You’ve Been Lied to About Rats and the Black Death
Recent research suggests that rats may not have played a critical role in the spread of plague. What can that tell us about outbreak narratives and their importance?
By David Popa
The Plague at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=plague&submit_search=Search
A leading pediatrician was already worried about the future of vaccines. Then RFK Jr. came along
In a new book, pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Adam Ratner details the history of measles, a virus that’s often a bellwether for public health disasters.
“When we forget, measles thrives,” he writes.
#vaccines #measles #infectious_disease
https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2025-02-10/adam-ratner-booster-shots-book
New study highlights the impact of rapid #urbanization on the emergence of #zoonotic #diseases.
#epidemiology #infectious_disease
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-highlights-impact-rapid-urbanization-emergence.html
Tuberculosis Returns as Top Infectious Disease Killer, WHO Says
(Reuters)—Tuberculosis replaced COVID-19 to become the top cause of infectious disease-related deaths in 2023, according to a World Health Organization report published on Tuesday. The report highlights the challenges in the global effort to eradicate the disease.
I recommend subscribing to Caitlin Rivers of Force of Infection. They do their best to grab what little infection data we have left and make it usable:
Covid-19 activity is still increasing in every region of the country. The Midwest region is most affected, with the number of weekly new hospitalizations per 100,000 rising from 7.6 to 9.1. States like IN and IA saw sizable upticks of 2-3 new admissions per 100,000, which is a brisk increase.
Kevin McCarthy Is Already Inviting the Next Pandemic Mess
https://www.thedailybeast.com/kevin-mccarthy-is-already-inviting-the-next-pandemic-mess?ref=home
Medical populism and the COVID-19 pandemic
"...features of medical populism as a style by political leaders in times of pandemic:
1. Simplification of the pandemic
2. Dramatisation of the crisis.
3. Forging of divisions
4. Invocation of knowledge claims.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17441692.2020.1807581
#COVID-19 #pandemics #infectious_disease outbreaks #health_crisis #medical_populism #global_health
