CMU’s PODD mobile application was praised by John Oliver, a renowned TV host, for its effectiveness in disease prevention.
The PODD scheme by the PODD Centre was acclaimed for its effectiveness in disease surveillance through its mobile application on HBO’s Last Week Tonight hosted by John Oliver, which aired on February 14, 2021. The first episode of this show’s eighth season, titled ‘The Next Pandemic’, talked about how the catastrophic impact of diseases from wild animals, particularly bats migrating due to fleeing fire, as well as threats caused by outbreaks and prevention and mitigation of the impacts of the new pandemic, which is currently threatening mankind.
PODD is the manifestation of community strength ineffective disease surveillance and prevention. Oliver praised the application, saying “that’s very clever. Because with that app, farmers there have a way to spot a possibly sick bird that could inform broader public policy. Which isn’t just effective disease prevention, it was also interestingly the working title of this show. That scheme has been a success, partly because it preserves people’s livelihoods, and aligns farmers’ interests with those of their larger community. And there will be thousands of small ideas like that, that could end up making a real difference.”
The episode can be watched on YouTube (from 16.55 onwards), at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v-U3K1sw9U.
For more information on the PODD Centre, visit http://www.cmonehealth.org/home.