logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
21m 34s

Is the world ready for the next pandemic...

Al Jazeera
About this episode

The clock is ticking down to the next pandemic, which could be deadlier than the last, as new zoonotic diseases emerge and global vaccine inequity persists. Five years since COVID-19, what lessons have we learned and what needs to change before it’s too late?

In this episode:

  • Drew Ambrose (@drew_ambrose), Al Jazeera journalist, “Flatten the Curve”

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li, Ashish Malhotra, and Tamara Khandaker, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Amy Walters, Sarí el-Khalili, Marcos Bartolomé, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz.

The Take production team is Marcos Bartolomé, Sonia Bhagat, Sarí el-Khalili, Tamara Khandaker, Phillip Lanos, Chloe K. Li, Ashish Malhotra, Khaled Soltan, Amy Walters, and Noor Wazwaz. Our editorial interns are Melanie Marich and Hanah Shokeir. Our guest host is Kevin Hirten. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Aya Elmileik is lead of audience engagement.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is the Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio. 

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Instagram, X, FacebookThreads and YouTube

Up next
Sep 13
Brief: Israel kills family in Gaza, why did Houthis launch offensive?
This week: 347 days into a ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,369 Palestinians in Gaza. Yemen's Houthi movement gained significant ground. Israel continued to violate the ceasefire in Gaza. School began in the occupied West Bank. Israel has killed at least 73,783 Palestinian ... Show More
5m 28s
Sep 6
Brief: Iran retaliates after US sinks ships, Israeli minister wants ethnic cleansing in Gaza
This week: 340 days into a ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,344 Palestinians in Gaza. Iran and the US continued strikes around the Strait of Hormuz. An Israeli minister called for Palestinians to be ethnically cleansed from Gaza. The US ambassador to Israel visited the occ ... Show More
6m 20s
Aug 30
Brief: Israeli pogroms continue in West Bank, more children killed in Gaza
This week: 333 days into a ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,313 Palestinians in Gaza. The UN discussed the plan for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. Israeli pogroms continued in the occupied West Bank. Israel has killed at least 73,449 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7, 2 ... Show More
6m 24s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2021
The next pandemic
Westminster — like much of the world — was caught napping by the deadly new coronavirus which emerged from China in 2019. This week Jack Blanchard speaks to experts from around the world to consider what we can do now to better prepare for the next pandemic, and avoid a similar c ... Show More
52m 9s
May 2022
How do pandemics end?
After two really difficult years living in the grip of Covid-19, restrictions are winding down and international borders are opening up in countries around the world. Striking the right balance between the needs of a population fed up with lockdowns and scientists warning we’ve o ... Show More
24m 13s
Jul 2024
Dicky birds: the next pandemic?
<p>The scars of the covid pandemic are still raw, but now <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/07/17/h5n1-avian-flu-could-cause-a-human-pandemic?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonym ... Show More
24m 9s
Feb 2025
How Close Are We to Another Pandemic?
<p>An outbreak of bird flu has been tearing through the nation’s dairy farms and infecting more and more people.</p><p>Now there are troubling signs that the United States may be closer to another pandemic, even as President Trump dismantles the country’s public health system.</p ... Show More
25m 6s
Jun 2024
The Fight Over the Next Pandemic
<p>At the height of the Covid pandemic, nearly 200 countries started negotiating a plan to ensure they would do better when the next pandemic inevitably arrived. Their deadline for that plan was last week.</p><p>Apoorva Mandavilli, a science and global health reporter for The Tim ... Show More
22m 37s
Mar 2021
How Close Is the Pandemic’s End?
<p>It’s been almost a year since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.</p><p>And the virus is persisting: A downward trend in the U.S. caseload has stalled, and concern about the impact of variants is growing. Yet inoculations are on the rise ... Show More
30m 39s