logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
15m 48s

Why Is Everybody Getting Sick All The Ti...

Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

Have you had the flu recently? Or RSV? Or just … some bug that you can’t quite shake? If so – you’re not alone. Bloomberg’s data team recently decided to investigate whether or not the perception that we’re all getting sick all the time is actually backed up by numbers. And what they found was truly surprising: in countries around the world, people are getting much sicker, much more often in the wake of the pandemic.

On today’s episode, host Sarah Holder and Bloomberg data reporter Jinshan Hong try to solve this global health mystery – including the potential culprits behind the surge in sickness and what we can do to avoid getting ill so often.

Read more: Yes, Everyone Really Is Sick a Lot More Often After Covid

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Yesterday
How a 10-Minute Video Call Changed the Oil Market
OPEC+, a coalition of some of the world’s top oil producers, surprised markets over the weekend with plans to boost production by more than half a million barrels a day. The increase comes at a time when investors are worried about oversupply. So what was behind the decision? Blo ... Show More
14m 28s
Jul 8
China's Plans to Make AI a Utility
In a remote part of China's northwestern Xinjiang region, dozens of data centers rise from the desert. A Bloomberg analysis of investor and tax documents and company filings found Chinese companies plan to buy more than 115,000 high-tech Nvidia chips — chips the US has banned fro ... Show More
16m 9s
Jul 7
The White House Wanted ‘90 Deals in 90 Days.’ There’s One Day Left
In late April, shortly after President Trump’s announcement of sweeping reciprocal tariffs sent markets reeling, the White House announced a 90-day pause on when those tariffs would go into effect.That pause is about to end and while the Trump administration has announced a few t ... Show More
15m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
How Close Are We to Another Pandemic?
An outbreak of bird flu has been tearing through the nation’s dairy farms and infecting more and more people.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.Apoorva Manda ... Show More
25m 6s
Feb 2025
Should we be worried about bird flu?
Today we’re talking about bird flu. It’s infecting flocks of chickens, causing egg prices to rise across the country, plus herds of dairy cattle and people are getting sick too. And all of this is happening amid sweeping changes at U.S. federal health agencies. The Trump administ ... Show More
17m 50s
Jun 2020
Could a simple steroid be the big breakthrough we need? Plus, why are so many people are unhappy?
A widely available and cheap steroid could be a lifesaver for those close to death.  Younger people in California are getting the virus at a higher rate now. Is it their behavior?  More Americans are unhappy now than in the past 50 years. How big of a role does the pandemic play ... Show More
25m 29s
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 2025
The Latest On Bird Flu
Bird flu, or avian influenza, is spreading among livestock and other mammals in the United States, raising concerns that another pandemic may be looming. Last month, California declared a state of emergency due to rising cases in dairy cattle, and there have been over 65 human ca ... Show More
13m 18s
Jul 2024
How worried should humans be about bird flu?
The H5N1 bird flu virus has spread from birds to dairy cattle in the United States where a number of agricultural workers have also been infected by it. This is thought to be the first time humans have caught the virus from another mammal and the first time the virus has been det ... Show More
23m 1s
Mar 2020
The U.S. stumbled at the start of the coronavirus outbreak. Can we make up for lost time?
The World Health Organization has declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic. The virus has spread in the United States, with new cases reported daily, deaths totaling more than three dozen, and an expanding list of large-scale cancellations, including the NBA, the ... Show More
20m 18s
Jun 1
One Thing: Under RFK Jr.’s HHS, Who Decides the Facts?
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement that the Covid-19 vaccine will no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women has sparked concern among many health experts. We hear from one of them who thinks this is just the latest i ... Show More
19m 39s
Dec 2023
Loneliness epidemic unmasked: a global health challenge
US health officials have declared that the country is facing an epidemic of loneliness that's as dangerous to health as smoking. The World Health Organisation has launched a commission to look into the health implications of loneliness with surveys consistently suggesting that on ... Show More
25m 2s
May 2016
Ron Klain on why we beat Ebola — but are losing on Zika
Only a few people know what it's like to lead the White House's response to a public health crisis. Ron Klain is one of them. He was chosen in 2014 by President Obama to steer the U.S. effort to fight Ebola, just when it looked like the outbreak was about to spiral out of control ... Show More
50m 36s