Osterholm Update

By CIDRAP

A weekly report on the COVID-19 pandemic from infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH. Dr. Osterholm is the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP)

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FAQs about Osterholm Update:

How many episodes does Osterholm Update have?

The podcast currently has 222 episodes available.

Osterholm Update episodes:

July 16, 2026 Cyclospora, Ticks, and Mosquitoes: Summertime Threats
We all look forward to summer, that time of year when we can spend more time outside and less time worrying about things like colds and flu. However, the warm summer months can bring their own infectious disease threats, whether it's ticks, mosquitoes, or foodborne parasites. This week, hosts Chris Dall and Dr. Michael Osterholm discuss some of these summertime infectious disease threats, from the growing cyclospora outbreak in the US, to new research that suggests the tickborne allergy alpha-gal syndrome may be under-recognized. They'll also bring you the latest on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and answer a question about the World Cup.

Links:
Workers at an Ebola treatment center in Congo strike over unpaid salaries and bonuses (The Associated Press)
What we truly know about the huge US Cyclospora outbreak—and what we don’t (CIDRAP)
1 in 4 adults in tick-heavy states test positive for alpha-gal antibodies (CIDRAP)

Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:
Voices for Vaccines
Families Fighting Flu
Vaccinate Your Family
Shot@Life
Medical Reserve Corps
Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project
MORE EPISODES
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST

Music:
"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
...more
56min
July 02, 2026 Episode 212: Major Roadblocks
As the Ebola crisis continues to escalate in the DRC, we must ask: what will it take to end this outbreak? This is one of many questions Chris Dall and Dr. Michael Osterholm will discuss in this week’s episode. They’ll also cover the flu outbreak at a Texas Air Force base, consider what some newly released CDC emails reveal about the tenure of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, and examine some recent studies on the effectiveness of last season's COVID vaccines. Plus, answering how New World screwworm could affect wildlife and another installment of This Week in Public Health History.

Links:
Ebola Symptoms in Current Outbreak May Be Milder Than in Previous Ones (New York Times)

New CDC Leaders Vow to Boost Skeleton Staff Left After. DOGE Cuts (Bloomberg)
Vaccine RCT spreadsheet aims to show the data, dispel myths about vaccines (CIDRAP)

Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:
Voices for Vaccines
Families Fighting Flu
Vaccinate Your Family
Shot@Life
Medical Reserve Corps
Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project
MORE EPISODES
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST

Music:
"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
...more
1h 4min
June 18, 2026 Episode 211: A System Held With Duct Tape
This week, Chris Dall and Dr. Michael Osterholm bring the latest on the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, what the World Cup means from a public health perspective, as well as explain what screwworm is and how it could threaten US livestock. They’ll also have updates on the hantavirus outbreak, discuss how the US could likely lose its measles elimination status, and give you an update on COVID and other respiratory infections. Plus, the latest installment of This Week in Public Health History.

Links:
The ‘diseases of crowds’ experts say could be at the World Cup (CIDRAP)
Africa CDC head warns Ebola outbreak could be worst ever (CIDRAP)
20 Years of HPV Vaccine Success (CIDRAP)

Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:
Voices for Vaccines
Families Fighting Flu
Vaccinate Your Family
Shot@Life
Medical Reserve Corps
Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project
MORE EPISODES
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST

Music:
"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
...more
54min
June 04, 2026 Episode 210: Ebola: What the Past Tells Us about the Present
This week on the Osterholm Update, Dr. Michael Osterholm and Chris Dall focus on the developing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, discussing the U.S. response, whether transmission can be airborne, and addressing travel concerns to Africa. We’ll also bring you the latest on the hantavirus outbreak, review a long-awaited report from the FDA on pediatric deaths linked to COVID vaccines, and provide updates on measles and other respiratory viruses. Plus, a Public Health History segment highlighting the first EMS service in the U.S.

Links:
‘Among the things he feared most was death’: the doctors and nurses dying on the Ebola frontline (The Guardian)

Inside the Ebola Epicenter, the Virus Rages With Little to Stop It (The New York Times)
Opinion: This Ebola outbreak is a test the world doesn't have to fail (The Washington Post)

People with Ebola pose little risk to public in US, experts say (CIDRAP)
Transmission of Ebola Viruses: What We Know and What We Do Not Know (ASM Journals)
Public Health Alerts: Andes Hantavirus Outbreak on a Cruise Ship, 2026 (NEJM and CIDRAP)

Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:
Voices for Vaccines
Families Fighting Flu
Vaccinate Your Family
Shot@Life
Medical Reserve Corps
Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project
MORE EPISODES
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST

Music:
"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
...more
58min
May 21, 2026 Episode 209: Awareness vs. Alarm: Making Sense of the Headlines
In Episode 209, Dr. Michael Osterholm and Chris Dall talk through the response to the hantavirus outbreak and the lingering questions about how the virus spreads. They also discuss a recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the latest findings from The Vaccine Integrity Project’s comprehensive review of peer-reviewed evidence on Tdap vaccination during pregnancy.
Links:
Hantavirus Is Not the Next Covid, But Try Telling That to the News Media (The Daily Show)

Safety and Effectiveness of Tdap Vaccination During Pregnancy Report (Vaccine Integrity Project)

