Podcasts

Join the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control as we discuss bird flu in Alabama. Learn more about the basics of what bird flu is, how it is transmitted, and how you can stay safe and aware. We are joined by experts; Dr. Dee W. Jones, DVM, the State Public Health Veterinarian with…

Mosquito Borne Diseases in Alabama Explore the buzzing world of mosquito-borne diseases in Alabama with our latest podcast episode! We will delve into the fascinating and crucial topic of how these tiny creatures can carry and transmit diseases that affect both humans and animals in the heart of the Deep South; from West Nile Virus…

Measles in 2024: An Urgent Call to Action With a significant number of reported measles cases in the United States and globally, this recent outbreak has sparked concern among both parents and healthcare professionals. In this podcast, we will be discussing the driving forces behind this outbreak, its impact on children’s health, and the preventive…

Join us as we shed light on the challenges, solutions, and stories surrounding these pressing public health concerns. Hear from Dr. Jodie Dionne, an Associate Professor of Medicine and a clinician investigator at UAB in Infectious Diseases. Her research is focused on designing clinical trials to treat and prevent syphilis, hepatitis B, and other infections…

Join the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control as we discuss the basics of norovirus with Dr. Marilyn Bulloch from Auburn University’s Harrison College of Pharmacy. We will cover symptoms, if it’s contagious, where people usually encounter this virus, and more. This podcast is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention…

As Alabama heats up into summer the number of individuals outside and the number of bugs outside are increasing, including ticks, insects that can pose a direct to human health. Join the ARC IPC and Dr. Jonathan Rayner for a discussion around tick-borne diseases in Alabama and how you can prevent being affected by ticks…

Dr. Elliot Lefkowitz joins us for a podcast to talk about Mpox, the Monkey Pox Virus, and how genetic mutations affects not only the effectiveness of viruses but how they are named and how scientists reach these conclusions. This podcast is presented by the Alabama Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control Training and Technical…

The FDA’s expert panel on vaccines met last week (Thursday, January 26, 2023) to discuss the future use of the bivalent COVID shot, signaling the start of the FDA’s pivot to a longer-term immunization strategy. This is an important first step in a process that could result in millions of Americans receiving an annual Covid…

With three different respiratory illnesses circulating across communities in the U.S., are things out of the frying pan and into the fire? While COVID is still a concern and we should anticipate COVID to continue to circulate this winter, other respiratory viruses are making headlines. Hospitals throughout the country are dealing with an unprecedented, early…

Although it’s pumpkin spice season, another pandemic winter is about to arrive. Though no completely new variants of the COVID virus have emerged yet, there are several new Omicron sub-variants. The Omicron variant first surfaced in the fall of 2021, and during the past year, various Omicron variants have primarily been responsible for COVID cases.…

It’s August and it’s not just kids back in class. School is now in session for germs, viruses and bacteria that cause illnesses that can make your child (or yourself as a parent, caregiver, or guardians) sick. Back-to-school is widely recognized in the medical community as a time when many children pick up infections from…

From early May 2022 to June 13, 2022 (the date of this podcast recording), over 1,300 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported across 31 countries that normally don’t see any cases of monkeypox. Occasionally, outbreaks have occurred outside Africa. But, in most instances, these cases were associated with international travel or contact with individuals…

Figure 1: “States and Jurisdictions Reporting at Least One Person Under Investigation (38)* as of June 1, 2022.” CDC The State of Alabama has had a lot of firsts; the first open-heart surgery in the Western Hemisphere was performed in Montgomery in 1902, in 1968 the first 911 call was placed from Haleyville, AL, and…

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID-19 vaccination for most children and adolescents 5 years of age and older. However, as of April 13, 2022 only 28% of children 5-11 years old and 58% of adolescents ages 12-17 have received the 2-dose vaccination series. However, throughout the pandemic, having conversations around COVID-19 and the vaccine…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have become hyper vigilant when it comes to disinfecting and sanitizing items around our workspace, homes, schools, and within healthcare settings. In this podcast, we welcome back Dr. Ziad Kazzi, Professor of Emergency Medicine and Director of the International Fellowship in Medical Toxicology at Emory University and Associate…

For many months, parents have been told COVID vaccines for their children under 5 were on the way. But shifting timelines, delays and misinformation have left many parents frustrated and confused. In addition, as COVID restrictions are relaxed, many parents of young children are desperate to know when they can expect a vaccine to be…

Proper disinfectant usage is of paramount importance in the fight against COVID-19 and other viruses. Join Dr. Ziad Kazzi from Emory University as he shares with the ARC IPC his expertise on three common disinfectants: Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QATs), Hydrogen Peroxide and Phenol. Dr. Kazzi will explain how and why to learn more about and…

This past week the U.S. reported a record single-day number of daily Covid cases, with more than 1 million new infections, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as the highly infectious omicron variant continues to spread throughout the country and beyond. The The Omicron variant continues to shatter records in the U.S. We’re…

This past week the U.S. reported a record single-day number of daily Covid cases, with more than 1 million new infections, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, as the highly infectious omicron variant continues to spread throughout the country and beyond. The U.S. also has the highest seven-day average of daily new cases…

In this podcast Dr. Ziad Kazzi of Emory University discusses the use of bleach as a disinfectant, potential health hazards of bleach, and how to use bleach safely in schools and healthcare settings. List N: Disinfectants for Coronavirus (COVID-19) – (EPA) https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/about… FDA (Safely Using Hand Sanitizers) – https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consume… CDC (Disinfection and Sterilization) – https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/……

In this podcast Dr. Ziad Kazzi of Emory University introduces listeners to the basics of cleaning including disinfection and sterilization as well as the proper and safe use of disinfectants to prevent infectious disease transmission. List N: Disinfectants for Coronavirus (COVID-19) – (EPA) https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/about… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHyvaTyIc_4

There are many components of an effective infection prevention and control program. The IPC risk assessment is the starting point for creating an IPC program. A risk assessment is used to identify important infection control issues in your organization and determine goals to include in your infection prevention and control plan. Per The Joint Commission,…

Janet Chance, Director, Quality, Infection Prevention, and Accreditation, Cullman Regional Medical Center, shares insights behind CRMC’s development of a series of protocols to reduce surgical site infections (SSIs) in their patient population. She outlines elements of a process that included targeted surveillance, multidisciplinary process mapping, whole-organization buy-in, and patient education, ultimately leading to vastly improve…

  Dr. David Kimberlin, Professor and Co-Director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, joins the podcast, Standard Precautions and Beyond, to discuss COVID-19 in pediatric patients, how to keep children safe from the Delta variant and to answer questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children. Thank you to…