German Media Group Viertausenendhertz Interviews JSI’s Robert Steinglass for Pandemia Series

In October 2020, German media group Viertausenendhertz interviewed JSI’s Senior Technical Advisor Robert Steinglass for their Pandemia podcast series. The timely series covers a host of pandemic-related stories, traveling to various countries and searching for lessons learned from previous public health crises. 

The October podcast discusses the smallpox virus and various developments in the journey to eradication. Steinglass, JSI’s resident immunization expert, shares his personal knowledge and experience of the deadly virus at multiple points in the interview. He considers historical developments in the journey to locate and contain the smallpox virus, as well as his personal involvement with containment efforts in the Russian mountainside. Steinglass says the process was essentially a pursuit of rumors; he and his team travelled to various schools and community areas, where they would show residents images of smallpox afflicted patients and follow potential leads to ascertain possible outbreak hotspots.