Explore Dr. Varma’s collection of insightful articles, research findings, and expert commentary on public health, infectious diseases, and health policy.
Learn from a physician, epidemiologist, and public health leader with decades of experience investigating outbreaks, advising governments, and translating science into action.
Table of Contents Introduction The “Make America Healthy Again” Report From Fact to Fiction: Misinformation in the Report The Rise of Pseudoscience in Health Policy COVID Vaccination in Pregnancy: Science vs. Politics When Scientific Review Is Replaced with AI What You Can Do Introduction On my Thermometer YouTube series, I recently sat down with Dr.… Read more: How Anti-Science Becomes Policy: A Deep Dive with Dr. Tom Farley
If you’ve ever dreamed of soaking in a private hot tub and gazing out on the open sea on the deck of a cruise ship, you might want to think twice. At least until you ask a few pointed questions about how that hot tub is maintained. Earlier this year, CDC released a study that… Read more: Why You Should Think Twice About a Cruise Ship Hot Tub?
This week, UK scientists confirmed something that, to me, was destined to happen. For the first time, West Nile Virus (WNV) have been detected in mosquitoes collected in Britain. To be clear, the scientists detected fragments of the virus. There is no evidence of an active outbreak, and no humans or animals have been infected.… Read more: West Nile Virus in the UK: A Warning Sign from a Warming World
When people think of food safety, they usually picture inspectors in white coats and hairnets walking around a factory floor. That’s certainly part of the process. But detecting and responding to foodborne outbreaks like listeriosis involves an entire hidden infrastructure that most people never see. Right now, that system is being eroded. Why Is Listeria… Read more: How Listeria Outbreaks Are Detected—and Why That Work Is Getting Harder
Listeria monocytogenes is not the kind of bacteria that usually grabs headlines. It doesn’t spread from person to person. It doesn’t cause surges in hospitals. But it does something far more insidious: it lurks quietly in food production environments, contaminates products without obvious warning signs, and sickens people least equipped to fight it off. That… Read more: How Listeria Found Its Way Into Shakes and Sandwiches
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“Public health is about anticipation, prevention, and action.” – Dr. Jay K. Varma