In today's news cast, I take a look at the dramatic increases in locally acquired chikungunya virus cases on Reunion Island, off the African coast in the Indian Ocean.

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Today I want to take a look at the Basic Reproduction Number, or R0 (r-naught). We saw this term become more commonplace in the news and other talk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is R0 and what does it mean? How do public health officials come up with this number? What are the limitations? And how is it used in everyday public health?

Joining me to offer some clarity on R0 is Chandana Bala. Chandy is a science writer for Gideon Informatics.

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In this short podcast, I look at the latest numbers for Lyme disease in Maine for 2024.

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In this short podcast, I look at the pertussis outbreak in the United States in 2024, the most cases in more than a decade.

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In this short podcast, I look at the situation with Guinea Worm disease (GWD) in 2024, the progress made and other diseases that have been eradicated or are closing in on eradication.

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On today's Livestream special, the topic will be polio. We'll look at, among other things- history, vaccines and the current global situation and the challenges.

Joining me will be two great guests to look at this important topic I have first time guest, Andrea Prinzi, PhD. Dr Prinzi is a field medical director of U.S. medical affairs with bioMérieux, Inc And I also have returning guest and friend to the show, Rodney Rohde, PhD. Dr Rohde is the Associate Director of the Translational Health Research Initiative at Texas State University.

Check out Drs Prinzi's and Rohde's article: Polio's Last Stand: The Global Fight for Eradication

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Officials with the Florida Department of Health reported four additional locally transmitted dengue fever cases in Miami-Dade County during the last week of November. This brings the total autochthonous cases to 70 in the state since the beginning of the year.

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After recording just six cases of polio, wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in 2023, Pakistan has already reached at least 59 polio cases this year, with a month still left to go.

In this podcast, I look at the current situation in Pakistan, the stumbling blocks and a brief history of polio.

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Researchers from the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences are closer to developing an oral vaccine for anthrax as demonstrated in a study published earlier this year in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife medicine.

Joining me to discuss this development is Chase Nunez, MS PhD, Jamie Benn, PhD, AWB and Walter Cook, Phd, DVM.

To watch the video version- go to Outbreak News TV

My guest today asks the question, What should be done with Obamacare? This comes as Democratic subsidies and the Trump tax cuts are getting closer to expiring.

He makes a case for reform.

Joining me today is John C Goodman, PhD. Dr Goodman is president and CEO of the Goodman institute for Public Policy Research, a think tank focused on public policy issues. He is also author of a number of notable books to include Priceless, A Better Choice and of course Patient Power, among others.