Vax Talk

As of April 11, the U.S. has seen 121 cases of measles this year. Patsy Stinchfield, President of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, takes us back in time to previous outbreaks and our efforts to eliminate measles--all to help us understand why even one case of measles in a community is cause for concern. Links from the episode: New study shows that COVID vaccination does not lead to cardiac death-- https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/04/12/covid-vaccine-cardiac-arrest-link-not-supported-cdc-says/73305266007/?emci=177adc2e-26fb-ee11-aaf0-7c1e52017038&emdi=97844546-2cfb-ee11-aaf0-7c1e52017038&ceid=4108393 CDC Measles surveillance page--https://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

What caused SARS-CoV-2? Are vaccine mandates necessary? Is COVID here to stay? How can we protect ourselves in this new world? These are just some of the questions Dr. Paul Offit tackles in his new book Tell Me When It's Over: An Insider's Guide to Deciphering Covid Myths and Navigating Our Post-Pandemic World (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/739432/tell-me-when-its-over-by-paul-a-offit-md/). Join us for this lively conversation about his book and the latest vaccine news. Links from the podcast Alexadra Petri, Please Stop Vaccinating Your Children: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2015/01/22/please-stop-vaccinating-your-children-i-want-to-go-to-disneyland/ Man Receives 217 COVID vaccines: https://www.forbes.com/sites/victoriaforster/2024/03/05/man-receives-hundreds-of-covid-19-vaccines/?sh=48a4e6e9e819&emci=bffa6c44-a3db-ee11-85fb-002248223794&emdi=311938fe-c5db-ee11-85fb-002248223794&ceid=4108393 Bonus--Alexandra Petri interviews measles: https://wapo.st/49IR75G

Last fall, NBC News journalist Brandy Zadrozny took a hike with Robert F Kennedy Jr and published her interview with him. She has written extensively about him and the anti-vaccine movement, so we felt like she was an important person to give us insights into this person whose star seems to be rising. Please note: We disagree with him. Do not listen to this episode expecting a glowing analysis of him. Links from the episode: Aaron Rodgers lost what from COVID: https://sports.yahoo.com/aaron-rodgers-tells-joe-rogan-041746931.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAHmVPgsCvhHBMwBUnNIX9IXuodF4TtpTG4c8ul-g2X5fZpQfrFmR1xLaLzX7u8jnlynRttbloWAPHaWmxSBLD5RIVS2DFLNFkN0oIGCnhCIHKywsitqK4BRffC48z8K3pZgZ49Czct7YIXV7iHJ8YdQDykcvq1YkaIiqf_hnqHSf COVID Diaries by HCWs: https://twitter.com/CovidintheChart/status/1756688472461766715 Scotland HPV study: https://www.statnews.com/2024/01/25/hpv-vaccine-prevent-cervical-cancer-cervarix-gardasil-study/#:~:text=A%20historic%20new%20study%20out,ages%20of%2012%20and%2013. ACIP vacancies: https://www.statnews.com/2024/02/08/acip-vacancies-hhs-vaccines/?emci=17fb6148-36c7-ee11-85f9-002248223794&emdi=aa988ab3-57c7-ee11-85f9-002248223794&ceid=4108393 Brandy takes a hike: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/rfk-jr-anti-vaccine-push-white-house-rcna89470

Each month, our Vax Ambassadors meet to learn something new about vaccines. This December, we came together to test the vaccine and vaccine-related knowledge of three good friends: Dr. Paul Offit, Dr. Dan Wilson from Debunk the Funk, and Heather Simpson from Back to the Vax. We also called on three of our Ambassadors to answer some questions, and the stakes could not have been lower! Listen in and find out who won! Links from the episode: Dr. Paul Offit: https://www.paul-offit.com/ Debunk the Funk: https://www.youtube.com/c/debunkthefunkwithdrwilson Back to the Vax: https://backtothevax.com/ Become a Vax Ambassador! https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/get-involved/

The pandemic caused a lot of pain, from the loss of lives to COVID itself to the burnout and moral injury of people working on the front lines. Our world is more polarized and works on the presumption of fewer common facts. How do we heal? Scott Hamilton Kennedy, an award-nominated documentary filmmaker, went searching for these answers in 2019. His film, Shot in the Arm, became so much more than he expected. Links from the episode: WHO and cervical cancer: https://www.who.int/news/item/17-11-2023-global-partners-cheer-progress-towards-eliminating-cervical-cancer-and-underline-challenges Shot in the Arm film: https://shotinthearmmovie.com/

