Public Health On Call

Throughout the pandemic, Colombia has fared better than other South American countries in terms of hospital overload and deaths, due in no small part to its emphasis on testing, contact tracing, and isolating of positive and suspected cases. Hopkins health economist Dr. Antonio Trujillo talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about Colombia's pandemic strategies, and his research calculating the ROI of testing, tracing, and isolating both in terms of dollars and lives saved.

In the more than 40 years since HIV was first detected there have been incredible advances in testing, prevention, and treatment. But COVID-19 disrupted global gains and will continue to cause backslides until vaccinations are much more widespread. In recognition of World AIDS Day, infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Chris Beyrer talks with Stephanie Desmon about where the HIV pandemic currently stands in the US, Africa, and around the world.

How did omicron come to the world's attention? Why is this variant generating so much concern? Is it expected that vaccines will provide substantial protection? What can governments do to protect their populations? What can people do to protect themselves? Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks with Hopkins virologist Dr. Andy Pekosz about all things omicron.

A potentially landmark battle is in play over abortion rights, and it's headed to the U.S. Supreme Court on December 1. In a special episode of the podcast, guest hosts Annalies Winny and Alissa Zhu explore the real life public health impacts of abortion policy on parents and families and how the upcoming Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization could have major stakes for the future of abortion rights in the U.S. Read more about the public health case for abortion rights here.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Principal Matt Hornbeck of the award-winning Baltimore City public school Hampstead Hill Academy has been on the podcast to talk about how the school community coped with closures, virtual and hybrid learning, scheduling changes, learning losses and more. Today for a very special episode, Principal Hornbeck invites Dr. Josh Sharfstein to visit the school in person and see how things are going. Note: This episode was recorded before vaccines were authorized for children 5-11 years old. Special thanks to Hannah Bennett and Caroline Wang for co-producing this episode.

SARS-CoV-2, like other zoonotic diseases, originated in animals before "spilling over" into humans. Dr. Raina Plowright of Montana State University studies these events and the complex series of things that have to happen for them to take place. Dr. Plowright talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about how these occur, why these events are relatively rare, and what's important to understand about them so we can learn how to prevent them from happening.

Today's episode is a collaboration with one of Baltimore's top podcasts, No Pix After Dark, and host Aaron Dante. No Pix After Dark is a culture and community-based podcast sharing real people's stories, and has been the Baltimore Sun's Best Podcast for the last two years. For this episode, Aaron's listeners submitted questions about COVID-19 and Dr. Josh Sharfstein talks through some answers. They also discuss Baltimore's unique response to the pandemic and how to think about safe gatherings during the holidays. Check out Aaron's podcast at nopixafterdark.com.

Throughout the pandemic, public health officials have been threatened, assaulted, fired, or forced to resign. Lindsay Smith Rogers speaks with Dr. Beth Resnick, senior scientist at Johns Hopkins and the cofounder of the STOP! Partner Group, and Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, Health Officer of Anne Arundel County in Maryland, about the treatment of some officials and their teams, how some states have passed laws restricting public health authority, and why it's critical to address these issues now before the next public health crisis. Learn more about STOP! at standwithpublichealth.jhsph.edu.

Most adults consume 50% more than the daily recommended amount of salt which, in excess, contributes to hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, sexual dysfunction, pregnancy complications and more. Dr. Susan Mayne, Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the FDA, talks with Stephanie Desmon about a change in guidelines for sodium intake and how even a modest reduction by food producers can mean huge impacts for public health.

Thanks to widespread testing, vaccinations, and adherence to masking and social distancing, Denmark was able to lift most COVID restrictions in late summer. Now, with a recent uptick in cases the country considers next steps. In a bonus episode, Dr. Gunhild Waldemar, a health care advocate for the elderly in Denmark, talks with Stephanie Desmon about the country's successes, what's behind some of the regional variations in vaccinations, and lessons learned about elder care from the early days of the pandemic.