Episode Details

In Episode 134 of DC EKG, former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield joins Joe Grogan to discuss his new book, Redfield's Warning, and break down three major threats to public health: Long COVID, Hantavirus, and bird flu. Dr. Redfield explains the persistent viral reservoirs in long COVID patients, the cognitive dysfunction and autonomic dysfunction that devastate these individuals, and why the federal government must partner with the private sector to develop meaningful treatments. He also walks through the current Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship, the human-to-human transmission of the Andes virus strain, and why bird flu is the most likely candidate for the next pandemic. Throughout, Dr. Redfield emphasizes the critical importance of antiviral development and the dangers of gain-of-function research.

In This Conversation

The current Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship and human-to-human transmission

The Andes virus strain and why it differs from Sin Nombre and Four Corners Disease

Two transmission routes: aerosolization and direct contamination

Asymptomatic transmission and the intrinsic bias in testing

Why has the US government not developed Hantavirus countermeasures in 70 years

Bird flu is the most likely candidate for the next pandemic.

Gain-of-function research and the public disclosure of dangerous genetic data

Long COVID: viral reservoirs and the need for effective antiviral treatments

Why antivirals should be the priority over vaccines for emerging viruses

Operation Warp Speed and the importance of private sector partnerships

The dismissal of long COVID patients as psychosomatic and the need for validation

Key Timestamps

1:49  Details of the Hantavirus outbreak and cruise ship cases

3:00  Two methods of transmission: aerosolization and direct contamination

5:24  Asymptomatic transmission and testing bias

10:35  The Hantavirus family and why the Andes virus goes from human to human

12:35  How nervous should the public be