How Technology and Trust Help Fight Epidemics, with Journalist Will Herkewitz

<p>How are people fighting ongoing epidemics using genomics-based technologies such as PCR diagnostics and mRNA vaccines in a world where funding from the US and other rich countries is on the decline? </p><p></p><p>My guest this week, my dear friend and fellow journalist William Herkewitz, has reported on the recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as tuberculosis around the world. A former communications director for the now defunct USAID in multiple African countries, he has seen firsthand how funding from the US helped keep people healthy and infectious diseases at bay. <br /></p><p>We discuss what happens when dollars disappear, and with them, networks of people and trust. We also evaluate PCR, next-generation sequencing, and paper-based diagnostic tests in these remote and resource-limited settings. </p><p></p><p>For more of Will’s reporting, check out <i>The Rift Valley Dispatch</i>, also on Substack. </p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.theriftvalleydispatch.com/" target="_blank">https://www.theriftvalleydispatch.com/</a></p><p></p><p>Show notes: </p><p></p><p>Will's <i>New York Times Op-ed</i></p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/opinion/usaid-ending.html" target="_blank">“Why We Couldn't Sell America on U.S.A.I.D.”</a></p><p></p><p><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.genomeweb.com/molecular-diagnostics/rollout-5000-near-point-care-tb-test-systems-13-countries-begins-50m-funding" target="_blank">“Rollout of 5,000 Near Point-of-Care TB Test Systems in 13 Countries Begins With $50M in Funding,” </a></p><p>by Madeleine Johnson<br /></p><p></p>