Outbreak News Radio

Sadly, as many of you may know, a 6-year-old Eustis, Florida boy lost his battle with rabies earlier this week after contracting the lethal virus through a scratch from a bat. A Orlando hospital and the team of providers attempted the experimental Milwaukee protocol in an attempt to save his life but unfortunately it fell short. This is the second human rabies death in the state since October. So...

Last year, CIDRAP Director Michael Osterholm, PhD along with Mark Olshaker released the very interesting and relevant book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs. I talked to "Bad News Mike" last April on the radio show about some of the most important public health issues addressed in the book to include bioterrorism, vaccines, antibiotic resistance and pandemic influenza, to name a few....

It is estimated that as many as 1 in 200 children are affected by PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections), according to the PANDAS Network. In this Feb. 2016 interview, Executive Director for the PANDAS Network, JC Konecny joined me to talk about PANDAS and PANS, the course of the illness, and the diagnosis and treatment of this pediatric d...

Many experts say a flu pandemic is clearly on the horizon, so the question is-- Are we ready for a flu pandemic? My guest today says- not so much -as he outlined in a NY Times op-ed earlier this week. CIDRAP director, Michael Osterholm PhD joined me to discuss his views on why he believes we are woefully unprepared for the coming flu pandemic.

Taeniasis is a parasitic disease due to infection with tapeworms belonging to the genus Taenia. Three tapeworm species cause taeniasis in humans, Taenia solium, Taenia saginata and Taenia asiatica. On today's show, I will be talking to my guest, Parasitology teacher, author and friend of the show, Rosemary Drisdelle about the beef tapeworm, Taenia saginata.

The latest report from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative shows that 21 wild poliovirus cases were reported in 2017 from two countries--Afghanistan and Pakistan. The question some are asking is --Is 2018 the year we make history and see zero cases of polio? Rotary International has been integral in this amazing success in the battle against polio. The Director of the PolioPlus program at Rota...

Fads and movements on what we do and don't put in our bodies seem to plague the US and latest one has originated out of California. There has been a huge demand in Silicon Valley for very expensive "raw water". Raw water is supposedly unfiltered, untreated, unsterilized spring water according to a NY Times report. The rationale is that the existing water supply and tap water has many chemicals and...

In this podcast from a Outbreak News This Week Radio Show interview from Jun. 2016, we examine the ABCs of the extremely contagious viral disease, measles. I am joined by registered nurse, infection control specialist and a freelance writer, Erin Archer Kelser. Erin discusses the history of measles in the United States, symptomology, complications, the vaccine and much, much more.

The successes of vaccines in the battle with infectious diseases is quite clear with the dramatic drop in measles deaths, the elimination of smallpox and the near elimination of polio, just to name a few. However, there is a growing anti-vaccine movement despite this and my guest, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, Peter Hotez, MD, PhD says the gain...

Antibiotic resistance, Sexually transmitted diseases,Vaccine preventable diseases and septic shock. These important infectious disease topics and others were featured in a recent "Year-in-review"article on Forbes entitled, Infectious Disease Roundup 2017 -- The Year In Review . The author, infectious disease physician Judy Stone, MD, joined me to give her thoughts-- scientific, medical and politic...

Nearly one year ago, an infectious disease physician named Dr. Steven Beutler wrote a piece in the New Republic where he asked the speculative question--Many mental health professionals believe the president is ill. But what if the cause is an untreated STD? In a Feb. 2017 interview from the radio show, infectious disease physician, Amesh Adalja, MD joined me to discuss neurosyphilis and to give h...

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is caused by a dangerous tick-borne virus, (Nairovirus) of the Bunyaviridae family, that is endemic in Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East and Asian countries south of the 50th parallel north – the geographical limit of the principal tick vector. In Sept. 2016, we reported on the first local transmission of the tick-borne infection, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic...

Syphilis numbers are growing around the US and around the world as more and more states and countries release data. In this interview from Apr. 2016, I speak to the Director of Communications for the American Sexual Health Association/National Cervical Cancer Coalition, Fred Wyand to discuss the syphilis situation. We go over the ABC's of syphilis, why the number of cases are increasing, the repor...

In this podcast, I pulled out a radio interview from the 4th of July 2016 weekend where the discussion was on foodborne parasites found in the United States. I was joined by microbiologist and the man behind the website, Parasitology Illustrated, Wilson Vientos. We spent at least a half hour talking about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) list of the top foodborne (and may are...

In this podcast episode, originally from the Outbreak News This Week Radio Show in Mar. 2017, I look at the rare condition, usually brought on by medications or infections, Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) with a person that actually went through this painful immune-complex–mediated hypersensitivity complex. Donna Rushing of Tampa was diagnosed with SJS one year ago and talks about the beginnings of...

About three years ago, the website, VacTruth.com published an article entitled, "10 Reasons Not To Vaccinate", which laid out such arguments like "Vaccine do NOT work", "Are vaccines cause a host of 'chronic, incurable, and life threatening diseases'? and "Vaccines have never been proven safe or effective". The theme of my Jan. 2015 interview with Director of the Vaccine Education Center and a pro...

According to the USGS, White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent fungal disease of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern to the central United States at an alarming rate. Since the winter of 2007-2008, millions of insect-eating bats in 31 states and five Canadian provinces (as of September 2017) have died from this devastating disease. Bat Conservation International Director of Com...

Hashimoto's thyroiditis, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States with some 200,000 cases reported annually. It is an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies directed against the thyroid gland lead to chronic inflammation. Hashimoto's thyroiditis occurs most commonly in middle aged women, but can be seen at any age, and can also...

According to a paper published in AIMS Public Health earlier this year--We estimate the number of lives saved and morbidity reduction associated with the discovery of the first human cell strain used for the production of licensed human virus vaccines, known as WI-38. The diseases studied include poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chicken pox), herpes zoster, adenovirus, rabies and...

The efficacy and accepted regimen of antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease has been a point of significant contention among physicians and patients. Newly published research finds that the Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi survive a 28-day course of antibiotics when treated months after infection. In addition, the study also measured the antibody immune response to the bacteria both pre- and pos...

Naegleria fowleri is a protozoan parasite , more specifically an amoeba. This lethal parasite is commonly referred to as the "brain eating amoeba" in mainstream media. It is generally considered a rare cause of human infections in the US with a handful of cases (2-3) reported annually on average, almost universally fatal. However, researchers in a new study estimate that the number of N. fowleri d...

What is health promotion and what is its role and importance in disease outbreaks? Author of the new book, Health Promotion in Disease Outbreaks and Health Emergencies, Glenn Laverack, PhD joined me on the show to answer these questions and more. He discussed the role of community involvement, communications and social media in a health emergency. In addition, Dr. Laverack discussed in some detail...

Tens of millions of animals are used for scientific and commercial research in the US that benefits humans and animals alike. Despite the obvious benefits, animal research draws much criticism in some circles with the most common argument revolving around the case that it is cruel and inhumane. Director, Center for Comparative Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, Cindy Buckmaster, PhD joine...

Meningitis is an inflammation or swelling of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. It can be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. Bacterial meningitis is very serious and potentially deadly. In recent weeks we've reported on cases on college campuses like Oregon State University and UMass Amherst. In addition, we've seen outbreaks in several major cities in the...

Dracunculus medinensis. The "fiery serpent". Guinea worm. It is set to become the second human disease in history, after smallpox, to be eradicated. It will be the first parasitic disease to be eradicated and the first disease to be eradicated without the use of a vaccine or medicine. Joining me to discuss this parasite is Parasitology teacher, author of Parasites: Tales of Humanity's Most Unwelco...