
By Nicole Lim, Senior editor

Assistant Professor Rukie de Alwis (left) and Erik Karlsson (insert) spoke to MEDICUS - the podcast about the risks of H5N1 in Southeast Asia // Credit: Norfaezah Abdullah, Duke-NUS

In Episode 12 of MEDICUS – the podcast, we sit down with immunologist Rukie de Alwis from Duke-NUS’ Centre for Outbreak Preparedness, and virologist Erik Karlsson from the Institute Pasteur in Cambodia, to discuss the threat of bird flu, in particular H5N1, to Southeast Asia.

While many headlines talk about the outbreak of H5N1 in cows, a variant of the virus has been circulating in Southeast Asia for quite some time. That virus may not infect cows, but it has on occasion jumped into humans with devastating effects. And what might happen if the two meet? is anyone’s guess.

We discuss how H5N1 is impacting countries in Southeast Asia, why we need to keep an eye on the variant spreading in cows and what is being done—and what should be done—to tackle pandemic influenzas like H5N1. And amid all the talk about influenza, we also find out what keeps our guests awake at night.

Listen here:

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Enjoyed this episode and want to listen to more? All the way back in Episode 2, we followed a team of scientists as they head into the field to study what viruses lurk in small rodents and even bats!

Or if you want to learn more about the dangers of over viruses like dengue, check out Episode 4 where we meet scientists who breed mosquitoes so we can better understand how the dengue virus evolves as it passes from mosquito to human and back again.

You can browse these two episodes and all other ones here:

Show credits for Episode 12:
Produced by: Norfaezah Abdullah, Senior executive, and Nicole Lim, Senior editor

You can also listen to MEDICUS - the Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.