In every epidemic or pandemic the world has faced, there is a search for the so-called “patient zero.”

From so-called “Typhoid Mary,” who was scorned for her supposed infectious state, to Gaétan Dugas, the flight attendant inaccurately blamed for starting the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, they are often unfairly vilified.

What is the value of tracking a “patient zero?” And where does the drive to find one come from?

To find out, The Show spoke with Ben Hurlbut, an associate professor in Arizona State University's School of Life Sciences who studies bioethics and political theory.

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