logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2024
10m 59s

What You Need To Know About The Current ...

NPR
About this episode
Winter is upon us – and with the holiday travel and time spent indoors comes a triple threat of respiratory diseases: RSV, flu and COVID-19. Most of the country has been experiencing high or very high respiratory virus levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Host Regina G. Barber talks with NPR health correspondent Pien Huang about the annual 'tripledemic': what makes this winter different from winters past, who's most at risk and whether or not we're over the seasonal surge.

Want to hear about another health story making headlines? Email us about it at shortwave@npr.org — we might cover it on a future episode!

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
The psychology behind why you dread small talk
Do you avoid small talk in the office, or with your neighbor in the elevator? If so, you might want to give it a chance. According to a study just published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, even when participants were primed that a conversation would be boring ... Show More
9m 56s
Apr 15
A new approach to brain health, one neuron at a time
Neuroscientist Paul Nuyujukian likens the brain to a stadium full of people. To eavesdrop on the crowd you could put a microphone in the middle of the stadium. But to understand the conversations you need to record individual people. He thinks about the brain the same way. To und ... Show More
13m 18s
Apr 14
Is there still a gender gap in medical research?
When you go to the doctor’s office, your doctor has to figure out which treatment is best for you. Physicians rely on medical research and clinical trials to make sure those treatments are safe and effective. But that research has not always been inclusive, which impacts patient ... Show More
13m 18s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2025
CBS Evening News, 04/08/25
Far-UVC light is a form of ultraviolet light that can kill viruses and bacteria in the air without harming humans. Researchers say it could be instrumental in stopping the spread of illnesses like the flu and possibly future pandemics. Freeze warnings are in effect across parts o ... Show More
23m 59s
Dec 2021
Michael Pollan On Mind-Altering Plants, A Second Pandemic Winter. December 10, 2021, Part 1
<p>How America Is Preparing For Another Pandemic Winter</p> <p>The weather is getting colder, the days are getting shorter, and the world is approaching the two year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like last year, experts are wary that a winter surge in cases could happen a ... Show More
47m 6s
Dec 2023
The future of the winter ’flu season
<p>We were accepting of an increase in deaths every winter 'flu season, but Ashish Jha thinks that is not longer a tenable position.</p> <p>Lessons he learned during his time as the White House Covid-19 coordinator have convinced him we should be taking a different approach to th ... Show More
38m 30s
Jul 2024
Mpox: What does the new strain mean for you?
A new strain of the mpox virus is spreading quickly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and experts say it is the most dangerous variant they have seen.We chat to Makuochi Okafor, a BBC Africa health reporter, who explains the symptoms of mpox, why scientists changed its name, a ... Show More
12m 23s
Jan 2022
Omicron News, COVID Severity Questions, Bird Count. Jan 7 2022, Part 1
<p>Omicron Variant Drives Winter COVID Surge</p> <p>The United States set a global record this week, recording roughly one million new coronavirus tests in a single day. The current surge in cases is mostly driven by Omicron. The highly contagious variant accounted for about 95% ... Show More
47m 5s
Jan 2022
Insurers Cover Tests, Human Gets Pig Heart & Georgia Wins - Tuesday, January 11th, 2022
tail spinning
12m 44s
Feb 2025
How Close Are We to Another Pandemic?
<p>An outbreak of bird flu has been tearing through the nation’s dairy farms and infecting more and more people.</p><p>Now there are troubling signs that the United States may be closer to another pandemic, even as President Trump dismantles the country’s public health system.</p ... Show More
25m 6s
Oct 2025
What’s Driving Experts Away from the CDC?
Several top public health experts have resigned from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, citing a troubling shift away from science-based decision-making. Former director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Demetre Daskalakis joins h ... Show More
16m 28s