The Split-Second Decision That Led to Papua New Guinea

A young doctor faces a choice: wait in line after a lecture or go to the pub. He waits. Fast forward, he's on a plane to Papua New Guinea. He arrives expecting malaria research—but finds 25% of ICU beds filled with snakebite victims. Professor David Lalloo didn't plan to dedicate his life to one of the world's most neglected health crises. He stumbled into it. And it took until 2017 for the WHO to even recognize snakebite as a disease worth fighting. This is the story of how one split-second decision changed everything, and why getting the world to care is harder than solving the problem itself. References for Our Discussion ◼️ Snakebites kill 130,000 people a year. This UK lab may have the answer ◼️ Why giant statues of snakes popped up in Geneva Guest ◼️ Professor David Lalloo Host ◼️ Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP® Producer ◼️ Gordon Thane, BMSc, MPH, PMP® ◼️ Abhinya Gulasingam Production Notes ◼️ Music from Johnny Harris x Tom Fox: The Music Room

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The Split-Second Decision That Led to Papua New Guinea is an episode from Public Health Insight by PHI Media.

This episode is 18:14 long.

This episode was published on Jan 27, 2026.

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