Outbreak News Radio

In 2016, Robert Toulson-Burke traveled with some friends to southeast Asia for a vacation-an exciting thing for sure-however things went bad over there as the young man died from dengue hemorrhagic fever. Joining me today to tell Bob's story is his mother, Jayne Toulson-Burke. Jayne is also an ambassador for the World Mosquito Programme and is fully passionate with teaching others about the danger...

My guest today asks the question, "What will the new year bring to our shores, our cities, and our homes? ", concerning emerging pathogens in an article recently published in Today's Clinical Lab. Well, let's see what he has to say about this topic today here on the show. Joining me today in Rodney Rohde, PhD. Dr. Rohde is the Chair of the Medical Laboratory Science Program (MLS) in the College of...

My guest today focuses her research on why diseases occur and how those diseases influence wildlife populations. One example is chronic wasting disease, or CWD, a fatal condition that is now affecting cervid populations, including deer, elk and moose throughout Michigan and other states. This will be the topic of this podcast. Joining me now is Sonja Christensen, Ph. D.  Dr Christensen is an assis...

The Sexually Transmitted Infections,chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are pervasive and increasing rapidly in the U.S. New evidence suggests that the antibiotic doxycycline could help prevent the spread of some bacterial infections if taken as post exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Joining me today to look at these proposed guidelines is Christopher Foltz, MD. Dr Foltz is an infectious disease speciali...

Leishmaniasis is a protozoan parasitic disease transmitted by a sandfly that most Americans are unfamiliar with; however, my guest today says it is more common in the United States than most people realize- with both locally acquired and imported cases being reported. What is leishmaniasis and what is the situation like in the US? Here to shed light on these questions and more is Naomi Aronson, MD...

Bangladesh is battling to control its most devastating dengue fever outbreak recorded since the dengue virus reappeared in the country in 2000, Although dengue is endemic in Bangladesh, this year's outbreak is unusual in terms of case burden, mortality and seasonality. The record season has seen more than 250,000 cases to date, including a global leading 1255 deaths. Both numbers easily exceed pre...

Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic, viral disease affecting the central nervous system. Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100% fatal, and treatment is typically supportive. It causes tens of thousands of deaths every year, mainly in Asia and Africa. Currently, there is no validated treatment in humans that prevents death following symptomatic rabies, however my guest today...

In the highlands of Papua New Guinea in the 1950s and 60s it was noticed that people (mostly women) of the Fore tribe were dying of what was originally thought to be a genetic disorder since it happened among family members. The disease stole away the affected person's ability to talk, walk and eat and to eventually die a shivering death. We now know now that was kuru –a transmissible spongiform e...

People who are regular cannabis users are at an increased risk of experiencing complications  after surgery, according to a study by researchers with UTHealth Houston. The study was published in a recent issue of JAMA Surgery . Joining me to talk about cannabis use disorder and the findings of the study is Paul Potnuru, MD. Dr Potnuru is the assistant professor in the Department of Anesthesiology,...

7 locally transmitted malaria cases have been reported in the US (Texas and Florida), a first in quite a few years. The species of malaria has been identified as Plasmodium vivax, one of 5 plasmodium species that can infect humans. What is malaria?, what is Plasmodium vivax?, how important is this transmission and how to prevent it? These and other questions will be posed to my guest today. Joinin...

Summer vacation is upon us and many Americans will be traveling domestically and internationally. Travel can unfortunately also be linked to infectious diseases. My guest today warns the public of five infectious diseases to keep an eye on during summer travel. Joining me on the show is Luis Ostrosky, MD. Dr. Ostrosky is a professor of medicine and epidemiology and chief of infectious diseases at...

The World Health Organization announced last month that The West African country of Benin has eliminated the neglected tropical disease, trachoma as a public health problem. Benin is the fifth country in WHO's African Region and one of 17 countries in the world to have eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. Joining me today to talk about trachoma and the achievement in Benin is Stephanie...

