Thank you Jami, Toothpicker, Elizabeth, Courtneye, Gary Shamshoian, and EVERYBODY who joined us for our first episode of MVPs: Making Viruses Pop! Today we discussed measles and RSV, the paramyxoviruses we didn’t think we’d have to learn about, plus polio and rhinovirus because you can take the virologists out of the picornavirology but you can’t apparently take the picornavirology out of the virologists. If you are at risk for RSV (very young, 65+ or with medical risk factors, pregnant), then you have until April 30 to get immunized in most states! Please consider it—there’s a lot of RSV around. It put an older person I love in the hospital, and they were vaccinated (lots of other serious risk factors). That vaccine probably is the reason why my loved one is being discharged imminently instead of moved into critical care. Protect yourself and your loved ones. Vaccines aren’t perfect, but they save lives.
As stated in today’s show, we really love virology. We are also really annoyed that we haven’t done a good enough job of sharing why we love it. As a result, the most unqualified people imaginable have used our misguided silence and neutrality to enact policies so reckless and destructive the body counts will be measured in the millions. How could this be normalized?
Well, why wouldn’t people think it is normal if the scientists only speak out in such bland, cautious, technical terms that they bore the shit out of everyone? As it is, scientists have not objected strongly enough to the lies about our profession and our research, and in many cases have just meekly accepted that the public doesn’t trust us as a result of these lies. We have also not explained to people why our scientific work is so amazing and important. We have not given the public any reason to disbelieve the lies that are being used to justify our own destruction.
Virology is amazing and important, so we should start acting like it. I am first and foremost terrified by the consequences of what is happening to science and health in the US. It is literally going to kill millions of people around the world. We are scientists and we can show evidence that this is true. But we aren’t taking the time to tell people why they should even care. We aren’t telling people that this affects everyone or how urgent it is because we aren’t putting it in those terms. We are acting like we don’t care enough to be human in the face of our own end.
Juliet and I would like to change that. We’re hoping that by talking about the scientific evidence that makes us think virology is amazing and important, we might make other people think about this too. By being our authentic selves, sharing our own thoughts in candid conversations between two old friends and colleagues, we might even earn some trust and build a bigger community. So please come along with us as we tell old stories from graduate school and talk about why our field of science means a lot to us, and why it means a lot to you too, whether you realize it yet or not. We’d rather have you realize that before the H5N1 or MERS-CoV-2 or SARS-CoV-3 pandemic happens in the complete absence of an ability to respond, because viruses are cool and studying them helps avoid potentially civilization-levelling pandemics. And also just your kids dying from a viral disease you could prevent, like measles, polio, or flu. Which you would know is horrific, if only someone had explained how wild pathogenesis is in a way that didn’t put you to sleep or involve PowerPoint.
Join us in two weeks for another one! And please tell us what you want to hear about and what you think! If you liked this, please also consider subscribing!
