Contagion: An Infectious Diseases Podcast

The Trust Gap: Rebuilding Confidence in Vaccines

In this episode of the Contagion Podcast, we take on one of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine: vaccine hesitancy. As misinformation spreads rapidly across social media and trust in institutions continues to shift, clinicians are increasingly navigating complex, emotionally charged conversations with patients and families. To explore this issue, we sit down with Dr. Lisa Hayes, a board-certified pediatrician, to better understand what vaccine hesitancy looks like today—from inside the exam room. From routine well-child visits to high-stakes discussions about safety and risk, Dr. Hayes shares her firsthand experience engaging with parents who are uncertain, skeptical, or simply overwhelmed by the volume of information coming at them from every direction. We begin by examining how we got here. Vaccine hesitancy is not new, but it has evolved dramatically over time. From early debates around smallpox vaccination to the lasting impact of the now-debunked MMR-autism claims, historical events have shaped public perception in lasting ways. Layer onto that the rise of digital media, where health information—and misinformation—spreads faster than ever, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which further strained trust and amplified division.   But this episode goes beyond history. We focus on the real-world dynamics of these conversations today. What are parents most concerned about? How do clinicians decide when to lead with data, when to lead with empathy, and how to balance both? And what happens when deeply held beliefs collide with public health recommendations? We also take an honest look at the broader context of mistrust in healthcare, particularly among communities that have experienced bias, dismissal, or inequity. Understanding this backdrop is essential to rebuilding meaningful connections with patients. Finally, we turn toward solutions. What strategies actually work? How can clinicians meet families where they are without compromising scientific integrity? And what does the future of vaccine communication look like in an era defined by information overload? This is a conversation about more than vaccines—it’s about trust, communication, and the evolving role of the clinician in a rapidly changing world. Dr. Vega would like to thank her friend Job Meiller for his musical contributions, "For what it's worth," and "Hey, soul sister," to our major segment breaks. Thank you, Job! Thanks also to Dr. Ana Velez, our artistic contributor, for her artwork utilized in our episode thumbnail, "Motherhood in a darkened world."

2025 Under the Microscope: The Events that Shaped Public Health

As 2026 begins, Contagion Podcast reflects on 2025, a year that tested global public health systems and reshaped how we think about infectious diseases, trust, and preparedness. In this special year in review episode, hosts Jackie Sherbuk and Vivian Vega examine the most consequential infectious disease and public health stories of the year—placing outbreaks, policy decisions, and scientific breakthroughs into clear clinical and societal context. The episode begins by confronting one of the defining challenges of 2025: erosion of public trust in public health institutions amid leadership upheaval, funding cuts, and widespread misinformation. Against this backdrop, long-controlled diseases returned with force. Measles resurged across the United States and Europe, threatening elimination status and exposing the consequences of falling vaccination coverage. Influenza surged early and intensely, straining hospitals and disproportionately impacting children and older adults. Other vaccine-preventable diseases—including pertussis and polio—reemerged, reminding listeners that immunity gaps anywhere can place everyone at risk. Beyond vaccines, the hosts explore global crises such as widespread cholera outbreaks driven by conflict, displacement, and climate-related flooding; ongoing tuberculosis transmission, including a major U.S. outbreak; and the expanding geographic reach of mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and West Nile virus. They also discuss how viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, while limited in case numbers, continue to stress-test public health response systems worldwide. Importantly, the episode closes on hope. Breakthroughs such as twice-yearly lenacapavir for HIV prevention represent a paradigm shift in prevention and equity. Historic progress toward eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B demonstrates what sustained investment and coordinated care can achieve. Above all, the hosts honor the resilience and dedication of healthcare and public-health professionals who continue to protect communities amid uncertainty. This episode offers a thoughtful, candid look at 2025—and a reminder that preparedness, communication, and trust remain our most powerful tools. Dr. Vega would like to thank her friend Job Meiller for his musical contributions, "One," and "Imagine," to our major segment breaks. Thank you, Job! Thanks also to Dr. Ana Velez, our artistic contributor, for her artwork utilized in our episode thumbnails.

Bioterrorism and Biowarfare: When Science Goes Rogue

Our inaugural episode of Season 2 of The Contagion Podcast opens as show producer Dr. Richard Oehler and show co-host Dr. Vivian Vega reflect on how much has changed in the fields of infectious diseases and public health since our Season 1 finale was posted in June. Drs. Oehler and Vega share some very timely updates in their ID news segment--recounting changes at the CDC as well as several important epidemiological and research developments.  Next, Dr. Vega and our special guest, Infectious Diseases specialist and former military physician Dr. Patrick Danaher transition to a chilling yet timely exploration of bioterrorism and biological warfare, threats that no longer garner the attention they once did a couple of decades ago. The two recount bizarre early attempts — like firing rabid dog saliva or trading leprosy-tainted wine — that reveal how little was once understood about contagion. But the tone shifts as the conversation moves on to the 1984 Salmonella attack in The Dalles, Oregon, America’s first large-scale bioterrorism event. A cult known as the Rajneeshees deliberately contaminated restaurant salad bars to sway a local election, sickening more than 750 people. Through detailed epidemiologic analysis, the hosts explain how investigators connected the outbreak to the commune and why this case remains a critical public-health lesson in surveillance and preparedness.   From there, the discussion expands to bioweapons — cheap, concealable, and capable of mass panic. The doctors compare the costs of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, underscoring why pathogens are often called “the poor man’s nuclear bomb.” They walk through the CDC’s Category A threat list — including anthrax, smallpox, plague, and viral hemorrhagic fevers — and dissect what makes these microbes so devastating.   Listeners are then transported to the aftermath of 9/11, when anthrax-laden letters reignited national fears of invisible enemies. The podcast reconstructs the FBI investigation, profiles scientist Bruce Ivins, and explains how this attack reshaped U.S. biodefense policy, from Project BioShield to the Strategic National Stockpile.   The last segment turns to smallpox, humanity’s “crown jewel” of eradication turned nightmare scenario. Through insights from Soviet defector Ken Alibek and modern concerns about synthetic biology, the episode reveals why smallpox remains one of the most feared potential bioweapons — despite being officially eradicated in 1980.   Blending medical insight, historical storytelling, and wry humor, Contagion Pod’s Season 2 premiere reminds us that while pandemics capture headlines, the threat of bioterrorism never truly disappears. Dr Vega would like to thank her friend Job Meiller for his musical contribution to our segment breaks. Thank you Job! Thanks also to Dr. Ana Velez, our artistic contributor, for her original painting, “Biohazard Dream,” used in our episode thumbnail.

