LSHTM Viral

In this episode of LSHTM Viral, hosts Karl Byrne and Naomi Stewart explore the return of an old disease making new headlines: polio. While global health initiatives have reduced the global polio burden by more than 99% since 1988, the fight is far from over. With the virus recently detected in London's wastewater and vital surveillance funding facing cuts, the risk of resurgence is a terrifying reality.

 We explore the lifelong toll of the virus with polio survivor and advocate Anne Wafula Strike, tracking her journey from childhood exclusion in Kenya to a Paralympian wheelchair racer for Team GB. Professor Sir Andrew Pollard of Oxford University breaks down the critical differences between the inactivated polio vaccine used in the UK and the live oral vaccines used globally, shedding light on how logistical hurdles - like the cost of bus fare and lack of access to healthcare advice - are driving down childhood immunisation rates. Finally, Dr. Zubair Wadood from the WHO tackles vaccine misinformation and explains the complex geopolitics of conflict zones and community scepticism that stand in the way of that final 1% of global eradication.
 The foothold polio retains is a masterclass in what happens when we stop paying attention. Join us as we examine what it takes to hold the line for global health security.

 Guests:
·        Anne Wafula Strike: Polio survivor and Team Anti-Polio ambassador, discussing stigma, post-polio syndrome, and sport as an advocacy platform.
·        Professor Sir Andrew Pollard: Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, explaining wastewater detection, vaccine-derived mutations, and systemic barriers to UK vaccine access.
·        Dr. Zubair Wadood: Medical Epidemiologist from the WHO, debunking the myth that vaccines cause polio and outlining the strategy for eliminating the virus in its final endemic regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Episode Chapters:
·        00:00 – Introduction: An old disease making new headlines.
·        00:37 – The early warning system: London's wastewater surveillance and funding cuts.
·        01:19 – The lived reality: Surviving polio, childhood stigma, and post-polio syndrome.
·        03:47 – From the sidelines to the Paralympics: Advocating for global awareness.
·        05:51 – Breaking down the science: Inactivated vaccines versus oral vaccines.
·        08:40 – Debunking the myth: Patchy coverage and variant polio strains.
·        09:37 – Access and logistics: The real reasons UK vaccination rates are dropping.
·        13:10 – The final 1%: Geopolitics and conflict zones.
·        16:08 – Holding the line: The critical need for global health security and funding.

If your morning commute sounds coughier than usual, you aren't imagining things.
Reports confirm that the UK flu season has kicked off weeks ahead of schedule. With COVID-19 and RSV also circulating, are we facing a "tripledemic"? And why does the flu virus shape-shift enough to require a new vaccine every single autumn?
In this episode, host Karl Byrne sits down with Professor Punam Mangtani, a leading epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), to decode the data behind this year's outbreak.
They explain the difference between the H1N1 and H3N2 strains, why the UK looks to Australia for warning signs, and the biological "typo" that causes the virus to drift away from our immune system's memory. Plus, we look at how mRNA vaccine technology can help us tackle flu pandemics faster, and ask: Are we getting closer to a "universal" vaccine?
In this episode, we cover:
01:45 – The Early Surge: Why school data signals a difficult winter ahead.

02:4 8 – The Australia Warning: What the Southern Hemisphere tells us about case numbers vs. severity.

03:50 – H3N2 vs. H1N1: Decoding the alphabet soup of viral strains.

05:13 – The Tripledemic: How Flu, RSV, and COVID-19 interact (and why you probably won't catch them all at once).

07:10 – Antigenic Drift: The molecular reason why last year's vaccine won't protect you this year.

08:35 – The Prediction Game: How the WHO selects vaccine strains months in advance.
10:37 – 60% effectiveness?: How effective must a vaccine be in order to be thought of as good?

12:55 – The Holy Grail: The latest research on Universal Flu Vaccines.

14:23 – Prevention: Why surface cleaning works better for Flu than it did for COVID.

Guest:
Professor Punam Mangtani – Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at LSHTM and expert in respiratory viruses, vaccine effectiveness, and public health surveillance.

Learn more:
LSHTM Vaccine Centre

Expert Comment: Why the UK is expecting a bad flu season

Credits:
Host: Karl Byrne

Producer: Karl Byrne

Editor: Karl Byrne

Follow us on social media:Twitter: @LSHTMInstagram: @LSHTM
#LSHTM #GlobalHealth #Flu #H3N2 #PublicHealth #Vaccines #Epidemiology #Tripledemic

Why do we fall for false or misleading information about our health? And in a world flooded with viral claims and conspiracy theories, how can we fight back?
On September 15th 2025, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine brought together world-leading experts to tackle one of the most urgent threats to public health: misinformation.
In this special episode, host Karl Byrne takes you inside the event to unpack the key takeaways. You'll hear from behavioural scientists on the psychology of "pre-bunking" and why our emotions make us vulnerable; journalists on the practical challenges of verifying news in a 24/7 cycle; and global health experts on how the fight looks different from West Africa to the UK.
Featuring insights from Professor Sir Chris Whitty (Chief Medical Officer for England), Professor Sander van der Linden (University of Cambridge), LSHTM researchers, experts from BBC Media Action, PA Media, and international organisations.
This episode explores the timeless techniques behind the misinformation machine, how we can effectively fight it and asks what it will take to rebuild trust. This isn't just a discussion about fake news- it's about finding clarity in the chaos.
Find out more about the network to fight health misinformation in the UK and how you can help.

This summer, chikungunya has been making headlines — with more than 7,000 cases reported in China’s Guangdong province and tens of thousands more across the Indian Ocean islands. Even parts of Europe, including France and Italy, have seen local transmission. But what exactly is chikungunya? How does it spread, what symptoms does it cause, and could it become a risk in cooler countries like the UK?
Host Karl Byrne is joined by Dr Doris Kemunto Nyamwaya from The MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit to unpack what we know about chikungunya, why public health experts are watching it so closely, and whether vaccines might change the picture.

Click here to find out more about LSHTM's courses, including the MSc Epidemiology mentioned in the episode

Cases of measles are on the rise globally, including in Europe, Central Asia, and North America. In the UK, cases are the highest they've been in 25 years. But why?
Join hosts Naomi Stewart and Karl Byrne in this bonus episode of LSHTM Viral as they speak to Professor Liam Smeeth, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine about the very real consequences of the highly contagious disease and the damage of false claims about the MMR vaccine dating back to the 90s. We also speak to Professor Heidi Larson, Director of The Vaccine Confidence Project about the rates of trust in vaccines globally and how to engage with empathy to tackle falling vaccination coverage.
To find out more about studying immunology and infectious diseases at LSHTM, visit our website.
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