Epidemiology (DISEASES) with 'This Podcast Will Kill You's' Erins Welsh & Allmann-Updyke

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: Allie Ward interviews epidemiologists Dr. Erin Welsh and Dr. Erin Allman Updike about infectious disease, disease ecology, and public health communication. They explain how epidemics, pandemics, and pathogens work, why flu, plague, smallpox, SARS, Ebola, and Lyme matter, and why vaccines, handwashing, and context are crucial. The episode also critiques academia, misinformation, and systemic drivers of disease.

Main Topics: Epidemiology and disease ecology (Priority: 5/5): The hosts define epidemiology as the study of patterns affecting people, including infectious disease, disasters, and injuries, and frame disease ecology as understanding interactions among hosts, pathogens, vectors, and environments. Influenza as the major pandemic threat (Priority: 5/5): The guests explain why influenza is especially dangerous: rapid mutation, antigenic shift, animal reservoirs, and respiratory transmission make it a strong candidate for future pandemics. Vaccination and eradication success stories (Priority: 5/5): Smallpox is presented as the clearest triumph of public health, while the conversation also addresses vaccine hesitancy, the debunked autism claim, and herd immunity. Vector-borne and zoonotic disease (Priority: 4/5): The episode covers plague, ticks, Lyme disease, Ebola, and spillover from animals to humans, emphasizing how land use, climate change, and wildlife ecology shape outbreaks. Public health communication and misinformation (Priority: 4/5): The hosts discuss why accurate terminology matters, why casual use of 'epidemic' can distort meaning, and how science communication can motivate protective behavior without sensationalism. Chronic disease, systems, and behavior (Priority: 3/5): The discussion broadens to obesity, smoking-related disease, and gut microbiome research, arguing that many 'behavioral' health outcomes are shaped by structural and commercial forces. Academia, field work, and translational frustration (Priority: 3/5): Both guests reflect on the rewards of paid learning and field research, but also frustration that important work often stays locked in journals instead of reaching the public.

Key Arguments: Influenza is feared by epidemiologists because it mutates rapidly, recombines across animal hosts, and spreads efficiently by respiratory droplets. Vaccines save lives, and the anti-vaccine autism claim is based on a retracted, falsified paper; the risks of vaccination are far smaller than the risks of disease. Herd immunity should protect people who cannot be vaccinated medically, not those who opt out for personal reasons. Disease patterns are shaped not just by biology but by climate, land use, urbanization, globalization, and inequality. Lyme disease and other vector-borne diseases are increasing in part because deforestation and suburban ecology create ideal conditions for ticks, mice, and deer. Chronic diseases also function as epidemiological problems, but they are heavily influenced by systemic forces such as capitalism, food environments, and health literacy gaps. Science communication matters because it can change behavior, such as encouraging flu shots or better handwashing, and can make neglected diseases visible again.

Data Points: Smallpox eradication: Declared eradicated globally in 1980 - Public health milestone discussed as one of humanity's biggest victories 1918 influenza infection count: 500 million - Estimated number of people infected in the 1918 flu pandemic 1918 influenza death rate: 10% to 20% - Estimated proportion of infected people who died 1918 influenza deaths: 50 million to 100 million - Estimated global deaths from the 1918 flu pandemic Plague mortality: 100% fatal if untreated - Speaker description of septicemic plague Chagas disease linkage: Kissing bug / assassin bug - Dr. Allman Updike’s PhD research focus in entomology Tick burden observed in fieldwork: 6,800+ ticks - A single tick bomb counted during fieldwork in Panama Lyme disease cases: 300,000 per year - Approximate annual U.S. Lyme disease burden mentioned SARS outbreak year: 2003 - Referenced as a near-pandemic event that was contained Ebola outbreak year: 2014 - Referenced outbreak that led to vaccine development/testing Field of study duration: 7 years - Guest says she has been paid to learn for roughly seven years in graduate school PhD timing: 5 days official / a few weeks awaiting deposit - The guests describe the final steps of their doctoral completion

Pivotal Quotes: "I think it's more to just get people thinking about how interesting diseases are. Definitely not to scare them more, but I think that's the end result sometimes." — Dr. Erin Welsh: On the goal of the podcast and disease communication "Fuck yes, it's a huge problem." — Dr. Erin Welsh: On antibiotic resistance and the urgency of the issue "We get two in our own heads. It's funny that your work deals with assassin bugs, tick bombs, like, probably not the best toilets. And you're like, the worst thing is the culture of academia." — Allie Ward: On the frustrations of academic culture versus field hazards

Implications: The episode argues that disease literacy is public safety literacy: vaccines, vector control, and honest science communication matter, while climate change, land use, and inequality will reshape outbreak risk. Listeners are urged to replace fear with informed action.