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All Blog Posts


Scratching the Surface: How We Miss Murine Typhus
Murine typhus is a flea-borne infection often missed due to nonspecific symptoms and subtle presentation. This episode explores its transmission, urban ecology, and why infections that don’t fit expectations are frequently overlooked.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Apr 1515 min read


Field Notes Issue 1
Issue #1 When Systems Adapt On flexibility, vectors, and persistence Welcome to the first issue of Field Notes. Each week, I take one idea from the episode—something that feels like a hinge point—and follow it where it leads. Not to repeat the science, but to see what it reveals. In the Margins What makes murine typhus unusual isn’t the pathogen—it’s the flexibility of the system. The transmission cycle used to be a closed loop of rats, fleas, and humans. Now the system inclu

Heather McSharry, PhD
Apr 142 min read


In the Quiet Hours: A Year of Science and Storytelling
A one-year anniversary episode of Infectious Dose exploring how science communication, misinformation, trust, and storytelling shape how we understand infectious disease.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Apr 813 min read


Inside the Suit: An immersive walk through a BSL-4 lab
Step inside a BSL-4 lab in this immersive podcast episode. Experience high-containment science, biosafety systems, and what it really feels like inside the suit.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Apr 13 min read


The Bell, the Beak, and the Mark: Plague Doctors and the Fear of Contagion
Plague doctors weren’t just eerie figures in beaked masks—they were part of early epidemic response systems. This episode explores their real history, the science behind their methods, and why their image still fascinates us today.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Mar 256 min read


The Vaccine Safety Files: Guided Tour (Systems Edition)
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.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Mar 1816 min read


Upstream of Misinformation: Mark Ungrin on Scientific Errors, Institutional Policy, and Public Trust
Interview with biomedical researcher Mark Ungrin on how misinformation can originate inside scientific institutions and shape public health policy.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Mar 114 min read


Under the Skin: The Evolving Story of Mpox
Mpox explained: symptoms, transmission, viral evolution, clade Ib, vaccines, global health inequity, and why scientists are watching the virus closely.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Mar 429 min read


Love Bites: Microbes That Hijack Affection
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.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Feb 255 min read


At the Edge of Spillover: The Nipah Paradox
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.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Feb 1819 min read


The Syphilis Surge: Echoes of Betrayal in a Broken Health System
Explore the resurgence of syphilis, its public health impact, treatment challenges, and the legacy of mistrust from Tuskegee to today.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Feb 1111 min read


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

Heather McSharry, PhD
Feb 414 min read


Eight Legs, Endless Fear: Spiders and the Skin Crawling Truth
Spiders, venom, and fear—this Outbreak After Dark episode separates real science from myths about spider bites and outbreaks.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Jan 284 min read


From Spillover to Weapons: A Conversation with Conor Browne on Biological Threats
A biodefense expert explains what biological weapons really are, why most pathogens aren’t weapons, and how misinformation increases real biological risk.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Jan 213 min read


The Right Stuff for Texas? An Interview with Terry Virts on Science-Based Leadership
A conversation with astronaut and Texas congressional candidate Terry Virts on science-based leadership, public health, vaccines, and why evidence matters in policy decisions.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Jan 142 min read


Seasonal, Not Safe: Influenza 2025–2026
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.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Jan 715 min read


Still Curious: A New Year's Reset (with no resolutions)
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.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Dec 31, 20258 min read


Outbreak After Dark: A Consumption Christmas Carol
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

Heather McSharry, PhD
Dec 24, 20255 min read


Hepatitis B Recombinant Protein Subunit VACTS: View, Download & Explore the Evidence
Last updated: December 13, 2025 This page lists the scientific sources and key evidence behind the Hepatitis B recombinant protein subunit vaccine facts label, which is part of the Infectious Dose VACTS™ series — a collection of evidence-based vaccine fact labels designed to provide clear, source-linked summaries of vaccine safety, effectiveness, and monitoring. Every claim on the label is backed by peer-reviewed research, systematic reviews, or official recommendations from

Heather McSharry, PhD
Dec 17, 202521 min read


ACIP Undone: Proof, Policy, and Panic Over a Hepatitis B Vaccine
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.

Heather McSharry, PhD
Dec 17, 202519 min read
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