Dr. Adam Ratner
👤 PersonAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Thanks so much. Delighted to be here.
Thanks so much. Delighted to be here.
Thanks so much. Delighted to be here.
When I first started writing the book, the question that I got most often was, why measles? Because I think a lot of people I talked to thought of measles as a solved problem. And really, so did I. And that's... kind of the encapsulation of the measles story put very simply in the sense that measles thrives on being underestimated.
When I first started writing the book, the question that I got most often was, why measles? Because I think a lot of people I talked to thought of measles as a solved problem. And really, so did I. And that's... kind of the encapsulation of the measles story put very simply in the sense that measles thrives on being underestimated.
When I first started writing the book, the question that I got most often was, why measles? Because I think a lot of people I talked to thought of measles as a solved problem. And really, so did I. And that's... kind of the encapsulation of the measles story put very simply in the sense that measles thrives on being underestimated.
So all throughout my training, I learned to take care of children with all sorts of diseases. And then as I focused on infectious diseases, I learned to take care of kids with complicated infections and sometimes with unusual infections. And Measles was something that in my mind had been filed under solved problems.
So all throughout my training, I learned to take care of children with all sorts of diseases. And then as I focused on infectious diseases, I learned to take care of kids with complicated infections and sometimes with unusual infections. And Measles was something that in my mind had been filed under solved problems.
So all throughout my training, I learned to take care of children with all sorts of diseases. And then as I focused on infectious diseases, I learned to take care of kids with complicated infections and sometimes with unusual infections. And Measles was something that in my mind had been filed under solved problems.
It was a thing that we had had a vaccine for since the mid-1960s and that we very, very rarely saw. I saw a handful of cases in my training. And then in 2018 and 2019, we had a huge measles outbreak in New York City with about 650 cases and some kids who were very, very sick. I took care of children in intensive care units due to complications of measles. And
It was a thing that we had had a vaccine for since the mid-1960s and that we very, very rarely saw. I saw a handful of cases in my training. And then in 2018 and 2019, we had a huge measles outbreak in New York City with about 650 cases and some kids who were very, very sick. I took care of children in intensive care units due to complications of measles. And
It was a thing that we had had a vaccine for since the mid-1960s and that we very, very rarely saw. I saw a handful of cases in my training. And then in 2018 and 2019, we had a huge measles outbreak in New York City with about 650 cases and some kids who were very, very sick. I took care of children in intensive care units due to complications of measles. And
That was the point at which I dug deeper into the measles story and I realized that there was so much here that people don't think about and that when we start to see measles, it's evidence of faltering of our public health systems and of fomenting of distrust of vaccines and that measles outbreaks and measles cases are so much more than just the rash that you see.
That was the point at which I dug deeper into the measles story and I realized that there was so much here that people don't think about and that when we start to see measles, it's evidence of faltering of our public health systems and of fomenting of distrust of vaccines and that measles outbreaks and measles cases are so much more than just the rash that you see.
That was the point at which I dug deeper into the measles story and I realized that there was so much here that people don't think about and that when we start to see measles, it's evidence of faltering of our public health systems and of fomenting of distrust of vaccines and that measles outbreaks and measles cases are so much more than just the rash that you see.
Absolutely. I mean, I think the the pandemic, we all experienced together, but we each experienced in kind of a different way. The way that I experienced it was in the hospital, taking care of children with COVID and some children who were very sick from it. And also, of course, in my home life, worried about my wife, worried about my daughter, worried about my parents. And
Absolutely. I mean, I think the the pandemic, we all experienced together, but we each experienced in kind of a different way. The way that I experienced it was in the hospital, taking care of children with COVID and some children who were very sick from it. And also, of course, in my home life, worried about my wife, worried about my daughter, worried about my parents. And
Absolutely. I mean, I think the the pandemic, we all experienced together, but we each experienced in kind of a different way. The way that I experienced it was in the hospital, taking care of children with COVID and some children who were very sick from it. And also, of course, in my home life, worried about my wife, worried about my daughter, worried about my parents. And
I think we all got to see the evolution of a pandemic, which is something I had never seen before. We also got to see an incredible scientific triumph, which was the development of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. And I think back to how I felt when, you know, those first trials of the mRNA vaccines came out and they were enormously effective against hospitalization and disease. And they still are.
I think we all got to see the evolution of a pandemic, which is something I had never seen before. We also got to see an incredible scientific triumph, which was the development of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. And I think back to how I felt when, you know, those first trials of the mRNA vaccines came out and they were enormously effective against hospitalization and disease. And they still are.