Outbreak News Radio

Last fall, a 44-year-old man from Italy was bitten on his right hand by an aggressive dog on the Island of Zanzibar, Tanzania.  The man did not receive any rabies vaccine before travelling. He got a rabies vaccine shortly after exposure, but no immunoglobulin, as it was not available. He died from rabies after a 42 day hospital stay. Joining me to talk about rabies and advice for travelers to high...

In this podcast, I look at what I believe are the top infectious disease stories of the last decade.

In this end-of-year podcast, I rank what I believe to be the 10 most important infectious disease news stories of 2019. Dengue, polio, measles or Ebola...what will top the list?

In his first hand account of the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), physician and retired Army Colonel, Mark Kortepeter, MD pens the edge of you seat book, Inside the Hot Zone- A Soldier on the Front Lines of  Biological Warfare. In this podcast, Dr Kortepeter talks about USAMRIID and some of it's unique features and history, some riveting stories from...

Last week, former US Senator from North Carolina, Kay Hagan died from encephalitis caused by the tick-borne disease, Powassan virus. So what is encephalitis and how common is it? Joining me today to answer these questions and more is the president of Encephalitis411.org, Becky Dennis.

Flu season is upon us once again and experts say it's time to get your flu shot. On today's show, Taryn Chapman, aka The Vaccine Mom, joined me to discuss different aspects of influenza to include symptoms, available drugs and a little virology. In addition, she talks to me about the flu vaccine--the types of vaccines available this season, people that should and shouldn't get the vaccine and wher...

Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV) can cause some serious pathology. This mosquito borne virus has seen an increase this year in the US. We see an average of 7 human cases of EEE reported annually; however, there has been some 30 human cases to date in 2019. Massachusetts and Michigan account for more than 20 cases alone. What is EEE, what's the pathology and how do doctors treat patients wi...

Texas officials reported a large anthrax outbreak in 2019 affecting some 20 premises in five counties. My guest today was in the area over the summer to take a closer look at this outbreak. Joining me is University of Florida Associate Professor of Medical Geography and returning guest, Jason Blackburn, PhD.

In this podcast of a video interview from the 4th Annual Amoeba Summit hosted by the Jordan Smelski Foundation, I spoke to Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist at All Children's Hospital Johns Hopkins Medicine in St. Petersburg, Juan Dumois, MD. Dr Dumois shared his thought on why the rapid diagnosis of Naegleria is so challenging, he briefly discussed the primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (P...

In this video interview from the 4th Annual Amoeba Summit sponsored by the Jordan Smelski Foundation, I am joined by the Medical Director of Clinica Mi Salud and clinical professor at the UCF and FSU College of Medicine, Kevin Sherin, MD. In this short video he discusses Naegleria as a reportable disease, Naegleria risk and prevention for the public, public health policy and recommendations for th...

Next in the series of interviews from the 4th Annual Amoeba Summit hosted by the Jordan Smelski Foundation, I talked to Asst. Medical Director for Emergency Medicine for AdventHealth, Altamonte Springs. Dr Valente discussed the role of the ER physician and a potential amoebic meningitis case.

A major aspect of the 4th Annual Amoeba Summit, hosted by the Jordan Smelski Foundation, was a strong and necessary devotion to more drug research. I had the chance to speak with the Director, Center for Tropical & Emerging Global Diseases at the University of Georgia, Dennis Kyle, PhD. Dr Kyle discussed the research being done, the challenges with drug discovery for Naegleria fowleri and the coll...

In my series of short interviews with the experts presenting at the 4th Annual Amoeba Summit, I look at the topic of laboratory diagnosis. Medical Technologist at AdventHealth in Orlando as the person that found the amoeba in Sebastian DeLeon's CSF, Shiela Black, MHM, BSMT(ASCP) joins me to recount the day in 2016, the call to the physician and some basics on laboratory diagnosis.

In the summer of 2016, then 16-year-old Florida teen, Sebastian DeLeon wound up in a Orlando hospital diagnosed with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) due to the parasite, Naegleria fowleri. In this short interview from the 4th Annual Amoeba Summit sponsored by the Jordan Smelski Foundation, I spoke to a physician directly involved in the successful treatment of young Sebastian, pediatric...

I attended the 4th Annual Amoeba Summit this past Friday which was hosted by the Jordan Smelski Foundation. The list of speakers was incredible, the biggest experts on Naegleria fowleri in the country, talking about topics ranging from lab diagnosis to the latest research and everything in between. In this short interview, I talk to Medical Epidemiologist with the CDC, Jennifer Cope, MD, about the...

With the Vaccine Mom Earlier this month, the World Health Organization released some astounding preliminary information concerning measles during the first half of the year. In the first six months of 2019, reported measles cases are the highest they have been in any year since 2006. There have been almost three times as many cases reported to date in 2019 as there were at this same time last year...

Lyme disease. So much we seem not to know, in many different areas. Draft guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease were recently issued by the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA)--two really big, contentious issues. And of course there are the disagreements of how the various organizations view these Lyme topics--I've often termed this the establishment vs. the advocates...

The CDC says HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a common virus that can lead to 6 types of cancers later in life.  Almost every person who is sexually active will get HPV at some time in their life without HPV vaccination. About 14 million Americans, including teens, become infected with HPV each year. While most HPV infections will go away on their own, infections that don't go away can cause certa...

In this look at the week-in-review for Ebola and the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I look at the new cases reported in the 3rd DRC province, South Kivu. In addition, other big news was narrowing of two Ebola drugs that preliminary studies show promising results.

Singapore has experienced several dengue epidemics in the past ~20 years and it appears that 2019 is one of those years. In this podcast, I look at the current situation (surpassing 10,000 cases this week) and a little on some recent historical trends.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on some new measles surveillance data this week and we see some astounding numbers of the vaccine-preventable disease across the globe. In this podcast, I look at the global situation and the outbreaks in Europe, Africa, Asia and the United States.

On today's podcast, I am joined by The Vaccine Mom, Taryn Chapman. We explore some vaccine basics, immunology and immunity and some good information and advice about vaccines for parents.

In one of the most foolish things I've seen in a while, French animal-rights activist and anti-specist, Aymeric Caron said, "People should not kill mosquitoes but allow them to take blood donations"?! Even other activists say he's gone too far. Never mind the great number of pathogens--malaria, yellow fever, dengue and a slew of others. In this podcast, I look at what Caron said and some of the as...

A week ago, an opinion piece was published in Newsday entitled, A bold plan against tick borne disease, which states that a national public -private strategy is needed. Joining me now is the co-author of the article, Holly Ahern, Holly is an associate professor of microbiology at SUNY Adirondack

Kris Newby's book, Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons has sparked a lot of chatter, approving and critical, including being the impetus of legislation in Congress. In this podcast, I look at what some critics have said about this thesis and how Newby responds. I also take a look at New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith's work on the House floor. What do you think? Is this true...