Outbreak News Radio

Bird flu outbreaks among flocks, pig disease outbreaks like African swine fever. We see this in the news frequently enough.

Have you ever wondered what is done with the carcasses of the dead and culled animals on livestock farms and how well do these methods protect the public health?

Joining me today to shed some light on the safe management of carcasses is Gary Flory. Gary is the Agricultural Program Manager with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

On today's show, I touch on some Florida news to include the suspected norovirus outbreak onboard the Royal Caribbean vessel, Oasis of the Seas, which as of today has accounted for some 600 GI cases in passengers and crew.

I also look at some year end data from the Sunshine state concerning hepatitis A, mosquito borne viruses and measles.

I take a look at some vaccines for adults and touch on a fantastic book I'm reading from Dr Peter Hotez, Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism.

The Outbreak News This Week Radio Show, the first and only radio program dedicated to infectious disease and health news and information, airs every Sunday at 1 pm ET in the Tampa Bay area on AM 1380 The Biz and online at http://1380thebiz.com/

Rabies is a topic we report on on the website often and have discussed on the podcast several times.

Last May, we reported on a human rabies death in a Virginia resident who traveled overseas, where she contracted it.

Last week in the CDC publication, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report or (MMWR), they published a report on this tragic case which detailed the case and offered some very important recommendations.

Joining me on today's show to discuss the case is Julia Murphy, DVM. Dr Murphy is the State Public Health Veterinarian at Virginia Department of Health and Ryan Wallace, DVM. Dr Wallace is a veterinary epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Rabies program.

The biotech company, Valneva announced this month about the promising work and progress on two vaccine candidates--the mosquito borne virus, chikungunya and Lyme disease.

On today's show I am joined by Valneva President and CEO, Thomas Lingelbach to discuss the latest on these vaccine candidates.

On the final show of the year, I do my annual year in review with a look at the top 10 most important infectious disease news stories of the year, in my opinion of course.

In addition, I unveil the top podcast of 2018 from Outbreak News Interviews (as far as downloads) and the top post of the year.

Thanks for making it a great year on the website, podcast and radio show and I hope to continue strong into 2019.

The Outbreak News This Week Radio Show, the first and only radio program dedicated to infectious disease and health news and information, airs every Sunday at 1 pm ET in the Tampa Bay area on AM 1380 The Biz and online at http://1380thebiz.com/

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)– a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in tropical and subtropical conditions in 149 countries – affect more than one billion people and cost developing economies billions of dollars every year. Populations living in poverty, without adequate sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors […]

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)– a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in tropical and subtropical conditions in 149 countries – affect more than one billion people and cost developing economies billions of dollars every year.

Populations living in poverty, without adequate sanitation and in close contact with infectious vectors and domestic animals and livestock are those worst affected.

On the eve before Christmas eve show this year, I play two interviews about two very important NTDs, both parasitic diseases--Chagas disease and schistosomiasis.

Hutchinson Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences at Loyola University New Orleans, Patricia Dorn, PhD talks about Chagas disease in this Mar. 2017 interview.

In the second half, Parasitology teacher and author of the book, Parasites: Tales of Humanity's Most Unwelcome Guests, Rosemary Drisdelle discusses schistosomiasis in this interview earlier this year.

The Federal Tick-borne Disease Working Group recently released their first report to Congress about one year after the panel first convened.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) responded to the report in a letter that contained some criticisms of the report.

What is the Federal Tick-borne Disease Working Group, what's in the report and what did the IDSA have to say?

Joining me to discuss these issues is Chief Scientific Officer for the Global Lyme Alliance, Timothy Sellati, PhD.

Lyme disease is the most common vector borne-disease in the United States with approximately 300,000 cases reported annually.

It is caused by the spirochetal organism Borrelia burgdorferi.

While the majority of the Lyme disease patients can be cured with 2–4 weeks antibiotic treatment, about 10–20% of patients continue to suffer from persisting symptoms.

My guest today is the lead author of a study recently published in the journal, Antibiotics, which studied testing a group of essential oils to determine their effectiveness against the persistent Lyme bacteria.

Joining me is professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Ying Zhang, MD, PhD.

On today's show, I look at a recent study from the Journal of Wildlife Management that looks at the population estimates and management options for introduced rhesus macaques in Florida. When you talk about rhesus macaques, that invariably leads into discussion about the dangerous virus for humans that get infected, herpes B.

I spend a little time on herpes B--the pathology and what to do if you're exposed.

In the second half, I spend a good chunk of time on the crisis in Venezuela, specifically the health care crisis, looking at the disastrous numbers recently released by human rights organizations.

The Outbreak News This Week Radio Show, the first and only radio program dedicated to infectious disease and health news and information, airs every Sunday at 1 pm ET in the Tampa Bay area on AM 1380 The Biz and online at http://1380thebiz.com/