Outbreak News Radio

In this short podcast, I look at the situation with vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) in Africa and the Emergency Use Listing recommendation for the type 2 novel oral polio vaccine (nOPV2).

In this episode, I look at two of the biggest stories (outside of COVID-19) during the past week.

The first is the 11th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was declared over after nearly 6 months and 130 confirmed and probable cases.

The second is research that was presented at the ASTMH meeting that showed human-to-human transmission of Chapare virus in an outbreak that occurred last year.

In a topic that has not received nearly enough attention-- since 2016, the US has seen the largest person-to-person Hepatitis A virus outbreak in the post-vaccine era.

About two thirds of the states have declared outbreaks which includes tens of thousands of cases with 60% hospitalizations and more than 300 deaths.

In Kansas, the most recent state to declare an outbreak, the hospitalization rate stands at 88%!

In my state, Florida, while the outbreak cases are trending downward, dozens of cases are still reported on a monthly basis.

Joining me today to discuss hepatitis and the highly effective vaccine is practicing physician, vaccine researcher and Vice President and Director, Scientific Affairs and Public Health for Vaccines at Glaxo SmithKline, Dr Leonard Friedland.

An arrhythmia is a problem with the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat. It means that your heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or with an irregular pattern.

There are many types of heart arrhythmias, with Atrial fibrillation or (A Fib) being the most common type of serious arrhythmia.

Joining me today to discuss A Fib and other arrhythmias is cardiac electrophysiologist and author of a very interesting and informative book, Restart Your Heart, Aseem Desai, MD.

Are the COVID-19 deaths undercounted, as many believe, or are they overcounted, as others think?

My guest today had the opportunity to look at a sample of death certificates in Florida and she is here to discuss what she found.

Joining me today is the Editor of The Alachua Chronicle and co author of the article investigating death certificates, Jennifer Cabrera.

Chagas disease is a potentially life-threatening parasitic disease that affects up to 300,000 people in the United States and millions in South America.

The current treatment regimen is--oral benznidazole in smaller twice-daily doses over 2 months.

My guest today and his colleagues say high weekly doses of oral benznidazole over 30 weeks resulted in better clearance of the parasite.

This research is outlined in a recent study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Joining me today is Regents' Professor in the University of Georgia's department of cellular biology, Rick Tarleton, PhD.

Rabies post exposure prophylaxis, or PEP, consists of a rabies vaccine series and human rabies immune globulin (HRIG).

Kedrion Biopharma's human rabies immune globulin, Kedrab, was FDA approved in 2017. And now for the first time, the safety of HRIG (Kedrab) was studied in children.

Joining me today to discuss rabies, PEP and the pediatric trial is James Linakis, MD, PhD. Dr. Linakis is Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at Brown Medical School and Associate Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Rhode Island Hospital's Hasbro Children's Hospital.

The World Health Organization (WHO) previously stated "To date there has been no information nor evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes".

Now researchers from Kansas State University report confirming this in a new study published recently in Scientific Reports.

Joining me today to discuss this is associate vice president for research and director of the KSUs Biosecurity Research Institute, Stephen Higgs, PhD.

In a recent Op-Ed, Pacific Research Institute President, Sally Pipes asked--Will COVID-19 launch an epidemic of cancer as the pandemic stay-at-home orders have caused patients to put off routine cancer screening.

Mammogram and colonoscopy rates fell between 86 percent and 94 percent in March. One study estimates that during the past three months, more than 80,000 cancer cases have gone undiagnosed.

The non-profit, Prevent Cancer Foundation recently announced the "Back on the Books" initiative to get Americans back to scheduling medical appointments like physicals and routine cancer screenings.

Joining me today to discuss this is Lisa Berry Edwards. Lisa is the Managing Director for External Affairs at the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

Lice Clinics of America (LCA) reported last week that they saw a significant increase in head lice activity through their network of clinics in the US in April and May during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joining me on today's show is Krista Lauer, MD, National Medical Director of Lice Clinics of America. Dr. Lauer discussed some of the basics about head lice, the increase in lice activity during this time frame and advice for parents concerning prevention and treatment.