Full Frame: Widespread

COVID-19

The World Health Organization says the coronavirus pandemic is now accelerating in every major city on the planet. But, before the coronavirus, there was the Spanish Flu of 1918, which killed millions around the globe.

Today, we contend with seasonal flu, which kills about 500-thousand people each year. For centuries, scientists have studied these kinds of infectious respiratory illnesses, which tend to circulate in the winter months.

This week, Full Frame host Mike Walter talks with veteran emergency room Doctor Jeremy Brown to better understand the spread of viruses.

Scientists and doctors in the Democratic Republic of Congo have stopped clinical trials of new drugs to combat a year-long Ebola outbreak.

The World Health Organization announced that two of the experimental treatments appear to dramatically boost survival rates. The drugs will now be made available to more patients, hopefully saving lives.

When it comes to fighting virus epidemics, there’s often a human behavior side that goes along with it.

In Guinea, the government reports 60-percent of Ebola cases were linked to traditional burial and funeral practices which exposed mourners to highly infectious dead bodies. Finding alternative solutions – acceptable to the community—is often a challenge.

Meet American epidemiologist and university Professor Jonna Mazet.

Follow Jonna Mazet on Twitter@JonnaMazet