Pandemic podcast Patient Zero hits the spot

Are you looking for more pandemic podcasts? Patient Zero transforms real medical stories into compelling mysteries.

Patient Zero makes a strong argument that these disease events aren’t anomalies but the consequence of human behaviour, and human systems.

Are you looking for more pandemic podcasts? For many listeners the answer has been yes, even as various lockdowns and isolation measures stretch towards the six-month milestone in Australia. That demand has resulted in Patient Zero, a strong series of reported pieces from Radio National loosely pitched as pandemic adjacent. Each 40ish-minute episode looks back at stories of disease outbreaks, how they unfolded, and how they were contained. The first episode looks at the source of a dreadful cholera outbreak in Haiti; the second at the human consequences that can stem from the confusion of contact tracing in the early stages of an outbreak. An extensive look back at the COVID-19 epidemic is in the works for later in the season, which should be promising given this is a reporting team that has spent most of this year working on coronavirus stories. Radio National has assembled a strong collection of audio talent for Patient Zero, with health reporter and host Olivia Willis supported by alumni from some of the ABC’s hit investigative shows such as Unravel and The Eleventh. Those narrative sensibilities are clearly evident in how these medical stories are transformed into compelling mysteries with a strong drive. Perhaps most impressive is how the scientific content never feels watered down or beaten up. These are thoroughly polished, engaging stories told with a strong aesthetic sensibility. There are some really strong stretches that push beyond the “marimbas and voiceover” cliches on which many narrative podcasts lean. I honestly wasn’t sure I wanted to learn more about deadly diseases in 2020. But as a medical investigator explains in an early episode: “Every outbreak is an opportunity to learn something now … and understanding the whole context of outbreaks is an important part of trying to prevent them in the future.” Patient Zero makes a strong argument that these disease events aren’t anomalies but the consequence of human behaviour, and human systems. The challenge is in understanding the people as much as the pathogens.

You can find Patient Zero by searching for RN Presents in your podcast app.