This novel coronavirus pandemic is my third pandemic as a human being (after the HIV and the 2009 H1N1 Influenza pandemics). Is it the big one? Not really. At least I don't think so.
The Big One?
Tag: #Influenza
Domestic Threats to Public Health in the United States
If you've been watching the news, you might have noticed that something interesting is going in Italy. They just had a general election, and their results were very interesting. This is from The Atlantic: "Anyone who’s spent more than a vacation in Italy knows it’s a country with deep reserves of discontent, economic stagnation, and [...]
Non-Biostatistician, Non-Epidemiologist Tries to Complain About Biostats and Epi
Don't you love it when people who don't know better think that they know better, and then they end up making fools of themselves? There is a particularly interesting anti-vaccine man by the name of Brian S. Hooker. He has a doctorate in biochemical engineering, according to his Wikipedia page. Maybe you remember BS Hooker [...]
Public Health is in a bit of a pickle over the nasal flu vaccine
No more FluMist vaccine for flu this coming flu season. What are the implications? Many.
Talking Tuesday: Spanish Interview on Flu Edition
Back in 2010, right before the flu season started, the bosses at the health department allowed me to do an interview with an AM radio station out of Washington, DC. The interviewer was awesome, and she really did a good job of asking pertinent questions and keeping my answers in line. It was a great opportunity to practice public speaking and speaking in Spanish. Although it is my first language, sometimes I forget some of its conventions. I've speaking English too long, I guess.
Time to freak out: FluMist is in short supply!
Yeah, okay, it's not time to freak out. You should never freak out. In fact, the first rule of emergencies is to stay calm. So stay calm. The "Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine" (LAIV) sold under the trademark FluMist in the United States seems to be in short supply. But this is the case right now and [...]
The New Epidemiologists, Part 2
I got distracted when I was writing last time about "The New Epidemiologists" because we started our descent into Minneapolis. I wanted to tell you that one of the consequences of new methods to do disease surveillance and data analysis is that we have a batch of "new epidemiologists" that may not have proper public [...]
Is the flu vaccine only 12% effective?
Synopsis The flu vaccine has low effectiveness, but that effectiveness is still better than nothing It has higher effectiveness in some age groups, lower in others There was a mismatch between the most common H3N2 influenza strain and the vaccine, bringing the effectiveness lower We need better influenza vaccine technology... Like, now! Of Sacred Cows [...]
Talking Tuesday: Influenza Talk to Foreign Students
A group of students from Brazil came to Hopkins for a weeks-long course on public health. Now, these were not just any students. They were the cream of the crop from Brazil's public health infrastructure. Some were physicians, others were epidemiologists, and others were from other professions within public health there. My aim was to [...]
