Best of 2019 Interviews in Public Health and Music

Illicit Vaping Products Are Making People Sick – Here’s Where They Come From (0:32) Guest: David Downs, California Bureau Chief, Leafly The Trump Administration this week formalized a ban on the sale of sweet and fruit-flavored e-cigarette pods that are especially popular with teenagers. A rapid rise in youth vaping is behind the decision. But it’s also fueled by the nationwide outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries that killed 55 people and sent more than 2,500 people to the hospital in 2019. CDC officials now say those injuries are related to vape products that contain THC – the psychoactive component of marijuana.  A team of investigative journalists at the cannabis publication Leafly was among the first to identify THC vape cartridges contaminated with Vitamin E oil as the cause of the illness. (Originally aired: 10/2/19) Pacific Northwest Just One of a Dozen “Hotspots” Where Measles Outbreak Likely (22:12) Guest: Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Author of “Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism” 2019 started with measles outbreaks in the Pacific Northwest and ended with hundreds of cases in New York. Last year was the worst for measles in America in 20 years.  Thousands of students in Seattle, Washington are right now under a deadline to get vaccinated or be prohibited from attending school in the new year. Why are some communities more susceptible than others? (Originally aired 1/29/19) Why are we so Afraid of Donating Blood? (36:32) Guest: Christopher France, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Ohio University It’s fear that keeps many of us from donating blood. It turns out that feeling faint is the most common negative side effect of donating blood. But it’s also very very rare. People hardly ever experience any negative side-effects from donating blood, yet the fear keeps lots of people from even trying. (Originally aired 1/22/19) What Makes