Dr Kat, Epidemiologist

05/15/2026

From medieval plague ships to the recent hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, maritime travel has repeatedly exposed the challenges of controlling infectious disease in an interconnected world.

I wrote about outbreaks at sea and what ships reveal about modern public health systems for The Conversation US

To stop the spread of infectious diseases, governments need information and other resources that countries around the globe share through international organizations.

05/09/2026

What does the Argentine outbreak of the Andes Hantavirus in 2018 Tell us about contagiousness of the disease? The major takeaway from this outbreak is not that hantavirus suddenly became highly contagious in everyday settings. It’s that under certain specific conditions — particularly close, prolonged indoor social contact with symptomatic individuals — the Andes strain was capable of limited human-to-human spread. Even then, the outbreak remained relatively small, traceable, and containable.

05/08/2026

My latest for STAT - the misinformation ecosystem that emerged during Covid is now permanent and effectively pre-positioned for new outbreaks. Within hours of the hantavirus headlines this week, social media accounts were already promoting ivermectin, claiming the outbreak was caused by Covid vaccines, and warning people about a hantavirus vaccine that does not exist.

I learned about hantavirus misinformation this week in the same way I now learn about most public health misinformation: My followers sent it to me.

05/07/2026

Hi there, sorry I’m late to covering this, but it is finals this week where I teach and it’s been pretty bananas. I think this video even though it’s long is pretty comprehensive and up-to-date with all the details. Please let me know if you have any other questions and I will make more videos.

05/02/2026

When a handful of billionaires own the loudest megaphones, the stories we see (and the ones we don’t see) start to look very deliberate. Media consolidation isn’t just a business trend, it shapes public understanding, priorities, and even what feels “true.”

That’s why supporting independent journalists matters more than ever. They’re often the ones asking uncomfortable questions, following the stories others won’t, and staying accountable to people—not profit.

If you care about diverse perspectives, transparency, and real accountability, put your support where it counts. Subscribe, share, and fund the voices that aren’t owned by the highest bidder.

Because a healthy democracy depends on more than just information—it depends on who controls it. 📰

04/28/2026

How the concept of ‘medical freedom’ is reshaping the military’s decades‑long stance on the flu vaccine mandate − and endangering troops’ readiness. My latest for The Conversation US

The US military helped create the first flu vaccine to keep service members in action – and the logic for requiring vaccination has not changed.

04/24/2026

“Welcome to another episode of correcting the secretary.”

This week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the Senate that the measles epidemic is “global” and has nothing to do with him. But that framing misses how measles actually works.

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses on Earth. It lingers in the air for up to 2 hours, and even small drops in vaccination rates can trigger outbreaks.

We need ~95% vaccination coverage to maintain herd immunity — the level that protects babies, cancer patients, and people who can’t be vaccinated. When coverage drops below that, the whole community becomes vulnerable.

The U.S. eliminated measles in 2000 — not because it disappeared globally, but because high vaccination rates stopped it from spreading here. Now, as vaccination rates decline, outbreaks are coming back. That’s not hypothetical — it’s already happening.

Yes, measles is global. But it only spreads locally where immunity is low.

If vaccination rates keep falling and public health messaging keeps weakening, we will see more outbreaks, more hospitalizations, and more preventable harm.

Global virus. Local consequences.

04/24/2026

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/opinion/measles-child-britain-vaccination.html?unlocked_article_code=1.dVA.Mj7W.2qTjmH9e_8iF&smid=url-share

If more people had gotten the vaccine, she might still be here.

04/24/2026

The flu shot used to be a given in the military.

For nearly 80 years the annual influenza vaccine was required to keep troops healthy and missions on track—because outbreaks in close quarters can spread fast.

Now, that’s changing.

Pete Hegseth has ended the routine military flu vaccine mandate, shifting away from a long-standing readiness policy toward more individual choice.

What didn’t change:
Flu is still a real risk in group settings
Vaccination is protective against severe disease, hospitalization, and death

This isn’t just about one vaccine—it’s a signal of a broader shift in policy.

04/24/2026

RFK Junior has a podcast now. I got one sentence in and I already had to make a video.

03/20/2026

I wrote an explainer for The Conversation US about the recent court ruling blocking HHS changes to the vaccine schedule and to the CDC vaccine advisory panel

The judge’s decision is a win for public health, but the back-and-forth on vaccine policy may undermine the public’s trust in science.