The Threshold

In our season finale of The Threshold, we delve into what it will take to end neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which impact about 1.5 billion people. The World Health Organization considers 21 diseases to be NTDs, a classification that marks a disease as underfunded and prioritized relative to its burden. What is encouraging is that a growing number of neglected tropical diseases are closer than ever to being eliminated.Our episode begins with the personal story of Rehema, whose account was

What are the best ways to stop the spread of infectious diseases? One key element is diagnostics. For diseases like tuberculosis, there are millions of people unaware that they have the disease. So improving diagnostic tests and making them accessible are critical. Thankfully, new scientific breakthroughs could dramatically improve rapid TB diagnostic tests. These tools may soon transform countries like India, where the toll of TB looms large. Reporting from Mumbai, India, journalist Chhavi

Malaria kills nearly six hundred thousand people every year, with 95 percent of deaths occurring in Africa. Most of them are children under five. While progress on curbing malaria has flattened in recent years, new scientific breakthroughs may bring the world closer than ever not only to controlling malaria outbreaks, but potentially also eradicating the disease. In this episode, we focus on the best mosquito control strategies to eliminate malaria. Host Henry Bonsu interviews Dr. Fredros Okumu,

Tuberculosis claimed more than 1.25 million lives in 2023, overtaking COVID as the world’s deadliest infectious disease. For the last century, there has been a vaccine protecting children from TB. Now, there is hope for a new solution: a potential vaccine for adolescents and adults. On this episode, reporter Elna Schütz visits an M72 TB vaccine trial site in Worcester, South Africa, one of the world’s TB epicenters. First, Elna speaks with participants about their experiences in the M72 trial and

What could end HIV and AIDS as a public health threat? While there is still no vaccine or cure, long-acting tools like Lenacapavir, the recently approved twice-yearly HIV prevention shot, could significantly reduce new infections. Many health experts believe this may get us toward the end of HIV as an epidemic. On today’s show, reporter Leah Kahunde Ndung’u examines what the Lenacapavir rollout will mean for Uganda, which was one of two Lenacapavir trial countries in Africa. She speaks with the

On today’s show, we are tackling what is possibly the biggest challenge facing global health right now: funding. Host Henry Bonsu speaks with Indonesia Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin about how he approaches multilateral organizations for financing, as well as his vision for Indonesia. Sadikin was also a longtime banker before going into government. Then, Bonsu talks with Dr. Ngozi Erondu, the technical director of GLIDE, the Global Institute for Disease Elimination. Erondu participated in

Welcome to the first episode of The Threshold, a Foreign Policy podcast about the fight to end infectious diseases around the world and the innovations that could get us there. Host Henry Bonsu speaks with Gates CEO Mark Suzman and WACI Health Executive Director Rosemary Mburu about why they’re both optimistic and concerned about the future of disease elimination. And there is a big deadline on their minds that directly impacts the state of global health—which is in a tough place.  More than two

Global health is facing a critical moment. New scientific breakthroughs are making a huge difference in the fight against epidemics like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. But funding is down and priorities are shifting. Will these diseases finally be eliminated? Or will they surge instead?On The Threshold, reporters from around the world cover this unfolding crisis from all sides—talking to scientists, politicians, civil society leaders, pharmaceutical executives, and others. The Threshold is a