Viral Load

Send us Fan Mail

I know what your thinking 2020 has been a piece of cake and you have nothing to worry about. Well you're in luck this week we dive into the stagnant waters of your nightmares and bring you Naegleria  the brain eating amoeba! 
Sources: 

• https://www.popsci.com/story/science/brain-eating-amoeba-rare-infection/
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/naegleria-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20375470
• https://www.insider.com/rise-of-brain-eating-amoeba-naegleria-fowleri-in-us-waters-2020-7
• https://www.ajtmh.org/content/journals/10.4269/ajtmh.17-0110
• Yoder JS, et al., 2012. Primary amebic meningoencephalitis deaths associated with sinus irrigation using contaminated tap water. Clin Infect Dis 55: e79–e85
• Siddiqui R, Khan NA, 2014. Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis caused by Naegleria fowleri: an old enemy presenting new challenges. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 8: e3017.
• Centers for Disease Control (2013) Primary amebic meningoencephalitis associated with ritual nasal rinsing - St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, 2012. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 62 (45) 903.
• https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/treatment.html
• https://www.livescience.com/54281-amoeba-definition.html
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471492219302673?casa_token=FKYW41d3NWkAAAAA:1yB8YZaFfUiSP02gSgTsyxUD7pxZhPGX7gMKr3mxUO8owSYsUcVwJ_cOB0U3VCFqmV7l0qmoaA

Send us Fan Mail

COVID-19 knows no bounds! After prancing around Parliament with Boris Johnson COVID decided to hit the big time and took a romp in the White House rose garden. Donald Trump President of the United States tests positive for COVID-19. On this episode we chronicle the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S and examine how exactly we ended up with a super spreader event at the white house.
.
.
.
.
.
sources
https://www.factcheck.org/2020/10/timeline-of-trumps-covid-19-comments/
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/10/politics/trump-covid-battle/

Send us Fan Mail

What is the Million Death Study? How has Africa navigated COVID-19 relatively unscathed and for God’s sake can someone give us some Happy Science news? All that and more on this week’s Viral Particle mini-sode. 
.
.
.
Sources 
.

• https://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/their-own-hands-kibera-kenyas-largest-slum-tames-covid-19#slideshow-0
• https://www.vogue.com/article/david-avido-free-mask-kibera-nairobi-kenya-uweza
• https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/pandemic-appears-have-spared-africa-so-far-scientists-are-struggling-explain-why
• https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/09/18/913937122/kenya-braced-for-the-worst-the-worst-didnt-happen-why
• https://www.afro.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus-covid-19
• https://reliefweb.int/report/south-africa/social-environmental-factors-seen-behind-africa-s-low-covid-19-cases
• https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/09/25/914073217/why-the-pandemic-could-change-the-way-we-record-deaths
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Science

Send us Fan Mail

What is the flu? What does the flu do? Are there any flu socks? Is anyone listening to me? What happens when the world is up in flames, a Pandemic continues to rage on and Flu Season comes a knockin'? Buckle up kids because like it or not we're all strapped into the 2020 rollercoaster and we're about to find out. 
.
.
sources 
.
.

• https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a33427007/when-is-flu-season/
• https://www.today.com/health/flu-season-2020-2021-what-know-when-get-flu-shot-t188740
• https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/flu-vs-covid19.htm
• https://weather.com/health/cold-flu/news/2020-01-31-5-worst-flu-outbreaks-in-recent-history
• https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6937a6.htm?s_cid=mm6937a6_w
• https://www.livescience.com/flu-season-mild-covid-19-precautions.html
• https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2769835
• https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/09/fears-perfect-storm-flu-season-nears
• https://www.sciencenews.org/article/covid19-coronavirus-flu-season-fall
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/coronavirus-and-the-flu-a-looming-double-threat/
• https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/how-will-covid-19-affect-coming-flu-season-scientists-struggle-clues
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html
• https://www.livescience.com/new-coronavirus-compare-with-flu.html
• https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6496/1163
• https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/09/fears-perfect-storm-flu-season-nears
• 
  

Send us Fan Mail

On this Viral Particle minisode, we discuss the drastic rise in domestic violence globally since the shutdown and we celebrate vultures, the unsung heroes of the public health world.
.
.
.
.
sources 

• https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/09/10/910737751/the-women-of-peru-are-suffering-from-a-shadow-pandemic
• https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/vulture
• https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/sky-burial
• https://earthjournalism.net/stories/why-falling-vulture-populations-could-harm-public-health
• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/world/coronavirus-domestic-violence.html

Send us Fan Mail

Are birds real? Do crows really remember faces? How hard is a Sentinal chicken's day at work? And what the hell does any of that have to do with West Nile Virus? Tune into this week's episode of Viral Load to find out. 
.
.
.
sources 

