Viral Infection
Why Are Measles Outbreaks Growing?
Several years ago, a measles epidemic left more than 700 people sick in the U.S. Young children were hardest hit in outbreaks across the country, from New York State's Rockland County to California's …
Show 1378: Rediscovering the Power of Medicinal …
This week, two guests describe their work with the healing power of medicinal herbs. They draw upon family histories of herbalism along with their own studies of how to use botanical medicines. You ma…
Show 1374: Marvelous Medicinal Mushrooms
This week, we talk with 4th-generation herbalist, research scientist and mycologist, Dr. Christopher Hobbs. He extolls the benefits of mushrooms not only as nutritious foods, but also as important com…
Wastewater Monitoring Can Sound the Alarm Early …
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many public health organizations used wastewater monitoring. Checking sewage for pathogens could also provide an early warning against future outbreaks. How Does Wastewat…
Can Elderberry Juice Really Fight Flu Virus?
Elderberries and elderberry juice have long had a reputation for fighting the flu. Most physicians undoubtedly have considered this just another old wives’ tale. One reader remembers how her family …
Show 1331: Staying Healthy During and After COVI…
In this week’s episode, we explore a range of practical approaches to staying healthy even in the midst of an epidemic or pandemic like COVID. Our guest offers evidence-based advice on what lifestyl…
Show 1314: Better Air Quality Through Ventilatio…
This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we talk with one of the world’s leading experts on indoor air quality. If we had been paying more attention to air when the COVID-19 pandemic began…
Show 1313: Avoiding Germs in Bathrooms and Bedro…
This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we learn where the most germs are lurking in our homes and workplaces. Public toilets often make people nervous, but in fact, says Dr. Chuck Gerba, c…
How Will CDC Combat Spread of Monkeypox Infectio…
The department of Health and Human Services declared monkeypox a public health emergency in the US. Although we call it "monkeypox" because scientists identified the first cases in laboratory monkeys …
Do COVID Vaccines Cause Postmenopausal Bleeding?
When COVID-19 appeared on the scene late in 2019, the world had never seen it before. Fortunately, though, several companies had been working on messenger RNA (mRNA) as a way to create vaccines. In ad…
Show 1234: How Microbes Evolve to Become Enemies…
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus behind COVID-19 is changing. This should not be a surprise, since microbes evolve by nature. What implications might this have for the infection in future months? We speak w…
Show 1233: How Does Your Immune System Overcome …
One of the striking things about the COVID-19 pandemic is how differently people respond. Some people contract the virus but never really have symptoms, while others land in the hospital struggling fo…
Can Melatonin Help Overcome COVID-19?
People may take popular supplements for a wide range of problems even if researchers have not established their efficacy. What can melatonin help with? A lot of folks probably noticed, as this reader …
Should We Worry About the New Holds on Vaccine T…
People all around the world are waiting impatiently for vaccines or monoclonal antibody treatments that might help control the pandemic. This week brought bad news on several fronts. Two different com…
Show 1170: What Makes Your Immune System an Eleg…
This show first aired in June, 2019, before anyone had heard of SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19. Today, understanding how your immune system works to overcome an infection is more important than ever. Just how…
Do You Need a New Insect Repellent?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worries about diseases carried by mosquitoes and ticks like chikungunya, dengue fever, Zika, Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. The best way t…
New Virus Threatens Health Around the World
A new virus has captured the attention of public health officials around the world. The coronavirus has been dubbed 2019-nCoV. It causes a potentially deadly lung infection with symptoms of pneumonia …
Is Sunshine the Best Source for Vitamin D?
Vitamin D has long been known as the sunshine vitamin because skin creates this hormone when exposed to ultraviolet light. However, winter in northern latitudes does not allow much vitamin D to be cre…
No Link Between Vaccine and Autism in Denmark
There are half a dozen measles outbreaks currently underway in the US, as well as several serious international outbreaks. Consequently, the news on measles vaccine from Denmark is important. Scientis…
Could Herbal Tea Overcome Your Nasty Cough?
