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Transmission

Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp

Transmission is the award-winning podcast of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp. Explore the exciting journeys of scientists and physicians battling diseases worldwide, from confronting Ebola in distant villages to the fight against COVID-19 in bustling urban settings. Join our researchers in their quest for a healthier world, from war zones to indigenous communities, addressing pressing issues like maternal deaths, HIV stigma, and access to life-saving drugs.

Transmission: your front-row seat to the world of health, science and beyond. New episodes drop on Thursdays.

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15 episodes
Avg 20 min
English

Episodes 15

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S3 · E4
Apr 24, 2025 · 27 min
S3E4: Innovation and hope
From new ways to control mosquitoes to the rise of African-led research: tune in to see the future of disease elimination. This episode will take you deep into the Peruvian Amazon, where our researchers are collecting blood samples, to a high-tech insectary in the heart of Antwerp, Belgium, where large swarms of mosquitos and tsetse flies are bred.
S3 · E3
Apr 17, 2025 · 30 min
S3E3: The last mile
In this episode, we walk the last mile of disease elimination—the hardest mile of all, with few cases left to study. Discover the logistical, financial and mental challenges that come with it, as our researchers gather community participation and build research centres from scratch. Listen to find out what it really takes to eliminate a disease...
S3 · E2
Apr 10, 2025 · 25 min
S3E2: The growing threat
Imagine waking up one day feeling like your bones are breaking... Bone-break fever, or dengue, is a growing global threat fuelled by the climate crisis and urbanisation. In this episode, we uncover the creative, local and collective solutions needed to fight this disease, while the mosquitos that spread it are doing their best to outsmart us.
S3 · E1
Apr 3, 2025 · 26 min
S3E1: Breaking the triangle
In this episode, we explore the deadly triangle that sustains many infectious diseases. We look over the shoulders of the experts who are fighting sleeping sickness, witnessing their progress... and their setbacks. Prepare to enter a strange world where little blue flags save lives, and where tsetse breeding factories emerge as unexpected allies.
Feb 26, 2025 · 1 min
Transmission: Season 3 Trailer
Welcome to Transmission, the award-winning podcast by the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp. In season 3, you’ll follow our researchers as they try to control the diseases that threaten the world, from the mysteries of sleeping sickness to the rising danger of dengue. Gear up to visit cutting-edge insectaries, field labs in the most remote forests, and anything in between.
S2 · E4
Jun 13, 2024 · 21 min
S2E4: Resilience - the only way to prepare
Urbanisation, ageing, climate change, a new pandemic... How we can prepare our health systems if we don't know what's going to hit them next? The answer lies within all of us: we must become more resilient.
S2 · E3
Jun 6, 2024 · 23 min
S2E3: In search of quality
When buying medication, we don't usually ask ourselves, "Is this going to be effective?" or "Is it safe?" Yet all over the world, people worry about the quality of health products and care they get. And rightly so. Follow our researchers as they fight this injustice, and discover "the canary in the coal mine" of our health care system.
S2 · E2
May 30, 2024 · 32 min
S2E2: Access - something worth fighting for
Racism, conflict, lack of funding, transportation issues, lifestyle or stigma: there are a lot of factors that can keep people from getting the care and medication they need. In this episode, we explore those hurdles all over the world, taking you from Belgium to Zambia.
S2 · E1
May 23, 2024 · 18 min
S2E1: Don't take it for granted
If we imagine a health system as a box, then what would it contain? And what happens if it gets shaken – by a conflict, a pandemic or even something as seemingly unrelated as structural traffic jams? Join us, as we travel from the Syrian war zone to a remote Indian community fighting addiction... with frisbees.
Mar 27, 2024 · 1 min
Transmission: Season 2 Trailer
Transmission is the podcast of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp. Our enlightening and intimate series shares the personal and professional experiences of researchers and physicians as they relentlessly battle diseases, advance scientific research and fight for the health of people globally.
S1 · E4
Sep 26, 2023 · 22 min
S1E4: The next one
When it comes to the next pandemic, the question is not "if" but "when". In this compelling episode, you will meet the most likely candidates for the next outbreak, and find out how well-prepared we are for it.
S1 · E3
Sep 26, 2023 · 22 min
S1E3: A leap of faith
Why do or don't we follow advice from healthcare professionals and authorities? What have previous outbreaks taught us about this "human factor"? Follow our researchers as they pitch their tent under snake-filled trees and talk to people in remote villages to get answers to the most pressing health questions.
S1 · E2
Sep 26, 2023 · 30 min
S1E2: Solving the riddle
Meet the members of the Outbreak Research Team. Follow in the footsteps of the most talented scientists as they travel the world to get a grasp on global health challenges, or toil away in hi-tech labs to solve the complex riddles that come with new infectious diseases.
S1 · E1
Sep 26, 2023 · 20 min
S1E1: And so it begins...
Listen to real-life stories from the frontlines of the fight against Ebola and other deadly infectious diseases. Get ready to learn more about where outbreaks start and why, and how viruses evolve, leaping from animals to humans.
Sep 25, 2023 · 48 sec
Transmission: Trailer
Transmission is the new podcast of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp. Our enlightening and intimate series shares the personal and professional experiences of researchers and physicians as they relentlessly battle diseases, advance scientific research and fight for the health of people globally.

Showing 1–15 of 15 episodes