In this podcast, I look at the recent human plague cases in the United States and discuss some specifics about the 'ancient disease'

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned that a major chikungunya virus epidemic risks sweeping around the globe, calling for urgent action to prevent it.

The call-to-action urges countries to scale their lab diagnostics and surveillance, train staff, and strengthen healthcare systems as cases are appearing in popular travel destinations across Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia.

Joining me today to examine this topic is Ben Simone, MD, FFPH. He is the Global Medical Affairs Director Travel Vaccines at Bavarian Nordic.

Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe since 1980, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa.

From 1978-1980, Rhodesia experienced one of the largest anthrax epidemics in recorded history. This led to the deaths of hundreds and caused significant economic devastation.

The epidemic happened during the Rhodesian Bush War.

To this day, the origins of this devastating outbreak remain highly controversial- was it the result of an endemic outbreak or a case of biological warfare?

Today I’m going to look at the history of the epidemic and the possible causes with Matthew Turner, MD. Dr Turner is with the Department of Emergency Medicine at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey Pennsylvania. He is also the author of an article on the topic published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science.

The Rhodesian Anthrax Epidemic: A Case of Biological Warfare?

While the world’s focus has been on COVID-19, sometimes it seems like nothing else is happening in infectious diseases. But that is far from the reality.

In recent years, we’ve seen Nigeria report large numbers of Lassa fever, we continue to see plague outbreaks from Africa to Asia and monkeypox cases have risen in recent decades.

Joining me to talk about these other outbreaks is Stephen A. Berger, M.D.   Dr. Berger is the co-founder of GIDEON Informatics (Global Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology Network).

Florida has reported about 1.6 million total COVID-19 cases, including more than 24,000 deaths.

We’ve known for some time that some of the most vulnerable people are those aged 65 years and older and since Florida has the second-highest proportion of retirement-age residents in the nation this makes getting the COVID-19 vaccine available an imperative.

Joining me today to give an update how hospitals Are Managing to Administer Vaccines to the 65 and Over Population  is Justin Senior, Justin is CEO of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida.

Researchers from the University of Florida in a new study report the mosquito, Aedes scapularis is now established in mainland Florida in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

How did it arrive in the US? And What is the public health significance of this finding?

Joining me today to answer these questions and more is Lawrence Reeves, Ph.D.  Dr Reeves is an entomologist and Research Assistant Scientist at the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory.

In late 2018 into early 2019, an outbreak of a form of hantavirus called Andes virus, swept through a small town in Argentina infecting 34 and killing 11.

Researchers led by a team from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) attribute the size of the outbreak to a super spreader event.

Joining me to discuss Andes virus and the Argentina outbreak is Dr. Gustavo Palacios, Chief of Molecular Biology at USAMRIID, and National Research Council Fellow, Dr. Nicholas Di Paola.

Last month, a multidisciplinary panel led by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Academy of Neurology, and the American College of Rheumatology published the 2020 Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The authors say it provides recommendations aimed to serve as a meaningful resource for the safe, effective, evidence-based care of people with Lyme disease. 

Here to give her views on the guidelines is attorney and the Chief Executive Officer of LymeDisease.org, Lorraine Johnson, JD, MBA.

The U.S. is in the grips of a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic and the numbers are rising at a rapid pace.

A vaccine is what public health officials are banking on to get us out of it.

With that, viral mutations are a concern.

My guest today is screening wastewater for the presence of COVID-19 to determine if the virus is circulating and if different strains of the virus are cropping up.

Joining me for today's show is Edwin Oh, PhD. Dr Oh is an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine.

President-elect Joe Biden recently announced a new 13 member COVID-19 advisory board to guide his administration during the transition period.

One of the members is Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) Director Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH.

Dr Osterholm has been a guest on this show numerous times over recent years. He joined me today to discuss issues that elicit questions and debate--lockdowns, or a "pause", mask mandates and COVID-19 testing.

In this news podcast, I look at the success and progress of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and their situation concerning receiving and Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to determine recommendations on the distribution of the vaccines, I take a look at what they came up with.

I also look at some recent polls concerning what percentage of Americans would take the new vaccines--a very important factor for us to achieve some semblance of herd immunity.

Russian authorities reported seven deaths recently due to people who drank methanol-tainted hand sanitizer after running out of drinks at a party.

In this podcast, I look at the dangers of drinking alcohol based hand sanitizer, particularly for children.

In addition, I examine other ways people try to get intoxicated like vodka eyeballing and look at the rumor of several years ago of women using vodka tampons.

In this video, I look at the yellow fever outbreak currently affecting 5 states in Nigeria--Delta, Enugu, Bauchi, and Benue and Ebonyi.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Yellow Fever (YF) is a mosquito-borne viral disease of humans and other primates, and is currently endemic in over 43 countries in the tropical regions of Africa and The Americas. Infection with the YF virus can be asymptomatic or cause a wide spectrum of disease, from mild symptoms to severe illness with bleeding, jaundice and, ultimately, death. Over 30,000 deaths occur each year and this figure would be much higher without vaccination. Aedes aegypti, is the most important vector.

