Outbreak News Radio

Giardia is arguably the most common parasite infection of humans worldwide, and the second most common in the United States after pinworm.

Joining me to talk about Giardia is Chandana Bala. Chandy is the President of Global Insight Advisory Network and writes on the intersection of healthcare and technology. She is also a frequent writer for Gideon Informatics.

Joining me today to tell his personal story of dealing with a family member with marijuana (cannabis) induced psychosis is author of the book, Gone to Pot: Cannabis--What every parent needs to know, Terry Hammond.

In addition to telling his personal story, Terry talks about the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, it's effect on the brain, research describing the link between marijuana use and mental health issues like psychosis and much more.

Brucellosis is among the leading communicable diseases worldwide and the disease poses a substantial public health burden in the Middle East, resulting in long-term illness in humans and significant economic loss in livestock production.

In addition, some Brucella sp are classified as Category B bioterrorism agents by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

My guest today was awarded a $3 million grant by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) of the U.S. Department of Defense to study one of the most important infectious diseases in humans and livestock in Iraq.

Joining me today to discuss brucellosis and the work in Iraq is Jeff Foster, Ph.D. Dr. Foster is an associate professor at Northern Arizona University's Pathogen and Microbiome Institute.

The rat lungworm parasite, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, is typically transmitted to humans via ingestion of snails or slugs.

A recent study published in One Health shows more than a dozen kinds of animals in addition to slugs and snails have caused rat lungworm disease in people around the world.

Joining me today to look at rat lungworm and the One Health study is Robert Cowie, PhD, Dr. Cowie is senior author on the study and faculty member in the University of Hawaii Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.

The first country-wide mass drug administration in the world for the treatment of scabies is happening in the Solomon Islands.

The World Scabies Program is spearheading the mass drug administration (MDA) program with the Solomon Islands' Ministry of Health, which will deliver ivermectin to the whole population, with few exceptions.

Joining me today from Australia to discuss scabies, the MDA and the situation in the Pacific is Sarah Andersson. Sarah is the Program Manager for the World Scabies Program, Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Victoria, Australia.

Countries in southeast Asia are seeing an increase in dengue fever this year- Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia to name a few.

In the Philippines, 102,619 dengue cases were reported from January 1 to July 30 this year, 131 percent higher than the number in the same period in 2021.

Joining me today to discuss dengue fever and the situation in the Philippines is Edsel Maurice Salvana, MD.

Dr. Salvana is the Director, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of the Philippines and he's a renown infectious disease expert.

Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is one of several priority diseases listed by the World Health Organization that pose the greatest public health risk due to their epidemic potential and/or whether there are no or insufficient countermeasures.

Today, we are seeing a significant outbreak in Iraq where some 142 cases and approximately 24 deaths.

So what is Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever?

Joining me today for a primer on Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever is Chandana Bala. Chandy is the President of Global Insight Advisory Network and writes on the intersection of healthcare and technology. She is also a frequent writer for Gideon Informatics.

On today's podcast, we'll be discussing monkeypox. What used to be an obscure, tropical disease is now a household name.

Joining me in the Q & A is Dr. Rodney Rohde from Texas State University.

Bacteriophages – viruses that kill bacteria–were successfully used for the first time to treat an antibiotic-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus lung infection to allow a cystic fibrosis patient to receive a life-saving lung transplant.

Joining me today to share this amazing story is Jerry Nick, MD, Dr. Nick is director of the Adult Cystic Fibrosis Program at National Jewish Health in Denver and the lead author of the case study published in the journal Cell.

In early March, the Israel Ministry of Health reported on a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 3 (cVDPV3) case in an unvaccinated child from Jerusalem.

Since then, a number of additional cases have been reported and the health ministry said recently that they are in the throes of an outbreak.

Joining me today to look at the outbreak in Israel is friend of the show, Stephen A. Berger, M.D. Dr. Berger is the co-founder of GIDEON Informatics (Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network) and he is speaking with me from Israel.