Infectous Dose Episodes

A systems-level guided tour of the Vaccine Safety Series. Explore how vaccines are tested, monitored, and misunderstood—and how institutional failures can shape public trust in science.

Interview with biomedical researcher Mark Ungrin on how misinformation can originate inside scientific institutions and shape public health policy.

Mpox explained: symptoms, transmission, viral evolution, clade Ib, vaccines, global health inequity, and why scientists are watching the virus closely.

From zombie ants to Toxoplasma gondii, this Outbreak After Dark episode explores parasites that manipulate love, fear, and mating—and what that means for humans.

Nipah virus is deadly but rarely spreads far. Learn why R₀ stays low, what would trigger a pandemic shift, and why spillover recurs in Kerala.

Explore the resurgence of syphilis, its public health impact, treatment challenges, and the legacy of mistrust from Tuskegee to today.

RSV explained: symptoms, red flags, treatment, and prevention. What parents and caregivers need to know about this common respiratory virus.

Spiders, venom, and fear—this Outbreak After Dark episode separates real science from myths about spider bites and outbreaks.

A biodefense expert explains what biological weapons really are, why most pathogens aren’t weapons, and how misinformation increases real biological risk.

A conversation with astronaut and Texas congressional candidate Terry Virts on science-based leadership, public health, vaccines, and why evidence matters in policy decisions.

Explore why influenza 2025–2026 is severe, how policy shifts affect vaccines, and what’s next in flu prevention. Flu isn’t just seasonal — it’s dangerous.

A reflective New Year’s episode of Infectious Dose about resetting without resolutions, staying curious in hard times, and finding calm at the start of a new year.

Summary A Consumption Christmas Carol retells Dickens’ ghost story through the real epidemic that haunted Victorian London: tuberculosis. In this holiday edition of Outbreak After Dark, we move through past, present, and future to explore how TB was misunderstood, romanticized, and weaponized by inequality—before it was finally revealed as an airborne bacterial disease that still kills more than a million people each year. This episode blends gothic storytelling with real inf

Learn how the hepatitis B vaccine prevents cancer, why the birth dose matters, and what a policy failure at ACIP reveals about trust in public health.

A leaked FDA memo claimed COVID vaccines caused child deaths. This episode debunks the claim, explains real vaccine safety data, and gives parents evidence-based clarity.

Winter rituals once protected us from disease—spices, fires, cleaning, and more. Explore their hidden epidemiology in this episode of Infectious Dose.

Thanksgiving myths meet infectious history in this episode exploring Pilgrims, Indigenous nations, and the epidemics that shaped early America.

Explore how modern medicine, agriculture, global systems and our individual choices fuel drug-resistant microbes. A clear, compelling look at the growing antimicrobial resistance crisis.

Rift Valley fever outbreak 2025: how the virus spreads from livestock to people in Mauritania, Senegal, and beyond.

Summary Holiday travel is stressful enough without adding surprise stomach bugs or mid-flight fevers to the mix.  In this episode of Infectious Dose , we get practical — not paranoid — about staying healthy on the road. From what to pack in your carry-on (hello, sanitizer and snacks) to navigating airport crowds, plane air, travel germs, kid meltdowns, and post-trip weird rashes, we’re covering it all with science, humor, and zero shame. Whether you’re traveling with toddlers