Joan Esposito is joined by Dr. Judy Stone, infectious diseases physician, journalist and author. Last month she wrote a piece for Forbes called "Covid-19 Cases Surge—Here’s What’s Different This Summer That Will Help." She is a senior Forbes pharma and health care contributor, a former columnist for Scientific American, and the author of a nationally recognized textbook, "Conducting Clinical Research," as well as her survivor family’s Holocaust memoir, "Resilience: One Family's Story of Hope and Triumph Over Evil."  She focuses her writing on infectious disease and social justice issues.

In the interview Dr. Stone discussed vaccine-preventable diseases, COVID-19 risks, prevention, treatment, and concerns about public health institutions. 

Here is a brief summary of the conversation:

- Dr. Stone said measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases are resurging because of reduced vaccination and public misinformation.
- She recommended Defend Public Health and the Vaccine Integrity Project as alternative sources of reliable information.
- She said damage to agencies including the NIH, FDA, and CDC could take decades to repair. 
- Dr. Stone described recurring late-summer and early-winter COVID surges and said COVID is likely to remain endemic.
- She discussed post-exposure prophylaxis with Ensitrelvir and early Metformin use to reduce long COVID risk, while noting cost and access concerns.
- For people over 65 and immunocompromised individuals, Dr. Stone recommended COVID vaccination twice yearly.
- She advised timing the next booster for mid- to late October to provide stronger protection during winter surges. 

Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive).

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