Aluminum in vaccines not linked to autism, other health problems, study finds (CIDRAP)

Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:
Voices for Vaccines
Families Fighting Flu
Vaccinate Your Family
Shot@Life
Medical Reserve Corps
Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project
MORE EPISODES
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST

Music:
"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
...more
59min
May 07, 2026 Episode 208: Bad News, Good News
This week on the Osterholm Update, Chris Dall and Dr. Osterholm dissect the latest results of Paxlovid trials and what they tell us about COVID-19. They'll also discuss a CDC study on COVID-19 vaccines that's been blocked by the acting CDC director, examine a survey that reveals the impact of changes to CDC messaging on vaccines and autism, explore the US Defense Secretary's decision to no longer require flu shots for US military members and bring you up to speed on the hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship. Plus, the latest findings of CIDRAP’s analysis of HPV vaccines.

Paxlovid doesn’t reduce hospitalization, death rates in vaccinated high-risk COVID outpatients, trial shows (CIDRAP)

The end of the Paxlovid era? Why two new negative trials are great news. (Inside Medicine Substack)

What happened to Covid? (STAT)

Safety and effectiveness of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (Vaccine Integrity Project)

‘The hardest thing I’ve ever gone through’: Cervical cancer survivors speak out about importance of HPV vaccine (CIDRAP)

Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:
Voices for Vaccines
Families Fighting Flu
Vaccinate Your Family
Shot@Life
Medical Reserve Corps
Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project
MORE EPISODES
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST

Music:
"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
...more
1h 3min
April 23, 2026 Episode 207: Asking the Right Questions
This week Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall talk about Erica Schwartz, the Trump's administration's most recent nomination for the CDC Director, as well as changes to the charter of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Dr. Osterholm also examines a somewhat misleading Politico poll on public support for vaccines, provides a spring respiratory update and answers a listener's question about long COVID in women. Chris Dall explains a concerning rise in Shigella cases, plus a special space-themed Public Health History segment.

Don’t believe headlines saying that vaccine skepticism is widespread (STAT)
Respiratory Immunization Protocols for COVID , Flu, RSV (Vaccine Integrity Project)

Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:
Voices for Vaccines
Families Fighting Flu
Vaccinate Your Family
Shot@Life
Medical Reserve Corps
Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project
MORE EPISODES
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST

Music:
"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
...more
49min
April 09, 2026 Episode 206: What we know about long COVID
This week Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall focus on long COVID, tackling some listener questions and providing context about what long COVID is, its potential risks, as well as some of the latest research and reports about it. Dr. Osterholm also discusses the CDC's pause on testing for rabies and pox viruses, plus a respiratory update and the latest on US measles outbreaks. Dr. Osterholm also honors National Health Week in the public health history segment.

Antidepressant relieves fatigues in people with long COVID, study finds (CIDRAP)
The RECOVER Initiative (NIH)
End in sight for South Carolina’s measles outbreak; Chicago on alert after potential airport exposure (CIDRAP)

Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:
Voices for Vaccines
Families Fighting Flu
Vaccinate Your Family
Shot@Life
Medical Reserve Corps
Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project
MORE EPISODES
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST

Music:
"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
...more
58min
March 26, 2026 Episode 205: Disease Waits for No One
In "Disease Waits for No One," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss how a federal judge temporarily blocked Health Secretary RFK Jr's rollback of childhood vaccine recommendations. Has the damage of this administration's assault on US vaccine policy already been done? Or is there a chance it could be undone? They'll also dive into a report calling for sweeping changes to how the government tracks COVID vaccine harms, review a recent meningitis outbreak in the UK, cover the latest on measles and avian flu, and answer a listener's question about the risk of catching COVID in public. Plus, we'll bring you the latest respiratory illness update and another public health history segment honoring Women's History Month.

Early official COVID death tolls may have undercounted by 19% (CIDRAP)

Viewpoint: Uncertain victories mustn’t distract us from staying focused on defending health (CIDRAP and The Vaccine Integrity Project)

New COVID variant with immune escape potential confirmed in US, 22 other countries (CIDRAP)

California records avian flu in northern elephant seals (CIDRAP)

All My Babies (Georgia Department of Health)

Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:
Voices for Vaccines
Families Fighting Flu
Vaccinate Your Family
Shot@Life
Medical Reserve Corps
Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project
MORE EPISODES
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST

Music:
"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
...more
1h
March 12, 2026 Episode 204: Holding the Tools
In "Holding the Tools" Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall dive into the latest COVID, flu and RSV activity, discuss the surge in norovirus cases, and provide an update on measles outbreaks across the Americas. Dr. Osterholm also shares the latest work from CIDRAP’s Vaccine Integrity Project, and honors a couple of different public health heroes for Women’s History Month.

Viewpoint: Threats to Gavi mean placing ideology over saving lives (CIDRAP)

Dentists still write millions of prescriptions a year for an antibiotic with life-threatening risks (CIDRAP)

Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:
Voices for Vaccines
Families Fighting Flu
Vaccinate Your Family
Shot@Life
Medical Reserve Corps
Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project
MORE EPISODES
SUPPORT THIS PODCAST

Music:
"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
...more
58min

FAQs about Osterholm Update:

How many episodes does Osterholm Update have?

The podcast currently has 222 episodes available.

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