logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2022
24m 21s

Are nations doing enough to combat monke...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Monkeypox is a virus that was first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria in the 1970s. Since then it has appeared around the world. More concerning is that the virus appears to be evolving and there are some unusual symptoms.

The world has known about monkeypox for decades. Why is it spreading again now? How serious is the current outbreak?

This week on The Inquiry we ask, are nations doing enough to combat monkeypox?

Contributors: Prof Dimie Ogoina, Infectious Disease Physician at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Niger Delta University and Chief Medical Director of the NDUTH and the President of the Nigerian Infectious Diseases Society

Jason Cianciotto, Vice President of Communications and Policy at Gay Men’s Health crisis in New York

Dr Boghuma Titanji, Assistant Professor of medicine at Emory University in Atlanta

(Image: multiple monkeypox viruses, Uma Shankar sharma, Getty Images)

Up next
Nov 18
Is the new Pope woke?
<p>Cardinal Robert Prevost made history earlier this year, when he became the first American pontiff to lead the Catholic Church. And when he stepped out onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica as Pope Leo XIV, dressed in traditional papal robes, some conservatives in the church ... Show More
23m 56s
Nov 11
Is the world ready for more climate migration?
From floods in Pakistan to droughts in the Horn of Africa, extreme weather events are already forcing millions of people to move. Most are displaced within their own countries but rising temperatures and sea levels could soon push many across national borders.Yet international la ... Show More
23m 58s
Nov 4
Is trouble brewing for the worldwide tea industry?
Matcha, a long-time popular drink in Japan, has gone global. Major chains now serve it, and coffee start-ups are competing to offer their own photogenic takes on the vivid green drink.But the growing craze exposes bigger problems for the wider tea industry.Tea is a delicate crop, ... Show More
23m 59s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2022
How Worried Should We Be About Monkeypox?
<p>Cases of the monkeypox virus are spreading in many countries where it has rarely, if ever, been seen before, including in the United States.</p><p>Although there are a lot of unknowns about the illness, the rapidly rising number of infections has caused alarm bells to sound am ... Show More
22m 54s
Jun 2022
Is Monkeypox really an issue for Africa?
Monkeypox was first detected in Nigeria and the DRC in the 1970s. Since then there’ve been a number of cases in West African countries including Cameroon, the Central Africa Republic and Sierra Leone – but it hasn’t been a problem for much of the rest of the continent – and compa ... Show More
14 m
Jul 2022
Covid, monkeypox, and now polio? What to know
The World Health Organization says monkeypox is now a global health emergency. The new declaration comes as infections surge in 75 countries, with 5 deaths and more than 16,000 cases reported so far. It’s one of three health emergencies the world is facing right now, along with t ... Show More
56m 43s
Nov 2021
Can governments handle an ever-changing virus?
Countries are closing their borders and imposing travel restrictions in a race to contain the new Omicron Covid-19 variant. While little is known about it, there are fears it may be highly infectious and more resistant to vaccines. So, are governments prepared to deal with an eve ... Show More
24m 1s
Oct 2023
Dengue fever: What is it and why is it spreading?
The World Health Organization has warned that mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever are spreading to new regions. One reason is that warmer temperatures are allowing disease-carrying mosquitos to push into new areas. And wetter monsoons are giving them more time to reproduce ... Show More
14m 53s
Feb 2021
What an Ebola outbreak reveals about vaccine inequity
Two viruses, two vaccines, one unequal system: Guinean health officials declared an Ebola epidemic after reporting the first cases of the virus since West Africa’s deadly outbreak ended in 2016. One thing that’s changed since that last outbreak: the availability of a vaccine. But ... Show More
15m 24s
May 2021
Can the most vaccinated nation stop Covid?
Covid-19 is, once again, spreading in the Seychelles. In just a few months, the country has managed to vaccinate most of its people against the virus. But a recent rise in the number of cases has many scratching their heads. What went wrong – if anything at all?Host: Victoria Uwo ... Show More
15m 31s
Aug 2022
The global monkeypox outbreak amid a pandemic
<p>As much of the world’s focus remained firmly fixed on ending the coronavirus pandemic, another illness was quietly spreading in the background and has now emerged as a global health concern. A few months ago, monkeypox, an infectious viral disease, began cropping up in countri ... Show More
23m 52s
Aug 2022
How Monkeypox Went From Containable to Crisis
<p>In mid-June, cases of monkeypox were in the double digits in the United States. There were drug treatments and vaccines against it. There didn’t seem to be any reason for alarm.</p><p>But in the weeks since, the virus has spread rapidly across the country, with some local and ... Show More
24m 11s