The U.S. declared measles eliminated in 2000 — so why are we seeing more cases and deaths than in the last 30 years? Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo reveals the hyper-local vaccination gaps driving the resurgence, and why preparing for the next pandemic starts on your block, not in Washington.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo discuss the recurring nature of pandemics that require prevention, preparedness, and coordinated action from global, national, and local organizations, institutions, and communities. They discuss the current preparedness systems, where they are working, and where they could be strengthened, as well as breaking down some vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks and the future risks of pandemics.

Key Takeaways:

• Pandemics happen regularly throughout history. We are not going to be able to prevent them from happening, but we can prepare for them in a way that will not put everything on hold and upend lives (or cause deaths).

• Pandemic means a global spread. It does not have to be deadly; it just has to be global. When talking about pandemics, respiratory viruses are the pathogens that are most worried about.

• Transparency in preparedness not only is shown to help the individuals in that one country, but also other countries because decisions can be made based on more complete information.

• Immunization works by having the majority of a population covered by the vaccine. When more people are vaccinated, everyone can be protected. This makes the more immediate community, such as your child's school vaccination rate, more important than a larger population, such as the state or national vaccination rate.

"There's a lot of stuff wrong with the world right now, and a lot of it is at the global level or at the national level. But the good news is that preparedness is a bottom-up exercise. It starts in your community, and just like when I talked about, it really matters what the vaccination coverage is in your school, in your kid's school, or what it is in your community. What happens locally absolutely matters." — Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo

Connect with Jennifer Nuzzo:

Professional Bio: https://pandemics.sph.brown.edu/people/jennifer-nuzzo-drph

Research: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/jnuzzo

X: https://x.com/JenniferNuzzo

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jennifernuzzo.bsky.social

Website: http://thepandemiccenter.org/

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.