In this episode, we break down vaccine communication, from the days of "Let the Science Speak for Itself" to the political partisanship of the pandemic. To assist us, we invited Glen Nowack, former CDC comms chief and Mass Communication Expert! Get your updated COVID vaccine! https://www.vaccines.gov/ Download and share the latest VFV video! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MQMmlLrg5lhEpNwc1KeOSWhyIpfyCGOL/view?usp=drive_link

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 Victoria: https://www.elimparcial.com/mexico/Muere-el-Dr.-Alfredo-Victoria-reconocido-epidemiologo-y-excandidato-a-la-alcaldia-de-Puebla-a-sus-42-anos-de-edad-20230626-0050.html RFK's Conspiracy Panel: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/rfk-kennedy-anti-vaccine-panel-conspiracies-hiv-spanish-flu-1234779689/ Dr. Hotez stands up to RFK Jr. and Joe Rogan: https://twitter.com/PeterHotez/status/1671839286348378113?lang=ar

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 conversation with him! Links from the pod-- We Want Them Infected: https://redhawkpublications.com/We-Want-Them-Infected-p547021769 Lancet HPV study: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02178-4/fulltext Steve Kirsch wants to give you $5M: https://twitter.com/stkirsch/status/1663293283211317248 This June, Voices for Vaccines wants to raise $10,000 so we can bring you our extra programming, such as this podcast! Donate now! https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/donate/

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 episode was recorded before the Missouri religious exemption decision was handed down. Read about that here: https://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/author/dorit-rubinstein-reiss/ Other links from this episode: Tiffany Dover -- https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/tiffany-dover-conspiracy-theorists-silence-rcna69401 Elon Musk-- https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-65249139 Politico-- https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/04/09/anti-vax-covid-litigation-00090939

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-year-in-review/

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 confident doing so through her Vaccine Sundays program. This episode is about so much more than that, though. Julissa is an inspiring woman whose life has been an amazing journey. You do not want to miss this episode! Links from the episode: The Real Truther--https://twitter.com/thereal_truther Vaccine Sundays article--https://publichealthrs.org/a038/ How to host a vaccine clinic---https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xYolt5mR-zuOFGXBnBuLKZ9AcN5TeYCw/view

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: https://www.ted.com/talks/melissa_j_moore_how_mrna_medicine_will_change_the_world?language=en What vaccines are required for school entry in your state, and how it isn't influenza or probably HPV: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/coverage/schoolvaxview/requirements/index.html Download the Voices for Vaccines app on your phone today! And go get a flu shot. And if she's still around, call your mom.

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/possible-link-aluminum-childhood-vaccines-asthma-risk-caveats/

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.

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 vaccines can help, we talked to Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Dr. Bill Schaffner (one of Karen's favorite docs). Link from the episode: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/06/13/covid-flu-rsv-viruses/

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 about how we can all talk to each other, featuring Lydia Greene and Heather Simpson from Back to the Vax (https://backtothevax.com/) Don't forget to download our app to help you have those tough conversations: https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/resources/

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--SAFE Communities Coalition (https://safecommunitiescoalition.org/)--is working hard to combat bad vaccine legislation and promote the good stuff. So we invited Northe Saunders and Becky Christensen from this group to discuss their work. Links from the show: ➡️ VFV's new app! https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/resources/#1648753936656-cffc4e3a-d834 ➡️ Japan reinstates HPV vaccination: https://www.science.org/content/article/japan-relaunches-its-hpv-vaccination-drive-thousands-women-it-may-be-too-late#.YkYKFQbSeLg.twitter ➡️ Sweden and their not-so-great COVID response: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-022-01097-5

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 she makes available to them. Join us for this conversation with Dr. Smith as we explore how we can get ourselves out of division over disease prevention and find ourselves again in a world where we care about each other. Before the interview, Nathan and Karen discuss COVID vaccination for the under 5 crew.

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. Peter Hotez and saving the world through equitable, accessible, and affordable vaccination. See article: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-covid-vaccine-for-all/

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.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/the-real-risk-of-heart-inflammation-to-kids-is-from-covid-19not-the-vaccine Magic Dirt: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/magic-dirt-internet-fueled-defeated-pandemics-weirdest-mlm-rcna6950