Although the hepatitis B vaccine is widely heralded as a public health success story, Kennedy has long targeted the vaccine as unnecessary and dangerous.
In "Gaps in the Safety Net" Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss why we shouldn’t compare other countries’ vaccine schedules to the US schedule. Dr. Osterholm continues to cover the recent infant botulism outbreak, and he answers an ID Query about New World Screwworm.Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:
Voices for Vaccines
Families Fighting Flu
Vaccinate Your Family
Shot@Life
Medical Reserve Corps
Learn more about the Vaccine Integrity Project
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Before 2025, we didn't spend too much time talking about measles on this podcast, and that's because there wasn't much of a need to. But ever since the measles outbreak in West Texas began in January 2025, it's become a regular topic of discussion, with the U.S. now at more than 6,000 confirmed cases since the beginning of that year. In this week's episode, hosts Chris Dall and Dr. Michael Osterholm discuss the measles outbreak in Pennsylvania and the rest of the country. They’ll also cover some potential good news on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, answer listener questions about RSV and flu vaccines, and examine an uptick in exposure to rabid animals in the US.Correction: During the introduction, it is stated that there have been more than 6,000 measles cases since the beginning of last year. As of Friday 9/25, there have been a total of 5,948 cases reported in the US during that time frame.Content Warning: This week's dedication and closing include discussion of suicide and mental health. For listeners who prefer to avoid these sensitive topics, you can skip over the discussion at 03:38 - 05:44 and 52:08 - 56:38.Links:
Suicide Prevention Month Resources (National Alliance on Mental Illness)RFK Jr.’s Faulty Claim that U.S. Measles Response Is ‘Better’ Than ‘Any Other Country’ (Factcheck.org)Respiratory Virus Season Immunization Recommendations (American Medical Association)
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Resources for vaccine and public health advocacy:
Music:
"Beauty Flow" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the state of the pandemic in the U.S. and around the world, the role of booster doses and masks in the months ahead, and the debate on the origin of the pandemic.
In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the state of the pandemic in the U.S. and around the world, the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, and the recent approval of vaccines for children under 5. Dr. Osterholm also provides an update on monkeypox and shares a Celebration of Life from one of our listeners.
In this episode, Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the U.S. response to H5N1 cases in dairy cattle, the latest long COVID research, and a recent New York Times article on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Long-term health effects of COVID-19: disability and function following SARS-CoV-2 infection (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine)
A critical analysis of the evidence for the SARS-CoV-2 origin hypotheses (Alwine et al., Journal of Virology)
'I am a homosexual. I am a psychiatrist': how Dr. Anonymous changed history (Jillian Eugenios, NBC News)
In "No Time to Quit," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the JN.1 variant, Paxlovid uptake, and COVID-19 vaccine disinformation. Dr. Osterholm also provides an update on influenza and RSV transmission and shares the latest "This Week in Public Health History" segment.
In "Holding the Tools" Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall dive into the latest COVID, flu and RSV activity, discuss the surge in norovirus cases, and provide an update on measles outbreaks across the Americas. Dr. Osterholm also shares the latest work from CIDRAP’s Vaccine Integrity Project, and honors a couple of different public health heroes for Women’s History Month. Viewpoint: Threats to Gavi mean placing ideology over saving lives (CIDRAP) Dentists still write millions of prescriptions a year for an antibiotic with life-threatening risks (CIDRAP)
In "Somebody to Lean On," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss vaccine updates including the FDA’s back-and-forth on the Moderna vaccine, leadership shake-ups at institutions like the CDC, and the current state of measles in the US. Dr. Osterholm will also bring you a respiratory virus update, including current vaccine guidance for flu, COVID and RSV. Op-Ed: The FDA refused to review a flu vaccine, contrary to evidence. Now the agency reversed itself (CIDRAP) The State of US Vaccine Policy (CIDRAP and Unbiased Science)Dentists still write millions of prescriptions a year for an antibiotic with life-threatening risks (CIDRAP)
We're tracking how vaccine skepticism has become a political liability, the leadership vacuum across federal health agencies, and lots more.
In "A Better Place," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the state of the pandemic in the U.S. and around the world, the latest booster shot update from the FDA, and why the darkest days of the pandemic may be behind us. Dr. Osterholm also answers a COVID query on cardiac events following mRNA booster doses and shares a beautiful place from one of our listeners.
Since our last update, 14 states have filed vaccine lawsuits, the CDC lost its 2 most senior officials in rapid succession, a surgeon general nominee couldn't bring herself to recommend the measles vaccine, and more.
In "The April Fool's Tragedy," Dr. Osterholm and guest host Dr. Cory Anderson discuss the devastating layoffs and funding cuts in public health that have unfolded over the past two weeks. Dr. Osterholm also shares the the latest news on the growing measles outbreak in Texas and answers an ID query about COVID lockdowns.
CDC clone site, rife with false vaccine claims, hosted by group previously led by HHS Secretary (InfoEpi Lab)
In "Chaos Reigns," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss this week's ACIP meeting, the latest COVID variant data, and the current measles trends in the United States and Canada. Dr. Osterholm covers some good news about federal health agencies and answers an ID query about autism.
In "Time for a Mindset Change," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the rise in COVID activity in the U.S. and around the world, a recent study on COVID in white-tailed deer, and a survey on vaccine hesitancy in pet owners. Dr. Osterholm also provides an update on avian and human influenza and shares a moment of joy from one of our listeners.
This week on the Osterholm Update, Chris Dall and Dr. Osterholm dissect the latest results of Paxlovid trials and what they tell us about COVID-19. They'll also discuss a CDC study on COVID-19 vaccines that's been blocked by the acting CDC director, examine a survey that reveals the impact of changes to CDC messaging on vaccines and autism, explore the US Defense Secretary's decision to no longer require flu shots for US military members and bring you up to speed on the hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship. Plus, the latest findings of CIDRAP’s analysis of HPV vaccines.Paxlovid doesn’t reduce hospitalization, death rates in vaccinated high-risk COVID outpatients, trial shows (CIDRAP)The end of the Paxlovid era? Why two new negative trials are great news. (Inside Medicine Substack)
What happened to Covid? (STAT)Safety and effectiveness of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (Vaccine Integrity Project)‘The hardest thing I’ve ever gone through’: Cervical cancer survivors speak out about importance of HPV vaccine (CIDRAP)
It’s been a whirlwind week of public health news from Washington, but hosts Chris Dall and Dr. Michael Osterholm are here to make sense of it all. This week they answer your questions about the White House's executive order on childhood vaccines and other topics. Dr. Osterholm also discusses the approval of Moderna’s new mRNA flu vaccine, as well as updates on cyclospora, Ebola and respiratory viruses. Plus, learn about the “Father of Blood Banks” in this week’s Public Health History segment.
Links:American Red Cross Declares Second-Ever National Blood Supply Crisis (American Red Cross)Make an appointment to donate blood or volunteer at your local blood bank (American Red Cross)CIDRAP Op-Ed: What the vaccine executive order gets wrong, and what it will cost us (CIDRAP News)
Where is the line? Trump’s Executive Order on Childhood Vaccines (Unbiased Science)