Two countries in Africa, on opposite sides of the continent–Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania, have been battling Marburg Virus Disease outbreaks since February and March, respectively. Marburg has had a fatality rate as high as 88%, but with lessons learned from prior outbreaks and epidemics, those rates are dropping. My guest today says "Without question, lives are being saved today in Equatorial G...

Cholera is a major public health concern in many parts of the world. We see large numbers today in Africa and South Asia. We've seen massive outbreaks in Haiti and Yemen over the past decade. Joining me today to talk about cholera and the situation we are in now across the globe is Peter Gilligan, Ph. D, Dr Gilligan is the former Director of the Clinical Microbiology-Immunology Laboratories at the...

In a recent paper in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), authors report U.S. babesiosis incidence significantly increased in northeastern states in the past decade or so. What is this tickborne parasite, why is it increasing and what are the public health implications of it? Joining me today to discuss Babesiosis and the new paper is Megan Swanson, MPH, Megan is with the Divisi...

Atrial fibrillation (AFib) not only causes shortness of breath and palpitations but puts patients at increased risk of stroke. When medication or other treatments fail to relieve symptoms, cardiologists increasingly perform a catheter ablation procedure. A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows the procedure is successful in most patients, with few side effe...

Last month, New Hampshire health officials released a health alert after identifying two locally acquired Echinococcus granulosus cases, the first such cases of the parasitic infection in the state. Joining me today to discuss the parasite and the situation is Elizabeth Talbot, MD. Dr. Talbot is the New Hampshire Deputy State Epidemiologist, a professor at Dartmouth College and an infectious disea...

Giardia is arguably the most common parasite infection of humans worldwide, and the second most common in the United States after pinworm. Joining me to talk about Giardia is Chandana Bala. Chandy is the President of Global Insight Advisory Network and writes on the intersection of healthcare and technology. She is also a frequent writer for Gideon Informatics .

Joining me today to tell his personal story of dealing with a family member with marijuana (cannabis) induced psychosis is author of the book, Gone to Pot: Cannabis--What every parent needs to know , Terry Hammond. In addition to telling his personal story, Terry talks about the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, it's effect on the brain, research describing the link between marijuana use and me...

Brucellosis is among the leading communicable diseases worldwide and the disease poses a substantial public health burden in the Middle East, resulting in long-term illness in humans and significant economic loss in livestock production. In addition, some Brucella sp are classified as Category B bioterrorism agents by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. My guest today was awarded...

The rat lungworm parasite, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, is typically transmitted to humans via ingestion of snails or slugs. A recent study published in One Health shows more than a dozen kinds of animals in addition to slugs and snails have caused rat lungworm disease in people around the world. Joining me today to look at rat lungworm and the One Health study is Robert Cowie, PhD, Dr. Cowie is s...

The first country-wide mass drug administration in the world for the treatment of scabies is happening in the Solomon Islands. The World Scabies Program is spearheading the mass drug administration (MDA) program with the Solomon Islands' Ministry of Health, which will deliver ivermectin to the whole population, with few exceptions. Joining me today from Australia to discuss scabies, the MDA and th...

Countries in southeast Asia are seeing an increase in dengue fever this year- Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia to name a few. In the Philippines, 102,619 dengue cases were reported from January 1 to July 30 this year, 131 percent higher than the number in the same period in 2021. Joining me today to discuss dengue fever and the situation in the Philippines is Edsel Maurice Salvana,...

Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is one of several priority diseases listed by the World Health Organization that pose the greatest public health risk due to their epidemic potential and/or whether there are no or insufficient countermeasures. Today, we are seeing a significant outbreak in Iraq where some 142 cases and approximately 24 deaths. So what is Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever? Join...

On today's podcast, we'll be discussing monkeypox. What used to be an obscure, tropical disease is now a household name. Joining me in the Q & A is Dr. Rodney Rohde from Texas State University.