Katelyn Jetelina Talks Viruses, Vaccines and the Bird Flu

Katelyn Jetelina, Ph.D., MPH, is our sort of public well being skilled.

As an epidemiologist, she research patterns and causes of illness in public well being (e.g., Covid), and he or she’s tremendous enthusiastic about sharing evidence-based data with anybody who’s .

Her free weekly e-newsletter, Your Local Epidemiologist, breaks down sophisticated public well being details in a pleasant, simple to grasp manner. She began the e-newsletter throughout Covid, and it rapidly grew to become the go-to useful resource for dependable data in the course of the pandemic. At present, about 230,000 individuals in 100 international locations subscribe to Your Native Epidemiologist, and Time journal named Jetelina one of many 100 most influential people in health in 2024.

Since Covid, Jetelina’s e-newsletter has developed to incorporate totally different public well being matters, together with vitamin and new analysis. Right here’s our interview with Jetelina and her ideas on the chicken flu and the brand new tips for what’s thought of a “wholesome” meals.

Our interview follows, edited for readability and size.

HealthyWomen: Your web site says, “In the course of the day, I put on many hats, together with scientific marketing consultant to quite a few organizations, together with the CDC. At night time, I write this article.” Why is it necessary to you to place this article out?

Dr. Jetelina: I stumbled upon doing this article in the course of the pandemic — and I did not assume it might be wanted to be achieved for very lengthy, however right here I’m 5 years into it, and it is nonetheless alive and effectively — and it’s filling a large hole.

I imply, there’s not sufficient individuals being aware of issues on the bottom, and there’s quite a lot of confusion and questions that must be answered in a well timed and comprehensible method. And so, I am exploring that area.

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HealthyWomen: We all know that you simply’re working to get the details on the market about why vaccines are so necessary. What do you need to say to individuals who nonetheless have issues in regards to the Covid vaccine?

Dr. Jetelina: I feel that there’s going to be much more questions on vaccines — even past Covid — as we enter this new period in U.S. politics, and I feel it’s OK to have questions. I need individuals to have questions. However what I am most involved about is individuals getting evidence-based data. What we all know from the vaccines available on the market is that they’re far safer than getting the illness themselves — whether or not it is Covid or measles or whooping cough — you identify it. Vaccines are the perfect instrument we’ve got in our toolkit to stay a wholesome and affluent life.

HealthyWomen: We’re in the midst of flu, RSV and Covid season. Is it too late to get vaccinated now (asking for a good friend)?

Dr. Jetelina: We’re within the peak of respiratory season proper now, and it is truly not too late to get vaccinated. If we’re peaking now or subsequent week, that also means we’ve got to go down the wave as effectively, and flu is infamous for being drawn out as a result of totally different strains change into dominant later in spring.

So, no, it’s not too late to get vaccinated — particularly for flu and Covid.

Read: Is it Covid, RSV or the Flu? >>

HealthyWomen: Earlier this yr, an individual in Louisiana died from the H5N1 chicken flu. How involved ought to we be in regards to the chicken flu?

Dr. Jetelina: To the common American, that is one thing that you ought to be listening to, however it’s not a five-alarm emergency prefer it was with Covid. And there is not a lot individuals can do, proper? Don’t drink unpasteurized milk. Don’t contact wild birds and animals that look sick. Proper now, it isn’t an emergency and threat is actually not uniform. [Editor’s Note: People who come in contact with birds, poultry and livestock have the most risk of exposure.]

HealthyWomen: Are you able to speak a bit of bit in regards to the function the American weight loss plan performs in power illness, particularly for girls?

Dr. Jetelina: Weight loss program is extremely necessary to maintain us wholesome. It is one of many issues that assist with our immune methods and having a dietary, balanced weight loss plan is among the issues we are able to do for our well being.

HealthyWomen: In a current e-newsletter, you talked about that beginning in February, if an organization needs to assert their meals product is “wholesome,” it should show two issues: The meals accommodates a specific amount of one of many 5 meals teams, and the meals cannot exceed added sugar, sodium or saturated fats limits based mostly on the meals and its usually consumed quantities. What are your ideas on the change, and do you assume it would have an effect on what individuals assume is wholesome to eat?

Dr. Jetelina: It might. I feel that there is quite a lot of totally different levers that may be pulled. For instance behavioral levers, like having a warning system on meals identical to we’ve got for cigarette packs may actually assist with the training round what’s nutrient-dense meals and what’s not.

It’s extremely complicated for lots of people on the market. I feel what I am most enthusiastic about although, is the oblique levers that we’ll have on corporations: to do higher at creating and distributing wholesome meals. And so, I feel will probably be an oblique instrument to maintain corporations and business accountable.