Communicable E49: Outbreaks & how to handle them

In this episode of Communicable, hosts Angela Huttner and Marc Bonten invite two members of the ESCMID Emerging Infections Subcommittee, Martin Grobusch (Amsterdam, Netherlands) and Pikka Jokelainen (Copenhagen, Denmark), to discuss infectious disease outbreaks. Sparked by the Subcommittee's beloved 'Epi Alert', which identifies and tracks outbreaks around the world, the episode covers common missteps and underestimated challenges in handling new outbreaks, the effects of climate change, and what 'One Health' really means.

This episode was peer reviewed by Ummu Afeera Zainulabid of the International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, Malaysia.

Further reading

• Epi Alert. https://www.escmid.org/science-research/emerging-infections-subcommittee/eis-activities/
• Pellejero-Sagastizábal G, et al. Delayed correct diagnoses in emerging disease outbreaks: historical patterns and lessons for contemporary responses. CMI 2025. https://www.clinicalmicrobiologyandinfection.org/article/S1198-743X(25)00169-7/fulltext
• One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP), et al. One Health: A new definition for a sustainable and healthy future. PLoS Pathogens 2022. https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1010537
• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute News. https://www.swisstph.ch/en/news