Health Topics – Johns Hopkins Medicine Podcasts

Anchor lead: A huge study shows the HPV vaccine prevents cancer of the cervix, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Human papilloma viruses cause cancer, and the vaccine against them prevents cancer of the cervix in women, a huge study of over a one and a half million Swedish women shows. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, describes the results.

Nelson: What this group does is finally get enough people followed for long enough that they can get a sense for is cervical cancer itself actually prevented? What they found was that among people who were vaccinated only 19 cases of cervical cancer, among the unvaccinated more than five hundred cases. That’s as clear as can possibly be the vaccine definitely prevents cervical cancer in addition to the premalignant condition.   :27

Nelson says the very few cases of cervical cancer among women who were vaccinated probably shows they were already exposed to the virus before they received the vaccine, which is now routinely given to girls around 12 years of age. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.

Anchor lead: Covid-19 is not taking a holiday, Elizabeth Tracey reports

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Christmas? Lisa Maragakis, an infectious diseases expert at Johns Hopkins, says it’s a sure bet Covid-19 won’t be taking a holiday, and holiday gatherings have the potential to infect large numbers of people at once.

Maragakis: We really see prominent examples of what we call superspreader events. What we think happens is a group gathers together and if they have the  unfortunate circumstance of having someone in their midst that has a high viral load, a lot of virus that is being shed, and the perfect conditions of being indoors, particularly if those individuals are talking or singing or shouting, and the airflow dynamics are just right, we have superspreader events. Large large numbers, potentially tens or even hundreds of people can contract the virus at that one event.   :34

Maragakis says creativity may help here, perhaps planning an outdoor activity to visit with friends and family. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.

Anchor lead: Having had Covid-19 doesn’t give you a free pass, Elizabeth Tracey reports

People who’ve had Covid-19 still need to keep their masks on, physically distance themselves from others and wash their hands while the pandemic continues. That’s according to Lisa Maragakis, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins.

Maragakis: Those who have had the infection it is important to continue the same types of precautions that we’re recommending for everyone. You might actually still be shedding virus even if you’re not in isolation precautions and the possibility that reinfection or at least carriage- picking up the virus and carrying it and transmitting it to others, is still possible. So until we know more, each of us regardless of our past infection status or if you find out that you have some antibodies to it, we’re still recommending that everyone practice the precautions.  :32

Maragakis says that as the science advances it has become clear that public health measures do help reduce the rate of infection with Sars-CoV2 as well as the flu. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.

Anchor lead: What is the proper schedule for flu vaccines? Elizabeth Tracey reports

As many people obtain the flu vaccine this year, some questions remain. Aaron Milstone, an infectious diseases expert at Johns Hopkins, answers a few of them.

Milstone: Do people need to get a second vaccine this year for influenza? And the only time that people get a second dose of the influenza vaccine is if it’s the first time they’ve ever received a vaccine so that’s usually in children when they’re getting their first dose, they would get a second dose during the same season. The other question we’ve gotten is will you be able to get the coronavirus, the Sars-CoV2 vaccine, when it becomes available if you’ve gotten the flu vaccine. And getting a flu vaccine will have no impact on your ability to get the Covid vaccine when it comes out.  :31

Milstone notes that there are different formulations of influenza vaccines that are suitable for different groups of people, such as the elderly, but your provider will know which is appropriate. He says the most important message is to get vaccinated, as promptly as possible. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.

Anchor lead: In the midst of the pandemic flu vaccines are more important than ever, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Can you tell the difference between Covid-19 and the flu? Most likely not, and even experts rely on testing to make the call. That’s important because treatments are so different, and it’s another reason to make sure you avoid the flu by getting the flu vaccine. Lisa Maragakis, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, comments.

Maragakis: We have different formulations of the influenza vaccine available generally targeted to different segments of the population. The recommendation is that anyone over the age of six months needs to get an influenza vaccine. So that’s the most important message. We want everyone to get their vaccine before the virus starts circulating and it takes time for your immune system to respond to vaccination, it could take anywhere from ten to fourteen days. So get your vaccine now, that will give yourself time to respond to the vaccine and be protected before the virus circulates.  :33

At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.

