Hidely-Ho! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger & Chris Sanford answer your questions about travel health and safety, including:

• Do I need a polio booster before I visit Kenya on safari?
• What is happening with Bundibugyo vaccine trials in DRC?
• Is Colombia safe to visit now?
• Can I really kill mosquitoes with lasers… pleeeeease?

We hope you enjoy this podcast. If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please visit our website: germandworm.com where you can find all our content and send us your questions and travel health anecdotes. Or, just send us an email: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Xin chào! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger & Chris Sanford answer your questions about travel health and safety, including:

• Is it now an ethical requirement to bring a connectivity device in the backcountry?
• Should I avoid traveling to countries where I cannot purchase travel insurance?
• What should we know about the death of a lab worker in a Russian plague lab?
• How can we protect ourselves against flu, covid, and RSV?
• Qdenga now available in Australia?
• What is happening with leptospirosis in Phillippines?

We hope you enjoy this podcast. If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please visit our website: germandworm.com where you can find all our content and send us your questions and travel health anecdotes. Or, just send us an email: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

123, Eyes on me! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger & Chris Sanford answer your questions about travel health and safety, including:

• What are "chemtrails" and can they harm us?
• What is happening with that hepatitis B trial in Guinea-Bissau?
• What travel apps do Germ & Worm prefer to use?
• Did we ever get an explanation for the mystery illness in Grand Canyon summer 2026?
• Any downside to consuming coffee when fighting jet lag?

Here are links to the apps we like... no sponsorship from any of these for today's app:

Flighty

What 3 Words

iNaturalist

Shazaam

Merlin

Picture This

Stellarium

Sky Map

Maps Me

Google Translate

Time Shifter

Peak Finder

Watch Duty

Happy Whale

We hope you enjoy this podcast. If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please visit our website: germandworm.com where you can find all our content and send us your questions and travel health anecdotes. Or, just send us an email: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Hi there! Today, travel medicine specialist Dr. Paul Pottinger interview wild land firefighter Matthew Pottinger about wildfire safety, covering topics including:

• What's the difference between "wildfire" and "wild land fire"?
• How did you get a job fighting wildfires as a college student?
• How does wildfire fighting actually work?
• What tools do you use in wildfire fighting?
• When do we decide to fight fires, and when do we allow them to burn?
• What were some of the most surprising things you experienced as a firefighter?
• How about safety--from flames and smoke... how do you handle that?
• How can travelers assess the wildfire risk at their vacation destination?
• Can we trust official government-sponsored safety briefings?
• Do you recommend the Watch Duty app?
• What's next with your career?

Here's a link to Matthew's 2026 Quatrano Prize in Biology--check it out!

And here is the Watch Duty app, we are not sponsored by them but we really like it.

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please visit our website: germandworm.com where you can find all our content and send us your questions and travel health anecdotes. Or, just send us an email: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Cайн уу! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger & Chris Sanford answer your questions about travel health and safety, including:

• How can we stay safe from hypothermia when hiking in fall and winter?
• How much has CDC reduced its workforce, and what impact has that had on our health and security?
• How can US passport holders avoid political violence when traveling internationally?
• Any updates on those little skin heaters that reduce the itch of mosquito bites?
• What is going on with rabies exposures to beavers, goats, and other mammals beyond bats?

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please visit our website: germandworm.com where you can find all our content and send us your questions and travel health anecdotes. Or, just send us an email: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Happy Burn! Today, travel medicine specialists Dr. Chris Sanford answers questions about his recent experience as a medical volunteer at Burning Man, including:

• What IS Burning Man?
• How is the festival organized?
• What's the vibe & ethos of the place?
• How are hygiene and waste managed?
• Safety: Is there a law enforcement presence?
• What's the music scene like at Burning Man?
• DRUGS: What is being taken, and how does the medical community respond?
• Any tips for aspiring volunteers or participants?

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please visit our website: germandworm.com where you can find all our content and send us your questions and travel health anecdotes. Or, just send us an email: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Nomaskar! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger & Chris Sanford answer your questions about travel health and safety, including:

• What is happening with people catching malaria at the Frankfurt airport?
• Who should get immunized against seasonal viral infections... and what is the best way to do that?
• There are reports of measles spreading in Bangladesh--should I be worried about my upcoming trip?
• Does toilet water really spray up to the height of my face when I flush?
• Please give us an update on the Bundibugyo outbreak in central Africa?

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please visit our website: germandworm.com where you can find all our content and send us your questions and travel health anecdotes. Or, just send us an email: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.

Pryvit! Today, travel medicine specialists Drs. Paul Pottinger & Chris Sanford answer your questions about travel health and safety, including:

• What approach to sports and jet lag is best: show up early or jet in same day?
• What should I know about the new mRNA flu shot (Flusiva)?
• How can I safely travel when I am pregnant?
• Please tell me about the risk of West Nile Virus infection in Europe?
• What is happening with the United States Preventative Services Task Force, and how does that affect me?
• Is mpox infection still a concern? If so, where is the risk greatest?

Want to check out our Op-Ed in the Seattle times? Please check it out online, or visit our website.

We hope you enjoy this podcast! If so, please follow us on the socials @germ.and.worm, subscribe to our RSS feed and share with your friends! We would so appreciate your rating and review to help us grow our audience. And, please visit our website: germandworm.com where you can find all our content and send us your questions and travel health anecdotes. Or, just send us an email: germandworm@gmail.com.

Our Disclaimer: The Germ and Worm Podcast is designed to inform, inspire, and entertain. However, this podcast does NOT establish a doctor-patient relationship, and it should NOT replace your conversation with a qualified healthcare professional. Please see one before your next adventure. The opinions in this podcast are Dr. Sanford’s & Dr. Pottinger’s alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the University of Washington or UW Medicine.