infectious diseases

A woman wearing protective mask and gloves in a hospital | GZERO World with Ian Bremmer: the podcast

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast

Podcast: How we overcome infectious disease with a public health renaissance

Listen: Former CDC chief Tom Frieden says he's stunned by how infectious COVID is compared to other diseases. The pandemic isn't over yet, he tells Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World podcast, thanks to long COVID plus the fact that we can't predict how the virus will play out in the future. Frieden's advice for everyone is to get vaxxed and boosted, to "keep yourself out of the hospital and, quite frankly, out of the morgue," since new variants could emerge, making the virus more deadly.

After COVID vaccines, time to use mRNA tech against other infectious diseases

After COVID vaccines, time to use mRNA tech against other infectious diseases

Using mRNA technology to develop effective COVID vaccines has been a scientific breakthrough. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, Melanie Saville, head of vaccine development at the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, said during a livestream discussion on equitable vaccine distribution hosted by GZERO Media in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "There's still a lot that should be done with the technology moving forward" on other infectious diseases like HIV, malaria, or TB. Still, she said that vaccines are only the beginning.Local manufacturing and distribution is as important — as is future equitable access to the mRNA tech itself.

Podcast: Dr. Fauci's Pandemic Prognosis

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast

Podcast: Dr. Fauci's Pandemic Prognosis

Listen: The country's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, joins Ian Bremmer to talk vaccines, school re-openings, and when—and how—the pandemic could finally come end. He was last on GZERO World just weeks before the pandemic hit in the fall of 2019 and he described at the time what kept him up at night: a "pandemic-like respiratory illness." This time, he talks about how closely that nightmare scenario foreshadowed the COVID-19 pandemic. He also offers some guidance about what public health measures vaccinated Americans should continue to take in the coming months (hint: masks stay on).