The Antigen – Details, episodes & analysis

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common virus that causes respiratory illness. For many people, RSV can be mild and presents symptoms similar to the common cold. But for certain groups, RSV can be serious, especially for babies 0 through 6 months old. In this bonus episode of The Antigen, Board-certified pediatrician Dr. Mona Amin explains the dangers of RSV in babies. Mom, reality television star, and businesswoman Catherine Guidici Lowe also joins the podcast to talk about her experience with her son contracting the virus. 

Protection from serious infant illnesses isn’t enough. Helping prevent the disease from happening altogether is the goal of physician-scientists, like Dr. Bill Gruber. As the Senior Vice President of Pfizer Vaccine Clinical Research and Development, Bill explains how maternal vaccinations are developed, the inequities in this process, and the importance of clinical trial participants. This final episode concludes with the real life-changing impact of maternal immunization.

Special thanks to the maternal immunization team at Pfizer. The Antigen is produced by Wonder Media Network.

In this final episode, we’ll examine the potential of vaccines to help fight emerging global health threats, like anti-microbial resistance & new diseases like COVID-19, as well as what the medical community—and the rest of the world—is doing about it. We'll also wrap up the series by understanding how vaccines may help us lead healthier lives, from the moment we’re born to older age.

Host Yasmeen Agosti speaks to Anna Mouser of Wellcome Trust, Prof. David Salisbury of Chatham House, Prof. Kevin Outterson of Boston University’s CARB-X Foundation, Jane Barratt of IFA, and Dr. Carol J. Baker of University of Texas Health Science Center.

Episode  references:

• World Health Organization
  • Disease X
  • Aging
• Centers for Disease Control
  • Coronavirus
  • Antibiotic Resistance
  • Adult Immunization
  • Maternal Immunization
• CARB-X

Episode credits: BBC News (opening audio)

Innovation can mean different things to different people. When it comes to vaccine innovation, we’re really talking about two things: creating new vaccines that we need or improving something about the ones we currently have. In this episode, we’ll cover a few examples of vaccine innovation, from vaccine design to delivery. Host Yasmeen Agosti speaks to Anna Mouser of Wellcome Trust, Naa Adorkor Yawson of Zipline, Alison Witkoff of the IRC, Prof. David Salisbury of Chatham House , Dr. Peter Palese of Mount Sinai, and Dr. James Gulley of the NIH.

Episode references:

• Centers for Disease Control
• Wellcome Trust
• Zipline
• International Rescue Committee
   

‘Policy’ is often considered a dry topic – but vaccine policy can become emotionally charged, quickly. In this episode, we explore the balance between individual freedom and public good as we dive into vaccine laws, mandates, and exemptions across the U.S. We also examine how individuals can make their voices heard at the local, state, and national level. Host Yasmeen Agosti speaks with Drexel University Professor Robert Field, Congresswoman Dr. Kim Schrier, LJ Tan of the Immunization Action Coalition, and parent-advocate Patti Wukovits.

Episode references:

• The Kimberly Coffey Foundation
• HealthyChildren.org
• Centers for Disease Control

80% of internet users are seeking health-related information. Why? On the surface, the internet seems to be an easy way to look for answers. The challenge is that there is a lot of information to sort through, and misinformation can sometimes be hard to recognize. On this episode, we continue our conversation on vaccine hesitancy and expand into digital health skills. Host Yasmeen Agosti speaks to parent-advocate Tara Hills, Johns Hopkins Professor Dr. Steven Salzberg, Congresswoman Dr. Kim Schrier, and communications expert Chad Hermann.

Episode references:

• Centers for Disease Control
  • Vaccine Safety
  • Vaccines and Immunizations
• The Vaccine Education Center
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• The History of Vaccines from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia
• National Institutes of Health

Anti-vaccination sentiment dates back farther than many realize. Since the first vaccine reached the United States over 200 years ago, concerned citizens have been raising objections and even making hyperbolized political cartoons. What exactly sparked the modern anti-vaccination movement? And how has that perspective spread and changed over time? This episode starts The Antigen’s dive into everything anti-vax. Host Yasmeen Agosti talks with experts, journalists, pediatricians, and parent-advocates including Kathryn Edwards, Todd Wolynn, Robert Field, Sara Novak, Steven Salzberg, Chad Hermann, Tara Hills & LJ Tan.

Episode references:

• Centers for Disease Control
  • Vaccine Safety
  • Vaccines and Immunizations
• The Vaccine Education Center
• HealthyChildren.org
• The History of Vaccines from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia

With preventable disease rates dropping around the world, vaccination efforts are largely a success. What are the barriers that still prevent vaccines from reaching the people who need them? This episode of The Antigen is going global. Host Yasmeen Agosti talks with experts about worldwide efforts to make vaccines more accessible, from organizations like The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GAVI, Shot@Life, Save the Children, and The Wellcome Trust.

Episode references:

• Wellcome Global Monitor 2018

From the first inoculations in China and the Middle East, to Edward Jenner and his smallpox immunization, all the way to the inception of vaccines we still use today — this episode of The Antigen is all about the history of vaccines. New voices like Emilio Emini, Stanley Plotkin, Sarah Long, and Todd Wolynn join familiar guests from the first episode to paint a historical picture of this scientific innovation.

Vaccines have saved millions of lives, but they’ve also become victims of their own success. They’ve done such a good job that we’ve forgotten what serious infections like polio and diphtheria look like. On the first episode of The Antigen, host Yasmeen Agosti takes us through vaccine basics with the help of experts Dr. Kathryn Edwards, Dr. Peter Hotez, Martha Rebour, LJ Tan, and Serese Marotta, who explain why vaccines are more relevant now than ever.