Virology
Vitamin A, Cod Liver Oil, and Measles
By Gertrud U. Rey | 04-03-2025 | Basic virology, Commentary, Gertrud Rey, Information
by Gertrud U. Rey The number of measles cases is steadily increasing across the United States, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. Instead of recommending that children be vaccinated with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to promote ideas that are rooted …
West Nile Story
By Gertrud U. Rey | 03-06-2025 | Commentary, Gertrud Rey, Information
by Gertrud U. Rey On February 7, 2025, the world lost Dickson Despommier, a formidable parasitologist, gifted storyteller, and original co-host of the podcast This Week in Virology. Being a life-long learner, Dickson developed a keen interest in medical ecology, an interdisciplinary field that investigates how our ever-changing environment impacts human health. In his book …
An Extremely Successful Vaccine Story
By Gertrud U. Rey | 02-06-2025 | Basic virology, Gertrud Rey, Information
by Gertrud U. Rey One of the most noteworthy advances in biomedical science is the vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV). It has significantly changed the diagnostic and prognostic landscape in the field of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally, and it is a particular problem in low-income countries …
Effect of Diabetes and Obesity on Influenza Outcomes
By Gertrud U. Rey | 01-02-2025 | Basic virology, Gertrud Rey, Information
by Gertrud U. Rey Flu season is in full swing, and hospitalizations related to influenza virus infection are on the rise. During the 2009 “swine flu” pandemic it became evident that diabetes and obesity increase one’s risk for severe influenza disease, a correlation that was also later observed in the context of COVID-19. A series …
Effect of Diabetes and Obesity on Influenza Outcomes Read More »
There Is No Need to Panic About Bird Flu
By Gertrud U. Rey | 12-05-2024 | Basic virology, Gertrud Rey, Information
by Gertrud U. Rey Public health officials are continuing to monitor the spread of avian H5N1, the strain of influenza virus associated with “bird flu.” Although there is still no evidence that this virus can transmit from one person to another, two recently infected individuals are attracting close attention because the source of their infection …
Where Did HIV Come From?
By Gertrud U. Rey | 11-07-2024 | Basic virology, Gertrud Rey, Information
by Gertrud U. Rey As discussed in my previous post, we first became aware of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the early 1980s. However, when did the virus actually emerge in humans, and where did it come from? There are two strains of HIV – HIV-1 and HIV-2. The vast majority of infections are caused …
David Tuller
Trial By Error: My Visits with Alem Matthees, 2025
04-14-2025
By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at University of California, Berkeley. If you appreciate my work and would like to make a donation (tax-deductible to US taxpayers) to the university in support of my position, here’s the link: https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/46120 ********** In 2018, I spent six weeks in Australia, visiting multiple cities on a …
Trial By Error: My Visits with Alem Matthees, 2025 Read More »
Trial By Error: A 2015 Letter from the Countess of Mar to Suzanne O’Sullivan
04-14-2025
By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at University of California, Berkeley. If you appreciate my work and would like to make a donation (tax-deductible to US taxpayers) to the university in support of my position, here’s the link: https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/46120 Before she retired from the House of Lords a few years ago, the Countess …
Trial By Error: A 2015 Letter from the Countess of Mar to Suzanne O’Sullivan Read More »
Trial By Error: Suzanne O’Sullivan’s “Psychosomatic” Mis-Diagnoses
04-10-2025
By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at University of California, Berkeley. If you appreciate my work and would like to make a donation (tax-deductible to US taxpayers) to the university in support of my position, here’s the link: https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/46120 Neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan has been conducting a media blitz for her new book, …
Trial By Error: Suzanne O’Sullivan’s “Psychosomatic” Mis-Diagnoses Read More »
Trial By Error: Some Things I’ve Read Recently…
04-10-2025
By David Tuller, DrPH Lisa McCorkell leaves Patient-Led Research Collaborative after five years… Way back in 2020, when it became clear that some people were experiencing prolonged symptoms after an acute bout of COVID-19, Lisa McCorkell helped found the Patient-Led Research Collaborative (PLRC). The organization grew out of an online health-related support group, which published …
Trial By Error: Lancet Letter Exchange on Claimed Success of “Persistent Physical Symptoms” Trial Despite Clinically Insignificant Findings
04-04-2025
By David Tuller, DrPH Last year, The Lancet published a paper from Christopher Burton and colleagues called “Effectiveness of a symptom-clinic intervention delivered by general practitioners with an extended role for people with multiple and persistent physical symptoms in England: the Multiple Symptoms Study 3 pragmatic, multicentre, parallel-group, individually randomised controlled trial.” Per the norm …
Trial By Error: New Study Documents Iatrogenic Harm from Perceived Psychosomatic and Psychiatric Misdiagnoses of Rheumatic Diseases
03-31-2025
By David Tuller, DrPH In 2020, I wrote a post about a paper, published by the journal Rheumatology Advances in Practice, called “Medically explained symptoms: A mixed methods study of diagnostic, symptom and support experiences of patients with lupus and related systemic autoimmune diseases.” The corresponding author was Melanie Sloan, a researcher in the Department …