Chagas disease is a dangerous tropical illness caused by single-cell parasites known as Trypanosoma cruzi. In most cases, if not treated immediately, the infection becomes chronic: the immune system of the host greatly reduces the number of parasites present in the body yet fails to fully eradicate them. Current diagnostic approaches often fail to detect these low numbers of parasites.

A research team from the University of Georgia and others aimed to develop a test for cure.

 Joining me today is Rick Tarleton, PhD. Dr Tarleton ia a Regents’ Professor at the University of Georgia and a Distinguished Professor in Biological Sciences in the Department of Cellular Biology.

Serial ‘deep-sampling’ PCR of fragmented DNA reveals the wide range of Trypanosoma cruzi burden among chronically infected human, macaque, and canine hosts, and allows accurate monitoring of parasite load following treatment

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.

Rat lungworm disease is on the rise in eastern Australia in dogs – and there have even been recorded cases in humans, including two known lethal incidents.

Research by veterinary scientists at the University of Sydney has unveiled insights into what is behind the growth in the disease, also known as neural angiostrongyliasis. Their study, published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, highlights how climatic factors act as drivers for this potential public health issue.

Joining me to discuss this is Professor Jan Slapeta, Dr Slapeta is a Professor of Veterinary and Molecular Parasitology at the University of Sydney and senior author of the paper.

Rainfall- and Temperature-Driven Emergence of Neural Angiostrongyliasis in Eastern Australia, 2020–2024

This episode of NEWS TALK with BRANDON & BOB featured insight from Outbreak News Today's Robert Herriman, discussing COVID-19, good vs. bad coronavirus testing, understanding terms like "viral load," thoughts on data, tracking and locking down.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports that the coronavirus has taken a hold upon Yemen saying "Unfortunately, it is no longer anything but obvious that the virus is circulating widely across the whole of Yemen".

"Five years of fighting had caused Yemen’s healthcare system to collapse in large parts... Now COVID-19 has made that collapse complete, with many hospitals closing for fear of the virus", according to Claire  HaDuong, MSF Head of Mission in Yemen.

In a clip from the latest episode of NEWS TALK with Brandon & Bob, Bob gives the COVID update on Yemen and the country is essentially collapsing further into poverty and chaos.

The fatality of COVID-19 in Yemen is elevated due to the poor conditions in the struggling nation, malnutrition and lack of resources are just two of the contributors Bob breaks down.

Earlier this week, scientists with The Scripps Research Institute announced the discovery of antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2 in small animals.

The study was published this week in the journal, Science.

Here to discuss this research is Elise Landais, PhD. Dr Landais is Principal Scientist with the IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center at The Scripps Research Institute.

Robert Desowitz, PhD was a scientist, researcher and you may know him best as the author of several very informative and entertaining books like New Guinea Tape Worms and Jewish Grandmothers and Who Brought Pinta to the Santa Maria?

Dr. Desowitz left us on Mar 24, 2008.

Being such a fan of his books made me decide to learn more about his life and work.

Joining me today to talk about Bob Desowitz is Louis Miller, MD. Dr Miller is  Chief, Malaria Cell Biology Section at the NIAID, NIH and according to Dr Desowitz’s daughter, Duba, “one of her dad’s best friends”.

In this clip from the NEWS TALK with Brandon & Bob on YouTube, we look at the recent EPA approval of Oxitec's genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquito for release in the Florida Keys.

What is it and how does it work? What are the criticisms and concerns?

We exam these questions in this short podcast.

On the recent episode of NEWS TALK with Brandon and Bob, I spend a few moments reminding the public about the swimming risks in warm, fresh water and the brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri.

In this clip from the NEWS TALK with Brandon and Bob show, we discuss a myriad of issues concerning the COVID-19, or coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic like where to get your information, what data is useful and what do we know now that we didn't know before.

Brandon Jones and Robert Herriman give you an update on the news, providing commentary and analysis, always welcoming your feedback and thoughts.

Approximately 2,000 US cases of malaria are diagnosed annually. Without appropriate treatment, about 15 percent become severe. Mortality from untreated severe malaria (particularly cerebral malaria) approaches 100 percent.

On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Artesunate for Injection to Amivas, a Maryland company specializing in treatments for rare and neglected tropical diseases.

Joining me today to talk about severe malaria and the newly approved drug is Bryan Smith, MD. Dr. Smith is the Chief Medical Officer at Amivas.

There has been reports of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, infections in both domestic felines and large zoo cats in recent weeks.

While these infections were characterized as human to feline transmission, what do we know about feline to feline or feline to human transmission?

My guest today, University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher, Peter Halfmann, PhD, joins me to discuss the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

On today's podcast, I had the honor of talking to E.B. Fred Professor of Natural Sciences Emeritus at UW–Madison and author of the book, Robert Koch--A Life in Medicine and Bacteriology, Thomas Brock, PhD about the titan of microbiology, Robert Koch. 