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common pathogen that usually causes mild symptoms such as runny nose, fever or sneezing and wheezing. It can also cause a nasty cough in some people, especially …
Ticks and Mosquitoes Responsible for More Diseas…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that diseases carried by ticks and mosquitoes are becoming far more common. New data from 2004 to 2016 shows that such vector-borne diseases…
Can Kefir Help You Recover from an Infection?
Have you been looking for a way to boost your immune system? Especially during the season when colds and flu are rampant, many people would like to know how to recover from an infection more readily. …
Picking the Best Bug Repellent for Disease Preve…
As the weather warms up and mosquitoes become active, people need to pay close attention to the type of mosquito repellent they choose. Which Repellent Is Best? A team of researchers at New Mexic…
What Is Causing Polio-Like Illness in Children?
Over the last few years a mysterious polio-like illness has been striking children across the United States. California and Colorado have been especially hard hit. Reports of the Polio-Like Illness Ar…
Will Inexpensive Heart Drug Overcome Herpes Viru…
Fighting Epstein Barr Virus: An inexpensive generic diuretic that is often prescribed for patients with heart failure shows antiviral activity against herpes viruses called Epstein Barr virus. This vi…
Dengue Fever Hits the Big Island of Hawaii Hard
The Zika virus has captured headlines for weeks as public health officials try to play catch up on this global health epidemic. But Zika is not the only virus causing trouble. Dengue Fever in Hawaii: …
WHO Officials Are Frightened of Zika Virus; Are …
This week the World Health Organization declared Zika virus to be a global health emergency. Zika Virus Has Spread Far and Wide: The virus is turning out to be much more widespread than most people re…
More Countries Pose a Risk of Zika Virus Exposur…
The Zika virus, which has only recently started making headlines, poses a hazard in more countries than the CDC originally suspected. Travel warnings have been extended to several more countries inclu…
Enterovirus D68 Is Linked to Mysterious Childhoo…
A few years ago children began developing mysterious symptoms after severe upper respiratory infections. Some of these kids went on to experience sudden paralysis. The overall picture looked like poli…
Bourbon Virus Is Transmitted by Tick Bites
Add the Bourbon virus to the growing list of tick-borne infections. After the death of a man in Bourbon County, Kansas, last summer, doctors scrambled to identify the virus that killed him. It has nev…
Will Experimental Drug Help Fight Ebola?
An experimental antiviral drug may hold promise against Ebola. Brincidofovir has been under development for several years against other potentially life threatening viral disease including adenovirus…
Enterovirus D68 Is Life Threatening
Public health officials across the U.S. and Canada are becoming alarmed about enterovirus D68. This infection has spread across the country over the last few weeks. Now it has claimed lives. Alth…
Is There a Potential Cure for Ebola on the Horiz…
Until today, hopes for treating the Ebola virus were slim to none. That’s because there were no obvious drugs or vaccines available. ZMapp, the only experimental drug used to date, is no longer acce…
Missed Diagnosis of Ebola in Dallas Reveals ER F…
A huge mistake by doctors at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas has created a firestorm of controversy about electronic medical records. When Thomas Eric Duncan arrived at the emergency room…
Kids Paralyzed by Enterovirus-D68
There is a disturbing new development in the epidemic of enterovirus D-68 sweeping the nation. Children are the primary victims and until recently, breathing problems were the only apparent serious co…
Ebola Epidemic Strains Public Health Resources
The World Health Organization reports that Senegal and Nigeria are containing the spread of the Ebola virus. That can’t be said for Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. According to researchers for the…
Children Sickened by Virus from Coast to Coast
Enterovirus D68 is spreading across the United States. At last count more than half the states have reported cases of this severe respiratory infection. The trail of sickened children stretches from C…
Respiratory Infection Hits Kids Hard
An outbreak of respiratory infections in children has public health officials worried. Enterovirus D68 was discovered in the 1960s and did not appear to pose a particular threat. It resembled the fami…
Lightning-Quick Spread of Virus
Some viruses spread quickly through homes and offices. Norovirus is particularly notorious for moving throughout a cruise ship but it also causes millions of cases of diarrhea on land each year. Resea…
Scary Respiratory Virus Has Parents Freaking Out
School has barely started, but startling numbers of children in at least 10 states are coming down with a mysterious cold-like infection that has left many gasping for breath and hospitalized in inten…