Vampire Pandemics - Past and Present

Pandemic diseases are like vampires: they can’t live without us, they never die, yet we are reluctant to kill them. Follow the story of our dysfunctional relationship with epidemic diseases throughout the ages, from bubonic plague to COVID-19, and ask yourself - why have we let this go on for so long?

Last refreshed: August 17th, 2025 at 2:19 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

#VampirePresident

In a fascinating twist to our pandemic narrative, President Trump got Covid-19. He survived, thanks to experimental new treatments. This commentary asks what we, and our leaders, have become in a world of antibody cocktails and experimental therapy.

Oct 09, 2020•10 min

Conclusion - Pandemics as Vampires

Like vampires, pandemics have been stalking us for millennia, draining us of our vitality and causing dissension in our ranks. Do we really need to live with them, or is eradication a more worthy goal?

Aug 16, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 9

Ebola - the structural racism of global health

Ebola, the most terrifying of pandemics, is a deadly infectious disease but it is also a symptom of the racism inherent in our global medical system.

Aug 14, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 8

HIV and the Geography of Blame

HIV AIDS changed sexuality forever, but its most profound impact was on its home turf of Africa.

Jul 10, 2020•31 min

Influenza - Under the Influence of the Stars

We have a dysfunctional relationship with Influenza, our buddy, the "flu." It comes to visit us regularly and we have come to accept its presence, despite the fact that we might just be able to defeat it someday, maybe.

Jun 09, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 6

Cholera - a 19th century world tour

Cholera and humanity build a dysfunctional relationship in the 19th century.

Jun 02, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 5

Smallpox - from genocide to eradication

Smallpox is defeated but it is not gone. It has disfigured global societies permanently, often with our blessing. We have imprisoned it within the bowels of our secret laboratories, but are reluctant to eradicate it forever. In this podcast, smallpox will teach us about who we are as homo sapiens.

May 21, 2020•36 min

Bubonic Plague - the three-peat

There have been three major pandemics of bubonic plague, each changing out world dramatically. What the plague revealed about power relations and our moral and ethical weaknesses can teach us much about how to manage our pandemic, COVID-19.

May 08, 2020•41 min

Pandemic disease - pathological blight and social plight.

Every pandemic follows certain rules. The pathogen seeks to reproduce and its hosts seek to fight it off. The results tend to follow a pattern of denial, anger, bargaining, acceptance, and even gratitude. In this episode, we will find out what the pandemics of the past can teach us about our pandemic - COVID-19.

May 08, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Episode 1 - What Causes COVID-19?

Like every pandemic, COVID-19 is more than just a disease caused by a microscopic pathogen - it takes a lot more than a virus to cause a global pandemic. In this episode, we will find out more about the biological, environmental, social and cultural causes of our pandemic - COVID-19.

May 08, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 1

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