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Viral Load

Author: Brett Bayles (a professor) / Andy Pupa (not a professor)

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The disease podcast for a diseased world! Hosts: Brett Bayles (a professor) & Andy Pupa (not a professor) gleefully explore the weird and wacky world of diseases on a changing planet.
80 Episodes
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Measles Mania

Measles Mania

2026-09-2301:22:57

Send us Fan Mail On this episode of Viral load the guys get back to business unpacking what our lovely Home Health Secretary has been up to since we last spoke and what effect it's having on our healthcare system. Spoiler alert it's not great. If you despise the current admin approach to infectious disease you should listen. If you love RFK Jr. you should listen twice.
RFK Jr.'s Tylenol Files

RFK Jr.'s Tylenol Files

2025-09-2901:38:25

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dr. Brett (PhD, Epidemiology) and Andy break down the viral claim by President Trump and RFK Jr. that Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism. They cut through the noise: What the White House actually said (nothing close to confirmation)What the JAMA studies show (associations, not causation)What RFK Jr. and Trump’s framing gets wrongWhat the evidence does suggest — and what it doesn’tListen to cut through all the BS and walk away with what you need to know.
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we tackle the dangers of celebrity-driven vaccine misinformation, focusing on figures like Alicia Silverstone, who may still be Clueless. We also explore the continued influence of Andrew Wakefield, whose discredited study sparked the anti-vaccine movement, and the legal efforts of RFK Jr.'s lawyer to challenge vaccine mandates. This episode highlights the real-world consequences of misinformation and discusses how we can fight back for the sake of public hea...
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we explore the concerning potential for the return of polio, a disease that once terrified the world before vaccines brought it to the brink of eradication. What's behind the recent reports of poliovirus in wastewater and isolated cases? And how do vaccine gaps, global health inequities, and misinformation play a role in its possible resurgence? Stay tuned next week as we dive into Polio part 2 centered around celebrity vaccine misinformation, who's tr...
Send us Fan Mail Australia's got a reputation for dangerous creatures, but Hendra takes it to a whole new level. This week, we dive into the bat-sh*t crazy world of the Hendra virus—an outbreak that started in horses and quickly spread to humans in a way that’s both horrifying and weird. We’ll unpack how a bunch of flying friends with a taste for fruit can turn a quiet day in the outback into a biohazard situation. Who knew the land down under wasn’t just full of deadly snakes and spiders, bu...
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