Public Health On Call

At first, it seemed that COVID-19 was sparing children from critical—and even mild—illness. Then, doctors began connecting a constellation of symptoms in sick children to what is now known as Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, a rare and dangerous disease thought to be caused by an immune reaction to SARS-CoV-2. Dr. Lasya Gaur , a pediatric cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, talk...

The Latinx immigrant community has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic for reasons that include housing, employment, transportation, and obstacles to receiving care. George Escobar , chief of programs and services at CASA , an immigrant advocacy organization in Maryland, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the policies that led to this population being particularly vulnerable to C...

As restrictions lift and businesses think about reopening, many aren't sure what they should consider in order to protect their employees and customers. Lucia Mullen and Dr. Crystal Watson co-authored a toolkit for businesses that includes checklists to follow and suggested modifications to put in place before reopening. They talk with Stephanie Desmon about how businesses can assess risk and crea...

Until now, the focus of this podcast has been on COVID-19. Today, we are broadening the podcast to cover other urgent public health issues starting with racism, police violence, and the national protests over the homicide of George Floyd. Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks with Baltimore author, artist, and activist Chris Wilson about his experiences both in and out of the prison system, his reflections on...

What can people do to reduce their risk of contracting COVID-19 during a protest? Do higher-risk patients ever have mild novel coronavirus or do they always get very sick? When is it ok to resume routine medical and dental care? Will people who have had COVID-19 be eligible for a vaccine when it's available? Are gloves necessary like masks?

To what extent has COVID-19 affected Americans' mental health? In this episode, guest host Colleen Barry speaks to Beth McGinty , lead author of a new study which finds a significant increase in psychological distress among adults in the U.S. in April at the height of social distancing. Dr. Dani Fallin , Chair of the Department of Mental Health, also discusses mental health as a public health issu...

Long term care facilities that house vulnerable populations in a communal living setting have been hotbeds for COVID-19 outbreaks. Infectious disease physician Dr. Morgan Katz has been working with some facilities to provide guidance on COVID-19 response. She talks with Stephanie Desmon about infection control procedures, how testing is a double edged sword, the biggest lessons we've learned so fa...

Underlying medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and Type II diabetes are risk factors for critical illness or death from COVID-19. Just as these chronic health issues disproportionately impact different racial and ethnic groups in the US, so too is COVID-19. Dr. Eduardo Sanchez of the American Heart Association talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the US's failure t...

Dr. Julie Gerberding was director of the CDC during the 2003 SARS outbreak and lessons learned from that response are now informing her work overseeing some 65,000 employees around the world as executive vice president of Merck. Gerberding talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the US's response, how Merck is keeping things moving, why emerging infectious diseases may be a new normal, and how the pa...

How do you deal with things you can't control? How do we decide what actions are right for ourselves and our families without judging others in the process? What is contributing to COVID-19 stigma? How do we consider the future without feeling overwhelmed? Clinical psychologist Dr. Laura Murray returns for another round of mental health Q&A with Stephanie Desmon .

As of recording, there were no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Lesotho, a country in southern Africa. But the country borders South Africa which has close to 5,000 cases, and shares a migrant workforce that has been coming home to Lesotho amidst shutdowns. Dr. Tafadzwa Chakare , technical director for Jhpiego in Lesotho, talks with guest host Dr. Sara Bennett about the challenges of managing the pa...

Johns Hopkins Hospital paused elective surgeries (surgeries that are scheduled ahead of time) in March. Like some of his other colleagues, Dr. Rick Redett volunteered to be redeployed to the COVID ICU. Redett talks to Stephanie Desmon about exhausting shifts, the challenges of shifting from surgery to supportive care, and how things may be different as surgeries resume.

Like many countries, Canada recognized the pandemic in stages, but unlike some, Canada used advanced warning to their benefit with swift mandates. Dr. Brian Goldman , host of CBC's " The Dose " podcast, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how although Canada's response has differed from the US's, the country faces many of the same challenges with testing, outbreaks in vulnerable populations, and...

Is Vitamin D deficiency correlated with severe outcomes? Is it safe to use dry bat guano fertilizer? People in my area seem to be social distancing, so why are there still so many cases? If I received a flu shot, will it help protect me from severe illness with coronavirus? Dr. Caitlin Rivers of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security addresses your questions submitted to publichealthquestion...

The use of investigational drugs during a public health crisis is not new. In 2014, Dr. Linda Mobula had experience administering an untested drug during the Ebola response in West Africa. Mobula talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how the technical framework that came out of that process could have been used to provide guidance for investigational drugs in COVID-19, and how political figures creat...

For people who live on or earn their income from the streets, COVID-19 has made their lives exponentially harder—they may be more vulnerable to the novel coronavirus and to other outcomes like violence, injury, or illness. Caring for these populations is necessary for public health, says Dr. Susan Sherman , founder of a harm reduction center in Baltimore . Dr. Sherman talks to guest host Dr. Colle...

Reopening schools is a crucial goal for the well-being of students and for parents to return to work. But there are gaps in what we know about kids and COVID-19 transmission. A new report from The Center for Health Security lays out the evidence schools would need to assess safety for kids, teachers, staff, and families. Co-authors Anita Cicero and Tara Kirk Sell talk with Stephanie Desmon about w...

The Joint Hopkins Maryland Federal Medical Station, a 250-bed unit inside Baltimore's convention center, opened on April 27 for non-critical patients recovering from COVID-19. Dr. James Ficke , the Station's director, talks with Stephanie Desmon about how his experience standing up combat hospitals in northern Iraq prepared him, the influx of patients they're seeing, and what it takes to set up a...

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan ordered restaurants and bars to end in-house dining back in March. Two people from Baltimore's restaurant community— Barri Yanowitz , a bartender at Brewer's Art, and Carlos Raba , a co-owner of Clavel—talk with Stephanie Desmon about how each outlet has addressed the mandate, what this has meant for business and their community, and what they anticipate in the coming...

When can I see my family again if I have been quarantining? Does a person's blood type affect how severely ill they might become? Are women taking oral contraceptive pills more at risk from blood clots from COVID-19? Can you get COVID-19 from second-hand smoke? What is social distancing fatigue and what can we do to address it? Dr. Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security addre...

Responses to COVID-19 such as school closures and shelter-at-home orders may inadvertently raise the risks of child sexual abuse. Dr. Elizabeth Letourneau , director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about risks, prevention strategies, and a new online resource for parents, caregivers, and people at risk of offending. Warning: This episode...

It's been a few months since COVID-19 first arrived in the US, so what have we learned? Dr. Albert Wu returns to the podcast with Stephanie Desmon to discuss social distancing fatigue, new symptoms and disease observations, hopes for treatment, and what we should expect in the coming months in terms of a "return to normal."

Although COVID-19 does not appear to infect children at the same rate as adults, there are significant indirect impacts on kids from the pandemic. Baltimore pediatrician Dr. Megan Tschudy talks with Stephanie Desmon about the "profound disruption" of the pandemic and its impacts on vaccinations, regular check-ups, and other aspects of children's physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos spends 12-16 hour days attending to COVID-19 patients in the ICU at Johns Hopkins Hospital. When he's not at the hospital, he's on duty in the community working with faith based organizations, schools, and housing units to help leaders protect their community members from getting sick. Galiatsatos talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about these dual roles of being on both the la...

How can I convince my family and friends to follow social distancing guidelines? How can I stay informed without becoming overwhelmed? How can I help family members if I can't be near them? What does resilience look like in this new normal? On this week's Q&A, Laura Murray , a clinical psychologist and senior scientist at the Bloomberg School of Public Health addresses listener's mental health que...