Monday, December 07, 2009

Referrals: TWiV and Visualizing The Flu Vaccine

 

 

# 4130

 

 

I’ve just finished listening to the latest TWiV podcast, this week featuring Professors Vincent Racaneillo and Dickson Despommier.  As always, these are fascinating and entertaining excursions into the world of viruses, with influenza often being a part of the discussion.

 

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello and Dickson Despommier

On episode 61 of the podcast “This Week in Virology”, Vincent and Dick muse about the symbiotic bacterium, Wolbachia, that protects flies from viral infection, the origin of 2009 influenza H1N1 virus, and the lure of original antigenic sin.

 

Download TWiV #61 (45 MB .mp3, 62 minutes)

 

You’ll find the lastest TWiV episodes posted on Vincent’s excellent Virology Blog each weekend. 

 

The discussion on the origins (lab or nature) of the novel H1N1 virus, and of the possibility of original antigenic sin with flu vaccines, are of particular interest to Flublogia. 

 


At the end of each podcast, the host and guests all make weekly science picks.    This week I found Vincent’s pick on visualizing the use and safety of the flu vaccine particularly interesting.

 

Information is Beautiful – is swine flu vaccine safe? by David McCandless, a London-based author, writer and designer

 

Below is just a snippet.  Follow the link to view the entire visualization.

 

image

(More data visualizations . . . )