Infectious diseases – Johns Hopkins Medicine Podcasts: Recent Episodes
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Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that over the last decade plus illnesses conveyed by ticks and mosquitoes, so called vector-borne infections, have risen by over 300%. Mary Shue, a Johns Hopkins dermatologist, says people … Illnesses spread by mosquitoes and ticks are on the rise, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Giving Covid vaccines to adults aged 75 and older has shown that while they do respond with antibodies, that response lasts a much shorter time than in younger people. Johns Hopkins geriatrics expert Sean Leng says the study also found … Older men don’t respond as well to vaccination as older women, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
Vaccination against Covid-19 in a group of adults older than 75 years of age has shown that while they do produce antibodies in response, they differ from what is seen in younger people. That’s according to Sean Leng, a geriatrics … How do vaccine responses compare among older and younger people? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
People older than 75 experience a robust antibody response to Covid vaccines but it fades quickly, research by Sean Leng, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins, has shown. Leng: Now the good news is when those same individuals got the … Older adults may need Covid boosters more often, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
We know that Covid viruses bind to a cell surface protein known as ACE2, and that antibodies can block the virus at this location as well bind directly to the virus, so called neutralizing antibodies. Research by Johns Hopkins geriatrics … Specific types of immune responses fade quickly in older people immunized against Covid-19, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
More than 300 people a day are still dying of Covid infection, the most recent data indicate, and the majority of them are older people. Sean Leng, a geriatrics expert at Johns Hopkins, says his recent study looking at how … What are the dynamics of Covid vaccination in older adults? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »
People who received the flu vaccine experienced fewer strokes in the subsequent flu season than those who didn’t, a new study finds. Anna Durbin, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, interprets the data. Durbin: It’s a small study but I will say it’s very well controlled. What it showed is those people who got […]
Don’t throw out your mask yet. That’s the advice of Johns Hopkins infectious disease expert Anna Durbin, as cases of Covid climb in Europe and the flu gets underway here in the US. Durbin: That’s why I continue to wear a mask when I’m going into indoor crowded situations. I don’t want other respiratory viruses, […]
Fall is here, and with it more indoor activities and more viruses circulating, including Covid and the flu. Anna Durbin, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says everyone who’s eligible should be vaccinated against both viral illnesses. Durbin: We need both vaccines. We are expecting a bad flu season this year. The flu vaccines […]
Today’s Covid vaccines are based on eliciting antibodies, proteins that circulate in the blood and bind to the virus. Johns Hopkins infectious disease expert Anna Durbin says trying to find the right antibody to cover all of the Covid variants is a big challenge. Durbin: Trying to find an antibody target that works against all […]
Mid-pandemic, studies suggested that a single vaccine known as a pan vaccine would soon be developed that would cover all the variants of Covid-19. Clearly that hasn’t happened yet, and Anna Durbin, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says the reason has to do with which part of our immune response is activated by […]
Covid has taken us on a wild ride, throwing out new variants with dizzying regularity. Now officials are recommending the new bivalent vaccines to shore up our immunity against currently circulating strains of Covid. Anna Durbin, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says it is a good idea to take this vaccine. Durbin: There […]
You may have already had two Covid vaccines plus boosters, and now are not feeling much urgency to get a new bivalent vaccine. Anna Durbin, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says the genetics of today’s circulating strains are very different from the ones the original vaccines were made for. Durbin: Omicron is extremely […]
Climate change is helping diseases like malaria and dengue fever, usually associated with warmer climates, spread further around the globe. Such dynamics may render a new vaccine against malaria, even though it only prevents a minority of infections, very important. That’s according to Anna Durbin, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins. Durbin: We’ve already […]
Trying to understand vaccine hesitancy looms large as many infectious disease experts fear a fall surge of Covid. Anna Durbin, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says a look at what happened with the early Covid vaccines is informative. Durbin: We have to recognize that vaccines are given to perfectly healthy people. Where drugs, […]
Malaria is a scourge worldwide, spread by mosquitoes. And with climate change, the range of these mosquitoes is expanding, likely bringing malaria to a location near you. Good news then that a vaccine is finally available. Infectious disease expert Anna Durbin at Johns Hopkins says while not a home run, we’re at least on base. […]
Antiviral medicines for monkeypox infection do exist, but Noreen Hynes, an infectious diseases expert at Johns Hopkins, says unless you are immunocompromised or live in circumstances where you might put others at risk of infection if you have monkeypox, you may not really need them. Noreen Hynes: Even if someone is sick or actually has […]
With limited amounts of monkeypox vaccine available globally, what is the best strategy to use it? Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, says targeted vaccination is most likely to help. Adalja: When we think about how smallpox was eradicated off the planet it was ring vaccination. They vaccinated close […]
