National Geographic has announced its new documentary special, Virus Hunters, which shows what the heroes on the front lines are doing to stop the next deadly pandemic.

With not one but two promising vaccines to the Covid-19 virus announced of late, with the latest showing a hopeful 94% effectiveness, it looks like it may well be the beginning of the end for the Coranovirus pandemic. However, this year the world has become painfully aware of the ferocity of contagions and how widespread their damage can be, and the stark reminder that defeating one pandemic doesn’t guarantee immunity from the next.

It is not unreasonable to expect that smart nations will be paying considerable attention to preventing the next contagion before it is too late and to stopping any future pandemics in their tracks.

With this in mind, Virus Hunters is set to show how researchers are racing to prevent disaster, and why their efforts represent the most critical scientific mission of a generation. With deadly new viruses on the rise and happening more frequently

Premiering Wednesday 25 November 2020 at 21:00 CAT on National Geographic (DStv 181, StarSat 220), Virus Hunters will reveal the raw and chilling stories of those heroic experts currently searching to identify the chain of events that could cause the next global pandemic.

National Geographic fellow, epidemiologist and ecologist Christopher Golden is on a mission to connect the dots on culture, disease and the environment to discover the patterns that cause global health crises. ABC News foreign correspondent James Longman has seen the global ravages of COVID-19 firsthand and will use his investigative experience to find the answers to urgent questions the public is yearning for. Together, Golden and Longman will embark on an epic journey across continents to meet with the brave scientists on a quest to not only understand and stop the COVID-19 outbreak, but also prevent the next deadly pandemic.

The good news is that the chain of events that sets off a pandemic can be broken — remove one domino and you can prevent the loss of millions of lives. Virus Hunters will follow explorers Golden and Longman as they process through airports, hail taxis and navigate through every human interaction that has been tainted by the current global pandemic.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has affected people in so many ways. The virus continues to sweep across the globe, impacting communities, economies and entire states. Virus Hunters chronicles the heroic efforts of those on the front lines who are working tirelessly to prevent this from happening again,” said Evert van der Veer, Vice President, Media Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa.

Virus Hunters will serve as a documentary companion special to the single-topic November issue of the magazine focusing on COVID-19. For more of National Geographic’s coverage of COVID-19, visit natgeo.com/coronavirus.

Virus Hunters will air globally on National Geographic Channel in 172 countries in 43 languages. To tune in, visit DSTV Channel 181.