Discovery: Patient Zero: Back from the Brink

A young boy from a traditional village in the highlands of Papua New Guinea's Morobe Province suddenly, inexplicably loses control of his legs. He's unable to stand by himself, let alone walk. Seven months later, a two-year-old boy in the disputed Indonesian province of West Papua suffers alarmingly similar symptoms. Then a year later, in the Philippines, a three-year-old girl is unable to stand by herself. Soon after, in Malaysia, more young patients. Something seems to be spreading across the Western Pacific -- but what? The answer, from a lab in Melbourne, has implications across the globe. Presented by Olivia Willis Patient Zero is a production of ABC Science, Radio National, and the BBC World Service.