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3967162/
• https://www.cdc.gov/westnile/statsmaps/cumMapsData.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/westnile/dead-birds/index.html
• https://www.nature.com/articles/nature05829
• https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/504722/12-fascinating-facts-about-crows
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2627881/
• https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0015437
• https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-researchers-reveal-first-257145
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6085780/
• https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/17016/
• https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/california_fracking/wildlife.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/westnile/statsmaps/preliminarymapsdata2020/index.html#:~:text=As%20of%20August%2025%2C%202020,have%20been%20reported%20to%20CDC.
• https://www.cdc.gov/zika/pdfs/spanish/bti-fact-sheet-sp.pdf

Send us Fan Mail

Earthquakes, Hurricanes, COVID, and now wild fires. 2020 you're incorrigible. On this viral particle we check in on the California wildfires and cap it off with a simple case study about a man and his socks.
.
.
.
sources
.
.
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/man-hospitalized-after-sniffing-his-socks-too-long/
https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Fire-evacuees-during-pandemic-steer-clear-of-15501184.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=briefing&utm_campaign=sfc_baybriefing_am&sid=5f13bd5e86dabf4d232cf8c1
https://www.sciencealert.com/a-man-in-china-developed-a-lung-infection-after-sniffing-his-own-socks-every-day
https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/pneumocystis-pneumonia/index.html

Send us Fan Mail

What is the worst disease no one has ever heard of? Nipah! Ever heard of it? Join Andy and Brett as they discuss the Nipah virus, the inspiration for the 2011 blockbuster hit Contagion, bat urine, and date palm wine. All fun facts that are sure to make you a hit at your next Zoom cocktail hour.

.
Sources 
.
.
.
.
.
.

• https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/nipah/index.html
• Spiropoulou CF. Nipah Virus Outbreaks: Still Small but Extremely Lethal. J Infect Dis. 2019;219(12):1855-1857. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiy611
• Singh, et al. (2019). Nipah virus: epidemiology, pathology, immunobiology and advances in diagnosis, vaccine designing and control strategies - a comprehensive review. The veterinary quarterly, 39(1), 26–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.2019.1580827
• https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/219/12/1867/5144922
• https://www.ecohealthalliance.org/2018/05/nipah-virus
• https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/what-nipah-virus-n876476
• https://www.who.int/activities/prioritizing-diseases-for-research-and-development-in-emergency-contexts
• https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/nipah-virus
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1286457901015222
• https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/25/5/18-1076_article
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6830995/

Send us Fan Mail

It's been 8 months since the first case of the virus formally known as the Novel Coronavirus was found in Wuhan China. That number has grown in 8 months to over 20 Million cases. How do we escape this warped reality that is COVID-19? The answer just might be Operation Warp Speed.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
sources 

• https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/basics/test-approve.html
• Fact sheet: explaining Operation Warp Speed. US Dept of Health and Human Services. June 2020. Accessed July 30, 2020. https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/06/16/fact-sheet-explaining-operation-warp-speed.html
• O’Callaghan  KP, Blatz  AM, Offit  PA.  Developing a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine at warp speed.   JAMA. Published online July 6, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.12190
• Shah A, Marks PW, Hahn SM. Unwavering Regulatory Safeguards for COVID-19 Vaccines. JAMA. Published online August 07, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.15725
• https://www.nccn.org/patients/resources/clinical_trials/phases.aspx
• https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/science/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker.html
• https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6494/945?fbclid=IwAR0BIDm74Kn3bbcX5MP5eLG_zn0kjkP23dSUB0SU-eNY7LKSyaloF7d6L-E
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-are-seasonal-flu-vaccines-made/
• http://www.immunizedelaware.org/for-professionals/vaccine-conspiracies-and-controversies/
• https://fn.bmj.com/content/76/1/F64.full
• https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2020/04/covid-top-10-current-conspiracy-theories/
• https://www.climatechangecommunication.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ConspiracyTheoryHandbook.pdf
• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-diseases/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker-how-they-work-latest-developments-cvd/
• https://www.marketwatch.com/story/fauci-says-public-should-temper-expectations-on-covid-19-vaccine-as-us-infections-near-5-million-2020-08-09
• https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2820%2931605-6
• https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/05/moderna-coronavirus-vaccine-how-it-works-cvd/#close

Send us Fan Mail

What do you get when you cross totalitarianism with a pandemic? If you guessed "one helluva story", we owe you a La Croix! COVID-19 has finally arrived in North Korea...or has it? Join Andy and Brett as they traverse the demilitarized zone, on this week's extra-large viral particle.








References:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/25/world/asia/north-korea-coronavirus-kim-jong-un.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/31/world/asia/north-korea-coronavirus.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/world/asia/north-korea-defector-coronavirus.html
• https://ourworldindata.org/covid-exemplar-south-korea
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53541730
• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/27/world/asia/north-korea-defector-coronavirus.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/world/asia/north-korea-defector-coronavirus.html
• https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2019/country-chapters/north-korea#
• https://www.history.com/topics/korea/korean-war
• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/13/soldier-shot-by-north-korean-guards-as-he-defects-to-south