Outbreak News Interviews

Chagas disease is a potentially life-threatening parasitic disease that affects  up to 300,000 people in the United States and millions in South America. The current treatment regimen is–oral benznidazole in smaller twice-daily doses over 2 months My guest today and his colleagues say high weekly doses of oral benznidazole over 30 weeks resulted in better […] The post Chagas disease treatment research with Rick Tarleton, PhD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Rabies post exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, consists of a rabies vaccine series and human rabies immune globulin (HRIG). Kedrion Biopharma’s human rabies immune globulin, Kedrab, was FDA approved in 2017. And now for the first time, the safety of HRIG (Kedrab) was studied in children. Joining me today to discuss rabies, PEP and the pediatric […] The post Kedrab: 1st pediatric trial for Human Rabies Immune Globulin appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) previously stated “To date there has been no information nor evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes”. Now researchers from Kansas State University report confirming this in a new study published recently in Scientific Reports. Joining me today to discuss this is associate vice president […] The post SARS-CoV-2 is NOT transmitted by mosquitoes: A talk with Dr Stephen Higgs appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In a recent Op-Ed, Pacific Research Institute President, Sally Pipes asked–Will COVID-19 launch an epidemic of cancer as the pandemic stay-at-home orders have caused patients to put off routine cancer screening. Mammogram and colonoscopy rates fell between 86 percent and 94 percent in March. One study estimates that during the past three months, more than […] The post Cancer screening in the time of COVID-19: Prevent Cancer Foundation’s ‘Back on the Books’ campaign appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Lice Clinics of America (LCA) reported last week that they saw a  significant increase in head lice activity through their network of clinics in the US in April and May during the COVID-19 pandemic. Joining me on today’s show is Krista Lauer, MD, National Medical Director of Lice Clinics of America. Dr. Lauer discussed some […] The post Head lice activity is up in the US in the time of the pandemic appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

This episode of NEWS TALK with BRANDON & BOB featured insight from Outbreak News Today’s Robert Herriman, discussing COVID-19, good vs. bad coronavirus testing, understanding terms like “viral load,” thoughts on data, tracking and locking down.   Related: SARS-CoV-2 transmission in cats: A study Dr. Mike Osterholm on COVID-19 testing, death rates and more COVID-19: […] The post NEWS TALK: Coronavirus Q & A appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports that the coronavirus has taken a hold upon Yemen saying “Unfortunately, it is no longer anything but obvious that the virus is circulating widely across the whole of Yemen”. “Five years of fighting had caused Yemen’s healthcare system to collapse in large parts… Now COVID-19 has made that collapse complete, […] The post COVID-19 strikes war torn Yemen appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Earlier this week, scientists with The Scripps Research Institute announced the discovery of antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2 in small animals. The study was published this week in the journal, Science. Here to discuss this research is Elise Landais, PhD. Dr Landais is Principal Scientist with […] The post SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies isolated: Developing a treatment, Aid in vaccine design appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Robert Desowitz, PhD was a scientist, researcher and you may know him best as the author of several very informative and entertaining books like New Guinea Tape Worms and Jewish Grandmothers and Who Gave Pinta to the Santa Maria? Dr. Desowitz left us on Mar 24, 2008. Being such a fan of his books made […] The post Dr. Robert Desowitz: Infectious Disease Storyteller appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In this clip from the NEWS TALK with Brandon & Bob on YouTube, we look at the recent EPA approval of Oxitec’s genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquito for release in the Florida Keys. What is it and how does it work? What are the criticisms and concerns? We exam these questions in this short podcast. […] The post Genetically modified mosquitoes coming to the Florida Keys? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews On the recent episode of NEWS TALK with Brandon and Bob, I spend a few moments reminding the public about the swimming risks in warm, fresh water and the brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri.             WATCH my series of interviews at the 2019 Amoeba Summit: The post Outbreak News Update: Robert Herriman talks about the brain eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In this clip from the NEWS TALK with Brandon and Bob show, we discuss a myriad of issues concerning the COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic like where to get your information, what data is useful and what do we know now that we didn’t know before. Brandon Jones and Robert Herriman give you an […] The post Coronavirus chat on NEWS TALK with Brandon and Bob appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Approximately 2,000 US cases of malaria are diagnosed annually. Without appropriate treatment, about 15 percent become severe. Mortality from untreated severe malaria (particularly cerebral malaria) approaches 100 percent. On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Artesunate for Injection to Amivas, a Maryland company specializing in treatments for rare and neglected tropical diseases. Joining me […] The post Severe malaria treatment receives FDA approval appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

There has been reports of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, infections in both domestic felines and large zoo cats in recent weeks. While these infections were characterized as human to feline transmission, what do we know about feline to feline or feline to human transmission? My guest today, University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher, Peter Halfmann, […] The post SARS-CoV-2 transmission in cats: A study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On today’s podcast, I had the honor of talking to E.B. Fred Professor of Natural Sciences Emeritus at UW–Madison and author of the book, Robert Koch–A Life in Medicine and Bacteriology, Thomas Brock, PhD about the titan of microbiology, Robert Koch.  In this show, I asked the 93-year-old microbiologist about Koch’s life prior to microbiology, […] The post Robert Koch: Titan of Microbiology appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On today’s podcast, I want to take a look at a couple of much talked about issues when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic at this point in time–the diagnostic testing (both PCR and antibody, or serology testing) and the death rates associated with the viral illness. I am joined today with friend of the […] The post Dr. Mike Osterholm on COVID-19 testing, death rates and more appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On today’s podcast, I want to look at some different issues involving the coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19 pandemic to include the varying fatality rates in certain countries, US pandemic preparedness and what we should be doing moving forward. Joining me to look at these issues and more is Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins […] The post COVID-19: How does it compare with the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, US pandemic preparedness appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

This week, March 15-21 is National Poison Prevention Week 2020. What is poison control and what is the role of Poison control centers? Joining me today to answer these questions and more is Dr. Mazda Shirazi. Dr Shirazi is associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, a clinical toxicologist and serves as the […] The post Poison Control Centers: Fielding calls on everything from snakebites to coronavirus appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Locally acquired cases of Chagas disease are exceedingly rare in the United States. Only 28 autochthonous infections were documented from 1955 to 2015. A recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) describes the first locally transmitted Chagas disease case in the state of Missouri. Joining me to talk about this unusual case is George Turabelidze, […] The post Chagas disease: 1st local transmission in Missouri appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Results were recently published in a study in  the Journal of Clinical Microbiology that show  limitations of currently available diagnostic tests for early-stage Lyme disease, and highlight the need for more research toward improved diagnostics and treatments.  Joining me today to discuss the study and the findings is Liz Horn, PhD. Dr Horn is the […] The post Lyme Disease Biobank and a new study appeared first on Outbreak News Today.