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S2E23 S2E23 Storm Surge: Microbes in the Wake of a Hurricane
In this episode of Infectious Dose, Heather explores the infectious disease risks that follow hurricanes, tropical storms, and flooding events. Learn how severe weather changes exposure pathways for…
S2E22 Outbreak Watch: Exactly as Expected
Introducing Outbreak Watch by Infectious Dose. When major outbreaks evolve quickly, Heather will occasionally release these extra episodes featuring timely updates and systems-focused analysis. In…
S2E21 S2E21 Recorded in Blood: When True Crime Goes Viral
A nurse in Louisiana receives an HIV diagnosis that doesn’t make sense. No clear exposure. No obvious source. And eventually, investigators begin to suspect something far more disturbing. In this…
S2E20 S2E20 Containing Ebola: Fear, Caregiving, and Outbreak Response
A new Ebola outbreak is unfolding in Central Africa — this time caused by Bundibugyo ebolavirus. As cases rise in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, fear and misinformation are…
S2E19 S2E19 Hantavirus on the High Seas Part 2: What Changed, What Didn’t, and Why the Conversation Got So Messy
Last week, the central question surrounding the MV Hondius outbreak was whether Andes virus was spreading person-to-person at all. This week, the evidence shifted. In Part 2 of Hantavirus on the High…
S2E18 S2E18 Hantavirus on the High Seas: How We Talk About Outbreaks When the Evidence Is Still Coming In
A hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship has triggered fear, speculation, and growing debate online about whether the virus could be spreading person-to-person. But what do we actually know…
S2E17 S2E17 Remedies and Regrets: The Worst Infection Treatments in History
Imagine getting sick in the 1700s—before microbes were discovered, before antibiotics, and before infection had a clear cause. In this Outbreak After Dark episode, we explore the strange, unsettling,…
S2E16 S2E16 The Call Came From Inside: Epstein–Barr virus and the biology of persistence
There’s a virus you probably already have. Epstein–Barr virus infects nearly 95% of adults worldwide. For many, it shows up once—fatigue, a sore throat, maybe a diagnosis of mononucleosis—and then…
S2E15 S2E15 Scratching the Surface: How We Miss Murine Typhus
Murine typhus is a flea-borne bacterial infection that continues to circulate in parts of the United States, particularly in urban and suburban environments. But it’s often missed—because its…
S2E14 S2E14 In the Quiet Hours: A Year of Science and Storytelling
One year in, Heather steps back to reflect on what this podcast has become—and what changed along the way. What started as a focus on clear, accurate science grew into something more layered: an…
S2E13 S2E13 Inside the Suit: An immersive walk through a BSL-4 lab
You’re about to step inside a BSL-4 lab. Not a tour. Not an explanation. An experience. You’ll move through clearance. Suit up. Connect to air. And cross the threshold into one of the most controlled…
S2E12 S2E12 The Bell, the Beak, and the Mark: Plague Doctors and the Fear of Contagion
The plague doctor: a symbol of fear, medicine, and mystery. But were they really the heroes we imagine—or something more complicated? In this Outbreak After Dark episode, we explore the real history…
S2E11 S2E11 The Vaccine Safety Files: Guided Tour (Systems Edition)
What if the biggest misunderstandings about vaccine safety aren’t just about the science—but about how the system communicates it? In this updated guided tour of the Vaccine Safety Series, Heather…
S2E10 S2E10 Upstream of Misinformation: Mark Ungrin on Scientific Errors, Institutional Policy, and Public Trust
When we talk about misinformation in public health, we usually imagine social media, conspiracy theories, or individuals misunderstanding science. But what if some of the most influential…
S2E9 S2E9 Under the Skin: The Evolving Story of Mpox
Mpox isn’t just a headline from 2022. In this episode, we explore what scientists have learned about mpox since the global outbreak — from how the virus moves through the body to why its lesions can…
S2E8 S2E8 Love Bites: Microbes That Hijack Affection
What if attraction isn’t entirely yours? In this Outbreak After Dark episode, Heather, Kate, and Sam gather around the campfire to explore the parasites, fungi, and viruses that manipulate behavior…
S2E7 S2E7 At the Edge of Spillover: The Nipah Paradox
Nipah virus scares virologists, and for good reason. It infects endothelial cells and neurons. It can cause fatal encephalitis. It spreads from bats to humans, and sometimes between people. So why…
S2E6 S2E6 The Syphilis Surge: Echoes of Betrayal in a Broken Health System
Syphilis is back—and it never really left. In this episode, we break down how a curable, preventable infection is resurging to cause a public health crisis across the U.S., and globally, especially…
On Silence, Science, and Complicity: A Statement From Infectious Dose
This short, standalone episode is a statement of ethics. It explains why this podcast will not remain silent in the face of state violence, the dismantling of public health, and the normalization of…
S2E5 S2E5 RSV: Symptoms, Spread, and Prevention
RSV is one of the most common respiratory viruses — and a leading cause of hospitalization in young children worldwide. In this solo episode, I explain what RSV is, how it spreads, and what illness…
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Infectious Dose has published 68 episodes since April 2025, covering topics in Life Sciences, Science.
Infectious Dose is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 32m.
