Outbreak News Radio

The World Health Organization says during an Ebola epidemic, any unprotected handling of the bodies of infected patients who have died constitutes a biosafety hazard. The burial process is very sensitive for the family and the community and can be the source of community resistance or even conflict. On a recent episode of Outbreak News TV, I spoke to public health expert, Glenn Laverack, PhD about...

On Sunday's program I take a quick look at the chickenpox outbreak in Northern Kentucky, the lawsuit, Gov. Matt Bevin and "chickenpox parties". A guest on the show a number of times, Dr Peter Hotez appeared on one of the largest podcasts out there--The Joe Rogan Experience, where they discussed infectious diseases, vaccines and autism for nearly 2 hours. In the second half, I play an interview wit...

Disease outbreak and health emergency response is a massive undertaking and involves a number of stakeholders in different areas of expertise. One important part of the outbreak response is health promotion. Joining me today to talk about this topic is a leader in health promotion and empowerment and has a distinguished career for more than 30 years working in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific...

Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive brain disorder that deteriorates a person's physical and mental abilities. It primarily affects adults; however, there is a form that affects children, albeit less common. Many describe the symptoms of HD as having ALS, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's – simultaneously! Joining me today to look at Huntington's disease is the Senior Director for Mission and Sci...

On the most recent episode of Outbreak News TV on YouTube, I talk to Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Amesh Adalja, MD. He was named one of STAT's "13 Clinicians to Follow on Twitter and in 2015 named one of 5 "Pennsylvanians to Watch" by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. We discuss medicine and the media, the problem of vaccine hesitancy, antibiotic resistance and mosq...

Earlier this week, researchers from the Hastings Center published an article in the journal Health Affairs in which they make the argument that patients should not be considered consumers. The concept of patient-centered care has increasingly merged with the concept of patients as consumers, which "is conceptually confused and potentially harmful," the authors contend. Joining me now to look at th...

Mosquito borne diseases. Many probably have heard of dengue fever, Zika, malaria and West Nile virus, but many people may have never heard of Japanese encephalitis, or JE. Joining me today to discuss JE is vaccinologist, public health physician and returning guest, Melvin Sanicas, MD

On Sunday's show I look at a variety of topics that are pressing in the news today. Measles and vaccines are important topics as UNICEF says global cases are surging to alarmingly high levels. Madagascar's outbreak is massive and some are asking, could that happen here? I give my thoughts. The outbreak Vancouver, BC has prompted plans for mandatory vaccination and are you old enough to remember wh...

Knowing how to prepare for overseas travel becomes more important day-by-day--what vaccines do you need and how to avoid mosquito borne illness are just two critical components to safe travel. My guest today is Christopher Sanford, MD. Dr Sanford is an associate professor of global health and of family medicine at the University of Washington, a family practice physician an the coordinator of seve...

I recently saw an Open letter to Vermont legislators several years ago who were considering vaccine legislation from an immunologist named Dr Tetyana Obukhanych. The letter was resurrected and published on the website called Health Impact News. Basically her goal in the letter is to say that its unwarranted the parents should be forced to get their children vaccinated before going to school. In th...

I recently saw an Open letter to Vermont legislators several years ago who were considering vaccine legislation from an immunologist named Dr Tetyana Obukhanych. The letter was resurrected and published on the website called Health Impact News. Basically her goal in the letter is to say that its unwarranted the parents should be forced to get their children vaccinated before going to school. In th...

On Sunday's Outbreak News This Week Radio Show, I take a look at the new review in the Lancet Infectious Diseases concerning the resurgence of vector-borne diseases and the implications for spillover in the region, particularly looking at the topic of the malaria epidemic in the country. I also look at the recent statement by FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb who said if states don't require mor...

Venezuela's tumbling economy and authoritarian rule have precipitated an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The country is now experiencing a more than 1 million percent inflation, healthcare is in crisis with the exodus of biomedical scientists and qualified healthcare professionals. More than 280,000 children are at risk for death from severe malnutrition and according to the last official natio...

My first guest on the new YouTube program, Outbreak News TV is public health scientist, infectious disease expert and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, or CIDRAP at the University of Minnesota, Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH. Dr. Osterholm, who has been a guest on the podcast and radio show several times, joined me to discuss his mentors and intellectual heroes, some...

On today's show, I want to continue my discussion with experts on the measles situation in the US and vaccines and the antivaccine movement. But I also want to look at the Ebola outbreak in DRC. Joining me today to look at these issues and more is Rob Cohen, MD. Dr. Cohen is a physician, board-certified in preventive medicine, Army veteran, international development worker, and host of the Democri...

Outbreaks of measles are currently being reported in Washington state, Oregon, Texas and New York. In fact, the CDC reported that in 2018, 349 individual cases of measles were confirmed in 26 states and the District of Columbia. This is the second-greatest number of annual cases reported since measles was eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. Much of this can be attributed to people not getting their ch...

On this weekend's show I look at several topics in the world of infectious diseases. The measles outbreaks here and abroad are a concern for many and I look at the latest from the US and the Philippines. I also do a segment of the various infectious disease risks related to dogs. In the second half, I take a look at the high cost of rabies post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and the appropriate way of...

I just finished a must read book--a very important book in this day and age. It's called Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism: My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad. Author, Peter Hotez, MD, PhD joined me to discuss a number of important topics to include autism, the debunked vaccine-autism link, the huge public health success vaccines are and today's anti-vaccine movem...

Despite the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases and public awareness of vaccine importance, why is it so challenging to boost population vaccination coverage to desired levels especially in the wake of declining vaccine uptake? A new study from Dartmouth College shows that past problems with vaccines can cause a phenomenon known as hysteresis, creating a negative history that stiffens publi...

On today's show on have two great interviews. First, Metabiota's director of epidemiology, Patrick Ayscue, DVM joins me to discuss their predictions for the industries that are most likely to be impacted by a healthcare crisis in 2019. In addition, the Agricultural Program Manager with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Gary Flory joins me for a thorough discussion on the safe manag...

Last week we learned of the emergence of yet another mosquito-borne virus. It's called Madariaga virus and the human cases were confirmed in several schoolchildren in Haiti--the first time reported in the northern Caribbean. The cases were documented in a study in the journal, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Joining me to discuss Madariaga virus, the study and what this all means is lead author,...

Earlier this month, the pioneer in epidemic risk modeling, Metabiota, unveiled its predictions for the industries that are most likely to be impacted by a healthcare crisis in the year ahead. I was joined by Metabiota's director of epidemiology, Patrick Ayscue, DVM to discuss these 2019 predictions.

Bird flu outbreaks among flocks, pig disease outbreaks like African swine fever. We see this in the news frequently enough. Have you ever wondered what is done with the carcasses of the dead and culled animals on livestock farms and how well do these methods protect the public health? Joining me today to shed some light on the safe management of carcasses is Gary Flory. Gary is the Agricultural Pr...

On today's show, I touch on some Florida news to include the suspected norovirus outbreak onboard the Royal Caribbean vessel, Oasis of the Seas, which as of today has accounted for some 600 GI cases in passengers and crew. I also look at some year end data from the Sunshine state concerning hepatitis A, mosquito borne viruses and measles. I take a look at some vaccines for adults and touch on a fa...

Rabies is a topic we report on on the website often and have discussed on the podcast several times. Last May, we reported on a human rabies death in a Virginia resident who traveled overseas, where she contracted it. Last week in the CDC publication, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report or (MMWR), they published a report on this tragic case which detailed the case and offered some very impor...