Anchor lead: Questions about how viruses, especially Sars-CoV2, spread, remain, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Can you get Covid-19 from a cell phone? How about if you enter a room where someone with the infection has been recently but they’ve left? Aaron Milstone, an infectious diseases expert at Johns Hopkins, says most research points to what are known as droplets as the most likely means of transmission but other means are possible.

Milstone: There’s also the question of whether or not these viruses can aerosolize. Can they get into the environment and spread farther distances? Droplets fall out of the air usually within about six feet around you, which is where that six foot distance comes from, but the concern is whether these aerosols can get into the air and spread much farther. Sars-CoV2 doesn’t seem to be quite as contagious and so although we think it’s possible we think it’s less likely. There’s also the question about inanimate surfaces. These are probably less common.   :29

Milstone recommends extra caution rather than overconfidence until a more complete picture of transmission risk is known. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.

Anchor lead: You can reduce your chances of both Covid-19 and the flu, Elizabeth Tracey reports

Getting both Sars-CoV2 and the flu, called ‘coinfection,’ sounds like a nightmare, but based on previous experience with respiratory viruses it is possible. Aaron Milstone, an infectious diseases expert at Johns Hopkins, says there are several steps you can take to avoid such an outcome.

Milstone: We really want to encourage everyone to get the influenza vaccine to avoid that case where someone may get coinfected with both influenza and Covid-19. So this is an especially important year to protect people from influenza. The Sars-CoV2 virus is similar to influenza in that we think it primarily is spread through droplets. Interventions we put in place, things like masking, distancing, hand washing, practicing cough etiquette, those are things that will help the primary spread of both viruses.   :30 

Milstone notes that in the southern hemisphere, where they have already had their flu season, these interventions helped keep flu infections very low. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.

Anchor lead: How can you be tested to tell the difference between the flu and Covid-19? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Both Sars-CoV2 and the flu are circulating right now, and if you think you may have one of these infections it’s important to be tested. That’s according to Lisa Maragakis, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins.

Maragakis: The gold standard for testing for respiratory viruses is PCR testing. Our hope is that soon we will have platforms for PCR that will look, from one sample, for a variety of viruses, including Sars-CoV2, influenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus for instance.   :18

Maragakis says the likelihood of having both viruses as the same time – known as coinfection – isn’t known.

Maragakis: We don’t have a lot of information yet about coinfection but what we do know is that more than one respiratory virus can infect a person at the same time. So we often see coinfection with other types of respiratory viruses and we have reason to believe that that will be the case this time as well.  :19

At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.

Anchor lead: How can you tell if you’ve got Covid, the flu, or both? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Think you might have Covid-19, or maybe the flu? This year it’s important to seek medical care so you can be tested. That’s according to Aaron Milstone, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins.

Milstone: People who have either Covid-19 or the influenza virus can have similar symptoms. Fever, cough, gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, muscle aches, sore throat. There are some symptoms that seem to be more common with Covid-19: the loss or inability to smell or taste. People who get sicker with Covid-19 can also develop difficulty breathing. So I think the take home is that it would be really important for people to seek care and get tested to identify which virus they have.  :30

Milstone says that treatment and management strategies for Covid-19 and the flu differ in some ways, so knowing which one you have can impact medications that may be prescribed as well as symptoms you may want to watch out for. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.

Anchor lead: What can we expect as we head into the flu season? Elizabeth Tracey reports

It’s flu season now in the United States and other parts of the northern hemisphere, and Sars-CoV2 is more active than ever. Lisa Maragakis, an infectious diseases expert at Johns Hopkins, says even more respiratory infections are likely as we enter the winter months.

Maragakis: As we head into influenza season we are going to have multiple respiratory infections and viruses circulating. Up until this point and until the summer in the northern hemisphere, almost any respiratory symptoms has indicated Covid-19 likely, that is caused by the Sars-CoV2 coronavirus. Influenza is a distinct viral infection, a respiratory infection caused by one of several strains of the influenza virus family. Most notably we can prevent them in some of the same ways.   :32

Maragakis reiterates the importance of physical distancing and masking as well as washing hands and staying away from others if you’re not feel well, and getting a flu shot as soon as possible. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.