The one... where worms have sex

We're back, and this week our topic is river blindness, or onchocerciasis, an ongoing major public health challenge in South America,&nbsp;Yemen and Africa. Join us for a quick and upsetting tour of fly bites, worm sex, antiparasitic drugs, and eradication campaigns • Theme music&nbsp;is "Valerie Plain" by Rondo Brothers.

River Blindness

Season Two launches with the scourge of the high seas! No, not Johnny Depp...

What affects sailors, Irish peasants, rich babies and picky eaters (especially those who smoke)? What makes your teeth fall out and your gums bleed? What may actually be worse than half-rotten salt beef with a side of weevils? This week it's not groovy, it's scurvy.&nbsp;• Theme music is "Valerie Plain" by Rondo Brothers. Also featuring "Drunken Sailor" by Cooper Cannell and&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/people/luffy/sounds/3536/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">record scratch.wav</a>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/people/luffy/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">luffy</a>.

Scurvy

We're on hiatus for a little bit

We'll be back soon, we promise! MUSICHustle by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a>)Source:&nbsp;<a href="http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100793" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100793</a>Artist:&nbsp;<a href="http://incompetech.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://incompetech.com/</a>

See you in June! 

Why mosquitos bear constant watching, part II

Remember the last time a pandemic threatened the Olympics? Revisit the 2015-2016 Zika Virus epidemic with us, taking in socieconomic inequality, pesticides, Ugandan forests and sympathy for the devil along the way. SOUND ATTRIBUTIONS:botanical gardens park tropical jungle birds crickets distant wind through trees echo Entebbe, Uganda, Africa 2016.wav by kyles -- <a href="https://freesound.org/s/406925/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/406925/</a> -- License: Creative Commons 0&nbsp;Flying Mosquito.wav by Zywx -- <a href="https://freesound.org/s/188708/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/188708/</a> -- License: Creative Commons 0 SELECTED&nbsp;SOURCES<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5760164/?report=printable" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5760164/?report=printable</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0007994" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0007994</a><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/08/opinion/the-zika-virus-and-brazilian-womens-right-to-choose.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/08/opinion/the-zika-virus-and-brazilian-womens-right-to-choose.html</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/zika-white-house-cdc-congress/458943/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/zika-white-house-cdc-congress/458943/</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/02/health/zika-forest-viral-birthplace/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/02/health/zika-forest-viral-birthplace/index.html</a><a href="https://www.who.int/bulletin/online_first/16-171082/en/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.who.int/bulletin/online_first/16-171082/en/</a>

Zika virus 

Yes, you do know what it is and you’ve probably had it.

This week it’s all about fungal skin infections, aka ringworm. Tune in as Lara delves into the grisly history of treatment and Kylie tries her best not to have hysterics.

Dermatophytosis

“Or, Why your mother was right when she told you to pack extra socks.”

Trench foot bedeviled troops during World War One, and it’s still a challenge today. Join us for a whip round the world of wet socks, whale oil, imperialist trade networks, and military boot design. Further Reading:<ul><li>That great article by Captain Basil in 1916: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2347526/pdf/brmedj07049-0006.pdf</li><li>The article from which I got that fantastic turn of phrase "hygienic negligence" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1002454/pdf/westjmed00118-0089.pdf</li></ul> Backing for "Dulce Et Decorum Est":<ul><li>Coughing by BOBtheROSS --&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/s/407839/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/407839/</a>&nbsp;-- License: Creative Commons 0</li><li>Cough by Fabrizio84 --&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/s/457972/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/457972/</a>&nbsp;-- License: Creative Commons 0</li><li>Cough.wav by Harris85 --&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/s/208761/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/208761/</a>&nbsp;-- License: Creative Commons 0</li><li>017_Toser-009.wav by aabbccddee123 --&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/s/469442/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/469442/</a>&nbsp;-- License: Creative Commons 0</li><li>&nbsp;double_cough_01.wav by joedeshon --&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/s/266019/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/266019/</a>&nbsp;-- License: Attribution</li><li>flare fire into sky with tail.wav by kyles --&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/s/450833/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/450833/</a>&nbsp;-- License: Creative Commons 0</li><li>Incoming Artillery.wav by bendodge --&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/s/170991/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/170991/</a>&nbsp;-- License: Attribution</li><li>Gunfire by qubodup --&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/s/205588/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/205588/</a>&nbsp;-- License: Creative Commons 0</li><li>FIELD_LA Rain_Park_Under Umbrella-Running in mud_02.wav by WilliamJMeyer --&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/s/465676/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/465676/</a>&nbsp;-- License: Creative Commons 0</li><li>steady late night rain.WAV by mshahen --&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/s/242892/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/242892/</a>&nbsp;-- License: Attribution</li><li>&nbsp;Firefight by TheBuilder15 --&nbsp;<a href="https://freesound.org/s/404334/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://freesound.org/s/404334/</a>&nbsp;-- License: Creative Commons 0</li></ul>

Trench Foot

The kind of pox we all get

This week it's a whirlwind tour of ruined holidays, calamine lotion, social inequality and general itchy stingy woe for boys and girls of all ages as we ask, why on earth would anyone want to catch chickenpox?

Chickenpox

The Other Ebola

This week's topic is Marburg Virus Disease, a haemorraghic fever found mostly in Equatorial Africa. Let's talk about bats, caves, bleeding from everywhere, and the impact of diseases with a high case-fatality rate on healthcare workers and the people left behind dealing with the aftermath.

Marburg Virus Disease

This one eats your brain. 

Hold your nose and shut your eyes as we dive into the murky world of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, a nearly always-fatal infection caused by an amoeba called Naegleria Fowleri. In this episode: ethmoid bones, pseudopods, stiff necks and lots of love for chlorine.

Naegleria Fowleri

Just a little niggle or the end of the world? A podcast for hypochondriacs and the terminally curious.

A light and informative look at diseases and disorders, major and minor. More history than science.&nbsp;

The Dreaded Lurgy

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Lara van Lelyveld

Kylie van Zyl