Lately, Twitter has become a cesspool of the worst humans spreading the worst misinformation. Except for one bright spot: The Real Truther. We invited The Real Truther to our podcast to discuss his noble pursuit of The Real Truth and to talk with RFK Jr. (or a proxy for RFK Jr.)Links from the episode:Dr. Alfredo Vic... more
At the pandemic's beginning, small bands of scientists and doctors devised a plan: what if we got young people sick on purpose? What could possibly go wrong?Dr. Jonathan Howard's new book, _We Want Them Infected_, traces this ill-begotten quest and the inevitable pseudoscience that followed. Listen in to our conversa... more
It feels like anti-vaxxers are bringing public health to court in droves. Does this spell the doom of people who don't like getting measles and polio? To explain why we shouldn't panic and how this litigiousness works, we invite our friend Dorit Reiss, legal scholar and all-around good person.Please note: this epis... more
If you thought 2021 was the Year of the Vaccine, 2022 may have taken you by surprise. In this episode, we review the news stories that show the prominence vaccines still play in our everyday lives.For a list of links to the news stories we cover, visit our website: https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/ep-68-vaccines-ye... more
Because vaccines work better when we are all vaccinated, vaccine equity isn't about justice alone. It is also crucial to public health.Enter Julissa Soto, MPH. Fresh off her work with other forms of health equity, she has come onto the scene in Colorado to make sure Latino communities can get vaccinated and feel conf... more
In many ways, mRNA vaccines are a gamechanger, but not an unexpected one. For this episode, we talked to one of the scientists who has been pursuing mRNA vaccines for years: Melissa Moore, PhD. We discuss how mRNA vaccines have changed so much for us and what the future might hold.Find Dr. Moore's TED talk here: http... more
A new study seems to connect childhood vaccines to asthma. Or does it?We invited our friend and hero, Dr. Paul Offit, to the show to discuss this study and the other studies from the past investigating vaccines and aluminum adjuvants. Don't miss his take!Link to the study: https://www.statnews.com/2022/09/27/possib... more
Remember the old refrain: polio is only a plane ride away? Well, it's hit New York, in the same community that saw a massive measles outbreak in 2019.We invited the excellent Blima Marcus, a nurse practitioner who worked on building vaccine confidence in this community in 2019, to talk to us about this polio outbreak... more
Providers working in clinics and hospitals have noticed something: non-COVID respiratory viruses are acting differently. Flu is lingering into June, RSV is messing with kids off-season, and summer is no barrier between us and a cold. To find out what is happening (and okay, it might have to do with COVID) and how vac... more
Vaccine hesitancy can be exhausting for everyone involved. Those who are uncertain may feel badgered by well-meaning friends, and well-meaning friends may feel frustrated by combatting misinformation. But we know that the hesitant can become confident because our two guests have been there. Join this fun conversation... more
In statehouses across the U.S., 1,000 anti-vaccine bills have been filed. From bills that would pave the way to rescinding school entry requirements to bills that would levy fines against employers for requiring proof of vaccination, these bills are a threat to public health and safety.Fortunately, a new organization... more
Few experts are as well-poised to answer questions about the pandemic we found ourselves in as Dr. Tara Smith--infectious disease epidemiologist who knows all about zoonotic transmission. But even with that expertise, we have found ourselves so divided that those closest to her do not necessarily trust the information ... more
Parents have a lot of questions about COVID vaccines and their kids, so we invited those parents to a Zoom chat with nationally-known expert and pediatric nurse practitioner, Patsy Stinchfield. They got a chance to ask their questions, and we all got answers.We begin with a discussion between Nathan and Karen on Dr. ... more
COVID, always up to something, has spun out a new variant: Omicron. There are so many unknowns, and so much anxiety caused by the unknown, that we invited Dr. Katelyn Jetelina (a.k.a. Your Local Epidemiologist) to help us get our facts straight. Links from the show:Myocarditis and COVID: https://www.nationalgeograph... more
It's not shocking that social media spreads misinformation, but a new report from the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights just published a chilling report detailing how fertile social media platforms are for breeding misinformation. We discussed the report and its implications with IREHR's Devin Burgha... more
Science types hate predicting the future--and LJ Tan from immunize.org is no exception. So we invite him on to the podcast to discuss what we do know about the upcoming influenza season co-occurring with our long-enduring pandemic. And, of course, we talk about the vaccines for both.Links from the episode:Marcie's L... more
In this episode, we cover so much COVID-19 information that it may break the podcastosphere. Want to know about Delta? Talked about it. Kids in school? Check. Surges? Yep. And third doses? Oh boy, did we talk about that.With Dr. Paul Offit, everyone's favorite pediatric infectious disease doctor from the Vaccine Educ... more
Few people have studied internet disinformation for longer or in more depth than NBC's Brandy Zadrozny, so we invited her to swing by and talk to us about vaccine disinformation. A must-listen podcast if you are interested in how people are subjected to the onslaught of incorrect vaccine information online that leads t... more
With the pandemic bringing a bright spotlight on vaccine hesitancy, people are under the impression that confidence varies by race and background. Why would that be, and how is it related to health equity? And what is health equity anyhow?We invited University of Minnesota School of Medicine professor and health equi... more
This week, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted unanimously to recommend the Pfizer vaccine be given to kids ages 12-15. We invited long-time ACIP member Patsy Stinchfield on the podcast to talk us through how this decision was made and when other age groups might be eligible. We asked ... more
Chelsea Clinton comes from a background of public service, so why is she working so hard on global health right now? And why is she willing to take a stand for vaccines? We invited her to Vax Talk to discuss this, and so much more!Links from this episodeDisinformation Dozen: https://antivaxwatch.org/Clinton Foundat... more
Don't worry! We aren't switching sides. Heather Simpson, former anti-vaccine influencer, already switched sides. She took a look at the science and decided she needed to vaccinate herself and her daughter.This is the audio from a previous Facebook Live event. If you prefer to watch with your eyes and ears, go here: h... more
Dr. Peter Sears is the not-famous brother of Dr. Jim and Dr. Bob Sears and a family physician. He is also an strong advocate for on-time immunization, even as his brother Bob is perceived as having close ties with the anti-vaccine world. We invited Dr. Peter to the podcast to talk about alternative schedules, ingredien... more
Millions of people have received a COVID-19 vaccine, which gives us a lot of information about the safety of these vaccines. We asked Dr. Stanley Plotkin, inventor of the rubella vaccine and co-inventor of a rotavirus vaccine, to join us to answer our questions and to make some predictions.Links from podcast: Wi... more
It's here! The COVID-19 vaccine is going into people's arms as you read the letters in these show notes. Everyone we know has said, "If Paul Offit says it's safe to get the vaccine, I will get it." So we had him on our podcast and asked him that and so much more.Also, check out Tara Haelle's piece answering any COVID... more