Outbreak News Interviews

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded a one-year Phase I Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant for $225,000 in funding to Enable Biosciences to develop an improved Lyme disease test. Columbia and Tulane universities are sub-awardees of the grant. Joining me today to discuss this work is Monica Embers, Ph.D., Dr Embers is […] The post Lyme testing with Monica Embers, PhD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

It’s Cyclospora season in the United States as evidenced by an increasing number of outbreaks and clusters reported in recent weeks. In this podcast, I look at some publicized outbreaks and the work that people are doing to try to minimize these parasitic outbreaks. Related: Toxocara in the UK: A discussion with Dr Ian Wright […] The post It’s Cyclospora season appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Bolivia is investigating an outbreak of hemorrhagic fever, which based on preliminary lab testing indicate the Arenavirus, Chapare virus. In this podcast, I look at the current situation, the transmission, a study on the first such outbreak in 2003 and the CDC’s travel advisory. Malaria epidemic in Venezuela: 2.5 million cases predicted for 2020 Philippines […] The post Bolivia hemorrhagic fever outbreak: What is Chapare virus? appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Last Monday, Philippines Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III declared a National Dengue Alert as the number continue to rise in many regions of the archipelago. On today’s news brief I look at the latest numbers for dengue in the country, the increases in costs incurred by the national health care system and states of […] The post Philippines dengue update: A national alert, ‘states of calamity’ appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

In February this year, a consortium of five global health organizations reported over 1.3 million malaria cases during 2018, much higher than numbers produced by the Venezuelan Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Now these organizations are predicting the malaria situation will only get worse, forecasting 2.5 million malaria cases in Venezuela […] The post Malaria epidemic in Venezuela: 2.5 million cases predicted for 2020 appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) that showed outbreaks of Cryptosporidium (Crypto) in the United States increased an average 13% each year from 2009-2017. On today’s podcast, Joseph Eisenberg, Ph.D., M.P.H., chair of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health […] The post Cryptosporidium in the US with Joseph Eisenberg, Ph.D. appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Foodborne illness is a significant public health issue in the United States. One of every six Americans is affected by foodborne pathogens. Foodborne illness also creates a big economic burden to the United States with tens of billions of dollars in losses. Temperature control is essential to prevent the rapid growth of foodborne pathogens during […] The post Foodborne illness, temperature control and celebrity chefs appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

By Robert Herriman   @infectiousdiseasenews According to the World Malaria Report, there were 219 million cases of malaria globally during 2017, resulting in 435,000 malaria deaths. Drug resistance poses one of the greatest threats to malaria control and results in increased malaria morbidity and mortality. Vanderbilt University biomedical engineers have discovered how to rapidly detect critical […] The post Malaria drug resistance: An alternative for detection in the field appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The World Economic Forum believes pandemics could cause a $570 billion annual loss to the global economy.  Recently, the Leader in Epidemic Risk Modeling, Metabiota, released a free tool for tracking events that could impact human and economic health. It’s called the Metabiota Epidemic Tracker, a free, new platform to view, analyze and understand events […] The post The Metabiota Epidemic Tracker with Ben Oppenheim, PhD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. Legionella can also cause a milder illness called Pontiac fever. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some 6100 Legionnaires’ disease cases were reported in 2016; however, this number is undoubtedly low due to under-diagnosis. People can get sick when they breathe […] The post Legionnaires’ disease: A personal story appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On today’s show I’m going to look at one of my favorite topics–rabies. And I’m honored to have my two guests today, both returning guests. Pamela Wilson and Dr Rodney Rohde have teamed up to write a comprehensive look at many aspects of rabies–clinical signs and symptoms, epidemiology, lab testing, post exposure prophylaxis and even […] The post Rabies: Signs and symptoms, exposure, transmission and diagnostics appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Since August 2018, an Ebola Virus Disease outbreak has raged in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, their 10th outbreak and the 2nd largest ever. Earlier this week the disease spilled over into neighboring Uganda. Joining me to discuss this and other topics related to Ebola is Mark Kortepeter, MD, Dr Kortepeter is a Professor […] The post Ebola: Pathology, treating patients and the current outbreak appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On this podcast, I wanted to look at the once common, highly contagious disease, chickenpox. Joining me today to answer some questions about chickenpox is Donald Kaye, MD. Dr Kaye is  Professor of Medicine at the Drexel University College of Medicine. He is also an Associate Editor at the website, ProMED-mail.   Related podcasts: Medical […] The post Chickenpox 101 with Donald Kaye, MD appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Earlier this week in Lakeland, FL, I attended an educational program and panel on Alzheimer’s disease–research, risk prevention and other topics were addressed. The event was hosted by the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. My guest on the show today is one of the expert panelists. Joining me today is Phil Sabel, […] The post Alzheimer’s disease: Risk factors, treatments and more appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

Do you like science and medicine? Do you like history? On today’s show, you’ll get a great dose of both. I talk to the author of the very informative book, Between Hope and Fear: A History of Vaccines and Human Immunity, Michael Kinch, PhD. Dr. Kinch is a professor and Vice Chancellor at Washington University […] The post Medical history: Vaccines and Immunity appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports since the hepatitis A outbreaks were first identified in 2016, more than 17,000 cases and 170 deaths as a result of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection have been reported. Last year, Florida became one of the 20-something states reporting an outbreak and so far this year, […] The post Florida hepatitis A outbreak with Epidemiologist, Andrea Leapley appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

June 1st is just around the corner–the start of hurricane season. Are you ready? What should you do to prepare? Joining me today to offer some advice and tips in Mike Coston. Mike writes about preparedness often on his website, Avian Flu Diary.   Monkeypox in Nigeria: CDC updates travel notice Measles outbreak in England […] The post Hurricane preparedness with Mike Coston appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

New research from the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) gives people and their health care providers a way to assess their risk for Lyme disease, thanks to man’s best friend. The study confirms dogs are sentinels to assess human risk for tick-borne Lyme disease. The study is published in the journal, Geospatial Health. Joining me to discuss the […] The post Lyme disease: New study confirms dogs are sentinels to assess human risk appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

May is Myositis Awareness Month and on today’s show I want to take a look at these rare conditions and the importance of this month.  In addition, there is a new analysis on how myositis affects woman of color that we’ll discuss.  Joining me to look at these issues and more is  Dr. Cheilonda Johnson. […] The post Myositis with Dr. Cheilonda Johnson appeared first on Outbreak News Today.

On the latest Outbreak News This Week, I look at news from Florida and then expand to national and international news, and a little research. The Florida hepatitis A outbreak keeps adding up and we look at the latest on that. I also look at research that lists the 25 counties most at risk for a […] The post Florida, national and international news and research appeared first on Outbreak News Today.