Monkeypox, much like its close cousin smallpox, does not seem to be contagious in those who don’t have symptoms. That’s according to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security senior scholar Amesh Adalja. Adalja: When you think about what makes a pathogen be prolific, what makes a pathogen uncontrollable, contagiousness during the incubation period is a […]
Monkeypox doesn’t spread as easily as many other infectious diseases, says Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Adalja compares monkeypox spread within households with other viruses. Adalja: When you look at the household attack rate it doesn’t seem to be spreading very easily so for example if you take […]
Even as Covid continues apace, monkeypox has emerged and is spreading around the world. Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security senior scholar Amesh Adalja says transmission to you is only likely under specific circumstances, for a virus that usually spreads from animals to people. Amesh Adalja: That close person to person contact is a mechanism […]
Convalescent plasma, which is donated by someone who’s had Covid-19 and survived, is a much more reliable treatment for infection today than it was early in the pandemic. Arturo Casadevall, a convalescent plasma expert at Johns Hopkins, explains why. Casadevall: We lucked out in that now we can get extremely high titer plasma, something that […]
Early on in the pandemic plasma collected from people who’d had Covid-19 and survived, so called convalescent plasma, was used to treat others, with mixed success. Now that new variants have emerged that can escape antibodies stimulated by vaccines and most monoclonals aren’t useful, Arturo Casadevall, a convalescent plasma expert at Johns Hopkins, says the […]
You probably don’t think about sewage much but worldwide, many public health experts are increasingly turning to monitoring the stuff for infectious diseases, especially viruses. Stuart Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says this has been one of the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ray: Sewage can be so valuable to us in […]
As Covid infection continues apace, we have seen dramatic declines in flu and shifted patterns of other viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. Stuart Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, attributes such changes to human behavior. Ray: From a temperate zone life we think of flu as a winter virus, but […]
Masking reduces transmission of respiratory viruses like Covid-19 dramatically, yet naysayers abound. Stuart Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says one way to possibly overcome their objections is to provide an opportunity to really see what’s out there. Ray: Leadership has not done a good job of helping people explore masks to find […]
How did wearing a mask to prevent infection with a respiratory virus become so political? Infectious disease expert Stuart Ray at Johns Hopkins says he doesn’t know the answer to that, but thinks time will allow many of us to take a broader view of what we may still need to do to protect ourselves […]
Are you still wearing a mask? Keeping your distance from others or avoiding crowds? Rates of Covid infection remain high, and hospitalizations and deaths are more or less steady. Stuart Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says although practices vary around the country, some take home messages seem clear. Ray: The range is […]
Covid vaccines have been authorized by the FDA for young children, and Novavax is poised for review and authorization by the agency. Do we really need these new measures in our quest to control Covid-19? Stuart Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says yes. Ray: Having all these vaccines is exciting because we […]
Covid-19 has revolutionized many things, including how antibodies to fight the infection are developed. Stuart Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, explains. Ray: There’s some really exciting technologies here. An antibody has two major features, it’s shaped like a Y. The tips of the Y bind the virus and then the tail of […]
Covid-19 has revolutionized many things, including how antibodies to fight the infection are developed. Stuart Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, explains. Ray: There’s some really exciting technologies here. An antibody has two major features, it’s shaped like a Y. The tips of the Y bind the virus and then the tail of […]
With new Covid variants turning up frequently, do monoclonal antibodies, which are very specific, still have a role in treatment? Infectious disease expert Stuart Ray at Johns Hopkins says new ones are continuously being developed. Ray: Monoclonal antibody treatments are really innovative in the way we’re used them and we’ve had so many of them, […]
Can you trust Covid-19 tests you take at home, whether they are positive or negative? Infectious disease expert Stuart Ray at Johns Hopkins says it’s important to remember that all tests have limitations. Ray: The humbling thing about our diagnostics is that we only see the surface, so it’s more like an iceberg. So when […]
Paxlovid is an oral medication given to people at high risk for complications from Covid-19 infection, but now that it’s in more widespread use some are reporting a return of symptoms after they’ve finished their course of the medication. Stuart Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, comments. Ray: Many of us were not […]
Men who used the diabetes medicine metformin during the three months prior to conception of their son saw malformations of the genital and urinary tracts three and a half times more often in these children, a very large study from Denmark finds. Johns Hopkins diabetes expert Rita Kalyani explains. Kalyani: What they found was that […]
In the year following a Covid-19 infection, some 40% of adults in one study developed new onset type 2 diabetes. Rita Kalyani, a diabetes expert at Johns Hopkins, says certain populations were much more at risk for this outcome. Kalyani: Older adults, over the age of 65, Black versus white, those with prediabetes, and those […]
People who’ve had Covid-19 have a 40% higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes in the year after their infection, a new study finds. Johns Hopkins diabetes expert Rita Kalyani says there may be a couple of reasons for this. Kalyani: This had been reported. There’s been different mechanisms suggested for how Covid-19 can increase […]
