In Infectious Dose, Heather McSharry, PhD, virologist-turned-science-writer, brings her blog to the airwaves to help bridge the dangerous gap between the science of infectious diseases and public misperception. On the podcast website, infectiousdose.com, all episodes have corresponding blog posts with the information contained in the episode along with links or PDFs for all sources used. To prevent unwelcome surprises, episodes with limited, mild profanity are marked as explicit.
*Podcast intro and outro music are adapted from Heather Nova’s song, I Miss My Sky. Used with permission.
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In Infectious Dose, Heather McSharry, PhD, virologist-turned-science-writer, brings her blog to the airwaves to help bridge the dangerous gap between the science of infectious diseases and public misperception. On the podcast website, infectiousdose.com, all episodes have corresponding blog posts with the information contained in the episode along with links or PDFs for all sources used. To prevent unwelcome surprises, episodes with limited, mild profanity are marked as explicit.
*Podcast intro and outro music are adapted from Heather Nova’s song, I Miss My Sky. Used with permission.
Episode 41 - ACIP Undone: Proof, Policy, and Panic Over a Hepatitis B Vaccine
Infectious Dose
27 minutes
4 weeks ago
Episode 41 - ACIP Undone: Proof, Policy, and Panic Over a Hepatitis B Vaccine
Show Notes — ACIP Undone: Proof, Policy, and Panic Over a Hepatitis B Vaccine
This episode unpacks everything you need to know about hepatitis B and the life-saving vaccine that helps prevent chronic liver disease and liver cancer later in life. From the biology of the virus to the science behind the birth dose, we explore how this vaccine works, why it’s given so early, and what’s at stake now that ideology is overriding evidence in U.S. vaccine policy.
We also confront a dangerous shift in public health: the dismantling of expert-driven systems in favor of anti-vaccine rhetoric. The result isn’t just political—it’s personal. And it puts newborns at risk.
In this episode:
How hepatitis B infects the liver and evades the immune system
Why newborns are uniquely vulnerable to chronic infection
The history and science behind the universal birth dose
What the ACIP overhaul means for public trust and public health
Vaccine safety, ingredients, and long-term effectiveness
Debunking the most common lies circulating on social media
All citations are in the blog post for this episode at infectiousdose.com
Infectious Dose
In Infectious Dose, Heather McSharry, PhD, virologist-turned-science-writer, brings her blog to the airwaves to help bridge the dangerous gap between the science of infectious diseases and public misperception. On the podcast website, infectiousdose.com, all episodes have corresponding blog posts with the information contained in the episode along with links or PDFs for all sources used. To prevent unwelcome surprises, episodes with limited, mild profanity are marked as explicit.
*Podcast intro and outro music are adapted from Heather Nova’s song, I Miss My Sky. Used with permission.