Contagion Horizon: Future Pandemic Threats

In the Season one finale of our show, hosts Dr. Vivian Vega and Dr. Jackie Sherbuk reflect on the evolving landscape of infectious diseases and public health. Yet rather than linger on setbacks, they look ahead, posing the critical question: “What are the future pandemic threats?” To explore what transforms a simple pathogen into a global threat, they examine three key characteristics: transmission, virulence, and available countermeasures. Transmission, it turns out, must strike a delicate balance. A virus must spread efficiently—fast enough to infect large populations, but not so aggressively that it incapacitates or kills its host before passing to the next person. Similarly, a pathogen that is too virulent may burn out quickly, unable to spread widely before its hosts succumb. As for countermeasures, their availability and effectiveness vary. Influenza, for instance, can be treated with antivirals, while diseases like Nipah virus remain without effective therapies. At the time of this recording, H5N1 avian influenza stands out as a pressing concern. Dr. Vega reveals a startling fact: domestic cats may serve as an unexpected intermediary host, offering a new pathway for H5N1 to bridge the gap to humans. It’s a reminder of how creatively and unpredictably pathogens can bypass traditional barriers. Dr. Sherbuk turns to Ebola as a striking example of how sheer virulence can catapult a disease to global attention. Past outbreaks in Africa overwhelmed health systems, exploiting cultural practices like burial rituals to fuel its spread. Even the limited number of U.S. cases during the 2014 outbreak stirred widespread public fear, driven by the virus’s high mortality rate abroad. Not all dangerous pathogens are highly lethal. Some, like Zika virus, pose serious risks in specific populations—such as fetal abnormalities in pregnant women. Others, like HTLV-1, may cause chronic illnesses like leukemia and lymphoma. While many pathogens naturally evolve to become less lethal—thereby enhancing their chances of transmission—some mutate unpredictably, becoming more dangerous. This is the ongoing concern with influenza: a seemingly mild strain could shift into something far deadlier. The importance of countermeasures cannot be overstated. Yet in the aftermath of COVID-19, global readiness has been undermined by pandemic fatigue and the politicization of public health. Mistrust in vaccines, fractured health policy, and diminished international cooperation all threaten our capacity to respond to the next crisis. But what if the next pandemic comes from a direction we didn’t anticipate? Scientists have a name for this uncertainty: “Disease X.” The World Health Organization coined the term as a placeholder for the unknown. COVID-19 was once Disease X—until it had a name. The next one could emerge from zoonotic spillovers like HIV or Nipah, climate change, laboratory accidents, or even bioterrorism. Whatever its origin, our best defense lies in robust surveillance, scientific agility, and global collaboration. Because the question isn’t if Disease X will come—but whether we’ll be ready when it does. Dr Vega would like to thank her friend Job Meiller for his musical contribution to our segment breaks. Thank you Job! Thanks also to Dr. Ana Velez, our artistic contributor, for her painting, "The Multivirus Pandemic Explosion," used in our episode thumbnail.

Measles: The Comeback Nobody Wanted

It felt inevitable. Years of declining childhood vaccination rates were bound to have consequences. In early 2025, those consequences became alarmingly real as a measles outbreak emerged in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that measles infected three to four million Americans annually, causing 48,000 hospitalizations and 400 to 500 deaths each year. The introduction of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine marked a turning point. The two-dose regimen—first administered between 12 and 15 months of age, with a second dose between 4 and 6 years—was remarkably effective. By 2000, measles was declared eliminated in the United States. But in recent years, progress has unraveled. A dramatic drop in vaccination rates—fueled largely by the discredited claim linking the MMR vaccine to autism—has allowed this once-vanquished virus to resurge. Today, vaccination rates in many states have dipped below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity, and the current outbreak offers a grim reminder of what’s at stake. In Gaines County, Texas, where vaccine exemptions are especially high among the local Mennonite population, hundreds of measles cases have been reported—resulting in at least two deaths in Texas and New Mexico. In this episode, hosts Dr. Vivian Vega and Dr. Jackie Sherbuk trace the recent history of measles in the U.S., focusing on the current outbreak in Texas and New Mexico. They tackle the question: Why is measles still so dangerous? The discussion includes common complications of the disease, current vaccination guidelines, and a thorough debunking of the alleged MMR-autism connection. They also highlight a growing concern: cases of vitamin A toxicity in children, stemming from widespread misconceptions about its role in measles treatment. Dr Vega would like to thank her friend Job Meiller for his musical contribution to our segment breaks. Thank you Job! Thanks also to Dr. Ana Velez, our artistic contributor, for her painting, "SSPE-Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis," used in our episode thumbnail.