Testing for Covid-19 has been a challenge throughout the pandemic, and unfortunately remains so for many. That’s according to infectious disease expert Lisa Maragakis at Johns Hopkins. Maragakis: We still need testing. It wasn’t available at the beginning, we’ve struggled with it throughout the pandemic, and we still just don’t have widespread availability of rapid […]
If you’re resisting getting vaccinated against Covid because you think the vaccines were developed too quickly, here’s the real story, according to Sherita Golden, a physician at Johns Hopkins. Golden: The technology that we are using in the mRNA vaccines in particular was developed over the course of ten or fifteen years specifically in case […]
Used to be that moms would intentionally expose their children to chicken pox so they would develop immunity. Now some are wondering if they’ve already had Covid-19 or have had an immunization or two, would exposure ramp up their immune response? Johns Hopkins physician Sherita Golden answers emphatically no. Golden: There is the question about, […]
Seems like we’ve barely made it through third doses of Covid vaccines for many, and now a fourth dose is in the offing for some groups of people. Lisa Maragakis, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, explains why. Maragakis: We’re not sure exactly how far out but a number of months later you’re going […]
Even as some people continue to avoid vaccination against Covid-19 altogether, others are weighing whether they should have a fourth dose, as the FDA has recently said is okay for some groups of people. Johns Hopkins infectious disease expert Lisa Maragakis explains why a fourth dose may be a good idea. Maragakis: This question about […]
Wear a mask, don’t wear a mask. Avoid crowded places, dine outside. Go ahead and dine inside…it seems like recommendations are a moving target, so what should you do? Lisa Maragakis, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, feels your pain. Maragakis: One factor is that we are learning all together about this new virus. […]
Covid-19 transmission rates continue to fall around the country, and many states are rolling back mask mandates as well as other restrictions. Johns Hopkins physician Sherita Golden says while this is encouraging news, we need to all take a measured approach. Golden: The fact that mask mandates are lifting is not a sign that the […]
When it comes to whether you’re protected against Covid-19, either by immunization or natural infection, controversy has swirled around antibody levels and how good a predictor they are. Dorry Segev, a transplant surgeon at Johns Hopkins who has looked at these levels in transplant recipients, says a clearer picture is emerging. Segev: We have learned […]
Variants of Covid are springing up all the time, perhaps in people who have compromised immune systems and experience prolonged infection or in animal hosts. Stuart Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says right now with Delta and Omicron variants circulating, vaccination is more crucial than ever. Ray: The people who are really […]
Both vaccine developers and the FDA have agreed that as new Covid variants emerge and updated vaccines are required, the pathway for providing them should involve testing in far fewer people and over a shorter period of time. Jonathan Zenilman, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, applauds the effort. Zenilman: With different variants the […]
Why aren’t Covid vaccines, especially mRNA vaccines, being produced against variants such as Omicron as they emerge? Anna Durbin, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says this is what the technology promises. Durbin: I do think we have to be more forward thinking and also working with regulators because if we could get very […]
If you’ve had three doses of an mRNA vaccine against Covid you are much less likely to require hospitalization, require ICU level care, or die from Covid-19, even with the now dominant Omicron variant, than if you aren’t vaccinated at all. Anna Durbin, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, explains. Durbin: With Omicron the […]
Children younger than five comprise the last group in whom a vaccine against Covid is currently being tested. Jonathan Zenilman, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins, says late spring may be when enough data will be in for an emergency use authorization. Zenilman: It turns out probably because of Omicron cause this is now […]
Vaccination against the human papilloma virus, or HPV, all but eliminates cervical cancer in those who receive the vaccine early and complete the vaccine series, a study from the UK finds. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, describes the findings. Nelson: The overall story is a really good one. They […]
The Covid-19 spike protein allows it to attach to cells and infect them, and it’s been a primary target for vaccines and antibodies. Now a new monoclonal antibody directed against a region of this protein that really doesn’t change very much has been developed, and Brian Garibaldi, a critical care medicine expert at Johns Hopkins, […]
Another monoclonal antibody against Covid-19 has been developed and appears to work in reducing severe disease and hospitalization. This one is unique, however, according to Brian Garibaldi, a critical care medicine expert at Johns Hopkins. Garibaldi: The interesting thing about the new monoclonal antibody, sotrovimab, this monoclonal antibody was developed using antibodies from individuals who […]
Monoclonal antibodies remain a treatment option for those in early stages of Covid infection, even in the face of new oral medications that likely will be available soon. Brian Garibaldi, a critical care medicine expert at Johns Hopkins, says the data are persuasive. Garibaldi: High risk individuals who are household contacts of people who have […]
Both Pfizer and Merck have recently revealed promising data on oral medicines for early Covid-19 infection, with both companies on the threshold of widespread use of the drugs. Brian Garibaldi, a critical care medicine expert at Johns Hopkins, says he hopes people don’t see these new medicines as a reason to forgo vaccination. Garibaldi: I […]