Outbreak News This Week: October 7, 2018

It was a huge news week in infectious disease and we cover some of the biggest stories here on the show today. I go over the odd report on a father-to-son HIV transmission in a very atypical way. The study was published in the journal, AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Another unusual report came from researchers from the University of Hong Kong, who for the first time, reported rat Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in a human being. This "wake up call" reminds us of the continuous threat of zoonotic infections. A 29-year-old New Jersey man died from the "brain-eating amoeba", Naegleria fowleri, reportedly linked to a Waco, TX wave pool. In the second half, I go over some health policy and a fantastic article by economist John C. Goodman of some free market alternatives for health care that employers should consider. I also play an audio clip of a conversation I had with Surgery Center of Oklahoma CEO, Keith Smith, MD on my obscenely overpriced hospital surgery bill.