VEC Vaccine Notes

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about yellow fever and the vaccine. She explains the history of the yellow fever vaccine, how globalization and climate change impact the spread of yellow fever virus, and what steps travelers can take to protect themselves against mosquito bites. She also addresses common questions and the r...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about typhoid and the vaccines. She shares the story of Mary Mallon, who was infamously known as "Typhoid Mary," to illustrate how people can be carriers of the disease, not having symptoms but still spreading typhoid. Moser offers tips on how travelers to high-risk areas can protect themselv...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and the vaccine that protects against it. She explains that the JEV vaccine is considered a travel vaccine, but it’s not recommended for all travelers to the Far East. She discusses the many considerations for making a vaccine recommendation. She also a...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about hepatitis A and the vaccine. She explains what makes the hepatitis A virus so hardy and why everyone is at risk for infection. She addresses common questions about the opioid epidemic’s connection to outbreaks, travel precautions, and the differences between hepatitis A and B. She also...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about cholera and the vaccine. She explains why vaccination is not routinely recommend and what can be done to reduce the risk of cholera. She also addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccine. Watch the episode to find out: How cholera c...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about dengue and the vaccines that protect against it. She explains why most people in the U.S. aren’t recommended to get the dengue vaccine, and why they can’t be vaccinated even if they are among those who could benefit from vaccination. She also addresses common questions and discusses the...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about cytomegalovirus, or CMV, and where things stand with vaccine development. She also addresses common questions and discusses the risks of CMV. Watch the episode to find out: Why pregnant healthcare workers in the 1980s couldn’t care for infants with CMV, but those today can (hint: It’s n...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about smallpox — a disease that killed 300 million people prior to vaccination. She discusses the successful eradication of smallpox virus through vaccination and addresses common questions as well as the relative risks and benefits. Watch the episode to find out about: The role of smallpox i...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, and the vaccines that protect against it. She also addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccines. Watch the episode to find out: About the special teams hospitals had when Hib was more common a...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about meningococcus and the vaccines that protect against it. She also addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccines. Watch the episode to find out: Why meningococcus demonstrates the limits of focusing only on treatment and not preventio...

Get ready for Season 3 of VEC Vaccine Notes! Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, provides a sneak peek into the vaccines and diseases that will be discussed in Season 3, including meningococcus, Haemophilus influenzae type b, smallpox, cytomegalovirus, dengue, and more. The first episode about meningococcus will drop on April 15. Che...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about tuberculosis, also known as TB, and the vaccine that protects against it. She also addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccine. Watch the episode to find out: The dubious distinction TB holds among infectious diseases The two forms...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about Lyme disease and a potential new vaccine. She also addresses common questions and discusses the risks of Lyme disease in the absence of vaccination. Watch the episode to find out: When and where Lyme disease was first identified What species of animals can be infected with the bacteria...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about shingles and the vaccine that protects against it. She also addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccine. Watch the episode to find out: Why the shingles rash tends to appear in certain places on the body Details about the length an...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about mpox and the vaccine that protects against it. She also addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccine. Watch the episode to find out: When monkeypox virus was identified and where What changed that has made the virus more prevalent s...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about rabies and the vaccines and treatments that protect against it. She also discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccines. Watch the episode to find out: How a mom saved her son by begging for the first rabies vaccine to be tested on him and the irony of that son’s...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about chikungunya and the vaccine that protects against it. She also addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccine. Watch the episode to find out: When and where chikungunya was first identified and how that relates to its name Where this...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about rotavirus and the vaccines that protect against it. She also addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccines. Watch the episode to find out: Why rotavirus vaccine is a good example of the robust nature of the vaccine safety monitoring...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about anthrax and the vaccine that protects against it. She also addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccine. Watch the episode to find out: How anthrax is part of the Sept. 11 history in the U.S. Where in the U.S. is known as the “anthr...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about pneumococcus and the vaccines that protect against it. She also addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccines. Watch the episode to find out: What pneumococcus has taught us about prevention versus treatment How many people died fro...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about human papillomavirus (HPV) and the vaccine that protects against it. She also addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccine. Watch the episode to find out: The ways this virus spreads without sexual intercourse How long HPV infection...

Get ready for season 2 of VEC Vaccine Notes! Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, provides a sneak peek into the vaccines and diseases that will be discussed in season 2, including HPV, pneumococcal, shingles, rabies, Lyme disease, and more. She also announces the date of the first episode of 2026! Check out the podcast version of thi...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about Ebola and the vaccine that protects against it. She addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccine. Find out: What makes cases of Ebola cause alarm How people are infected with Ebola virus Symptoms of Ebola infection Death rates from...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis and the vaccines that protect against them. She addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of these diseases and the vaccines. Find out: The historical nicknames for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis What toxins and toxoids...

Charlotte Moser, Co-Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, talks about tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and the vaccine that protects against it. She addresses common questions and discusses the relative risks and benefits of the disease and vaccine. Find out: What family of viruses TBE belongs to The number of cases in the U.S. over two decades What a “dead-...