In this show, I asked the 93-year-old microbiologist about Koch's life prior to microbiology, his relationship with Louis Pasteur and several of Koch's major contributions to bacteriology from the discovery of the agent of tuberculosis in 1882 to the famous postulates that bear his name.

In this newscast, I look at a new report of a rare case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Greece. I look at the disease, geography and measures and recommendations put in place by Greek authoroties.

On today's podcast, I want to take a look at a couple of much talked about issues when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic at this point in time--the diagnostic testing (both PCR and antibody, or serology testing) and the death rates associated with the viral illness.

I am joined today with friend of the show and the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH.

On today's podcast, I want to look at some different issues involving the coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19 pandemic to include the varying fatality rates in certain countries, US pandemic preparedness and what we should be doing moving forward.

Joining me to look at these issues and more is Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, Amesh Adalja, MD.

This week, March 15-21 is National Poison Prevention Week 2020. What is poison control and what is the role of Poison control centers?

Joining me today to answer these questions and more is Dr. Mazda Shirazi. Dr Shirazi is associate professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, a clinical toxicologist and serves as the medical director of the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center.

Locally acquired cases of Chagas disease are exceedingly rare in the United States. Only 28 autochthonous infections were documented from 1955 to 2015.

A recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) describes the first locally transmitted Chagas disease case in the state of Missouri.

Joining me to talk about this unusual case is George Turabelidze, MD, PhD. Dr Turabelidze is with the Division of Community and Public Health with the Missouri Department of Health.

Results were recently published in a study in  the Journal of Clinical Microbiology that show  limitations of currently available diagnostic tests for early-stage Lyme disease, and highlight the need for more research toward improved diagnostics and treatments.

Joining me today to discuss the study and the findings is Liz Horn, PhD. Dr Horn is the Principal Investigator with the Lyme Disease Biobank.

Today is World Aspergillosis Day, a day to raise awareness about a fungal infection that kills more than one million people globally each year.

Joining me now to talk about aspergillosis, a new kind of antifungal drug and World Aspergillosis Day is Marco Taglietti, M.D. Dr Taglietti is the president and chief executive officer of SCYNEXIS and an infectious disease expert.

When their is a global infectious disease outbreak, one action governments take is traveler screenings--we saw it during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and we are seeing it with the current COVID-19 outbreak.

So, how effective are traveler screenings?

My guest today addresses this issue in a recent study published in eLife.

Joining me is Katelyn Gostic, PhD. Dr Gostic is with the Dept. of Ecology & Evolution at the University of Chicago and the lead author of the study.

In this October 2016 interview, I speak to University of Florida Associate Professor of Veterinary Entomology, Dr. Phil Kaufman about the screwworm and the situation in the Florida Keys that year.

Kaufman talked about the biology of screwworm, the pathology demonstrated on an infected mammal, treatment, the devastating effects on the Key deer and prevention and control methods employed by federal and state agricultural officials.

While sifting through the archives I stumbled across several old radio interviews that I never published as podcasts.

This interview from March 2014 with founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr Peter Hotez was on the spread of the neglected tropical disease, the parasitic disease, Leishmaniasis and its spread in the Middle East and East Africa due strife, war and conflict in these regions.

The COVID-19 outbreak is spreading and growing rapidly since first seen less than two months ago, prompting many governments, including the United States, to ban or significantly restrict travel to and from China.

While travel bans are frequently used to stop the spread of an emerging infectious disease, what do we know about their effectiveness?

Joining me today to look at this question is Lauren Sauer. Lauren is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Medicine and director of operations with the university’s Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response.

She is also a coauthor in a recent study published in the Journal of Emergency Management addressing this topic.

In this podcast, I look at Bacillus anthracis as a bioterror agent. This includes history, geography, the three forms of anthrax and what is expected of the clinical laboratory.

Nipah virus is one of the deadliest viruses, which can kill up to 90 percent of those infected. In fact, the World Health Organization has placed Nipah virus on its 10 "most wanted" list of emerging viruses.

Joining me today to talk more about Nipah virus and her research is Emily Gurley, PhD. Dr Gurley is an Associate Scientist with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Its been about a month since my last podcast on the novel coronavirus and I thought it was time to revisit the topic as it becomes a bigger global issue.

Joining me to talk about coronaviruses and the 2019 novel coronavirus is Rodney Rohde, PhD. Dr Rohde is a Professor Research Dean and Chair of the Clinical Laboratory Science Program (CLS) in the College of Health Professions of Texas State University.

Recently, scientists have detected Marburg virus in fruit bats in Sierra Leone, marking the first time the deadly virus has been found in West Africa.

The article was published in the journal, Nature Communications last week.

Joining me today to discuss Marburg virus and the discovery in Sierra Leone is Tracey Goldstein, PhD. Dr Goldstein is a Professor in the Department of Pathology, Immunology and Microbiology at UC Davis and Associate Director of the One Health Institute.