Viral Load

Send a text Is there life on Mars? On this episode follow Brett and Andy down the black hole of Astrovirology. The guys discuss what extraterrestrial life could look like as well as the unintended consequences of the arms race to colonize Mars. 

Send a text It's COVID-19 update time! This week, Brett and Andy bring in economist and friend of the show Austin Myers to discuss the economic implications of the pandemic thus far. Should we buy or sell? Tune in this week to find out! 

Send a text Schistosomiasis where we're going we don't need dams! On this episode of Viral Load the guys wade into the world of Neglected Tropical Disease. How is it that there is a disease that affects almost 1 billion people and most of the world's never heard if it? Tune in this week to find out. 

Send a text Dance, dance, dance until you die! No this isn't Hocus Pocus, this is 1518 and the dancing plague has overtaken Strasbourg. What caused people to dance until their feet bled and their bones were exposed? Tune into this episode of viral load to find out.  . . . . Sources https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/jul/05/bizarre-dance-epidemic-of-summer-1518-strasbourg https://www.bbc.c...

Send a text On this episode of Viral Load Brett and Andy take a closer look into racial inequality in the united states amidst a global pandemic. The guys break down social justice and why the lack of social justice has led to a grave disparity in COVID-19 mortality rates in the black community nationwide. They also tackle smart ways to protest including a checklist of ways to keep standing up for...

Send a text On this Viral Particle mini-sode Brett and Andy take on Quackery through the ages as well as a rare feel good story from a Sudanese refugee. 

Send a text On part 2 of our "mother of all pandemics" mini-series, Brett and Andy look for parallels between the social and political responses to the 1918 "Spanish Influenza" pandemic and COVID-19. Spoiler alert: masks are still an issue 100 years later, cities handle things very differently, and politics can get in the way? Only epidemiology can save us! 

Send a text On this week's episode Brett and Andy visit the mother of all pandemics. The 1918 Flu pandemic commonly known as the "Spanish Flu". In this episode the guys explore how during a world war the man in the foxhole beside you may have been deadlier than the enemy. 

Send a text On this Episode of Viral Load Brett and Andy take an inside look into working on the front lines and the different approaches countries have taken. They look at Sweden's very different approach and if the U.S could learn from it. What comes next and how every decision will impact healthcare around the world. 

Send a text On this week's Viral Particle per popular demand the guys are diving back into the Rona-sphere. They discuss continued misinformation, the unintended consequences of a lockdown, and what will be the new normal. Will we ever hug again? Tune in to find out. 

Send a text Why did a remote tribe in Papua New Guinea experience a mysterious disease outbreak? Was it sorcery or something...darker? Brett and Andy look for the answers so you don't have to! Sources . . . . https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/09/06/482952588/when-people-ate-people-a-strange-disease-emerged https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2581657/ https://www.jstor.org/sta...

Send a text On this week's Viral Load, Brett and Andy are back in the world of parasites. Are you a cat lover? You're in luck, so does the "mind control" parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Tune in to find out why you really shouldn't f**ck with cats! . . . References:  https://www.livescience.com/56529-strange-facts-about-toxoplasma-gondii-parasite.html https://www.livescience.co...

Send a text On this week's episode Brett and Andy wrap up the coronavirus trilogy with MERS otherwise known as Middle East respiratory syndrome. MERS was the coronavirus outbreak that preceded the current COVID-19 pandemic. Did we handle MERS better? Could we have learned anything from MERS? Why are there still MERS hotbeds when SARS has seemingly been contained? Find out all that and more on...

Send a text Brett and Andy sit down to discuss the ever changing climate of the Covid-19 Pandemic. On this Viral Particle mini-sode the guys take a look at the guidance on home made masks and the overriding question should we all be wearing masks? 

Send a text On this episode Brett and Andy travel back to the SARS Pandemic of 2003. Did we learn anything from one of the largest coronavirus outbreaks of our time? Or are we simply repeating history? Tune into this week's episode to find out. 

Send a text On this week's Viral Particle Brett and Andy are sheltering in place on Covid-19 watch 2020. They discuss the present state of the pandemic as well as look into the dregs of society who are trying to profit off your fear. Could there be silver lining to this Pandemic? When humans lose, does nature win? Tune in this week to find out. 

Send a text This week Brett and Andy find out what Post Malone, The Awakenings, and the Salem Witch trials have in common as they dive into what was a global pandemic Encephalitis Lethargica.

Send a text On this episode of Viral Load Brett and Andy keep you up to date on all things Covid-19. The crew sits down with a financial expert Austin Myers to discuss the economic implications of a global pandemic. The guys also field a few listener questions with the help of friend of the pod Sara Myers. 

Send a text On this week's Viral Particle Brett and Andy head into the bat cave! They discuss how many diseases bats carry, why they are causing so many diseases and why they don't get sick. The guys also dissect Batman and why DC will never catch up to Marvel until they dig in and do their research. . . . Resources https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/21/805287609/theres-a-...

Send a text On this week's episode Brett and Andy travel to Guinea to dive into the "little dragon from Medina" or as you may know it the Guinea Worm. They discuss how it went from pandemic to the verge of extinction and which U.S. President has made it his life's work to see the end of this intestinal terror. . . . . Resources https://www.statnews.com/2016/08/26/guinea-worm-er...

Send a text World Health Organization declares Wuhan Coronavirus " Public Health Emergency of International Concern'. Now that it's made the Pandemic jump with it comes misinformation. Brett and Andy sit down for a Viral Particle (mini-sode) to separate fact from fiction.

Send a text In this week's episode Andy and Brett travel to Wuhan China to track down the world's newest deadly disease. The Coronavirus has already made the jump to the United States and the number of infected and subsequent death toll continues to rise, but just how scared should you be? . . . Resources https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html https://www.npr.org/sections/g...

Send a text On viral particle 2 Andy and Brett discuss current events and a possible shift in tracking diseases in a modern society. 

Send a text On this episode of Viral Load Andy and Brett take a trip to Brazil to chase down the Asian Tiger Mosquito and find out who or what is responsible for the increase in microcephaly. This episode will leave you feel guilty about more than just the extra calories you're spreading on your toast. 

Send a text Brett and Andy introduce their first Minisode. The first in a series of mini episodes focusing on current epidemiology events and strange disease stories from around the world. This week's episode revolves around why Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and the gifts that keep on giving.