Infectious Diseases

An article in Roll Call says that “despite state and national efforts to address inequalities in COVID-19 vaccination, most states still show lagging vaccination rates among people of lower incomes and education levels, even as gaps for racial and ethnic groups have largely disappeared in recent months.” The article quotes Timothy Murphy, senior associate dean for clinical and translational research in the Jacobs School, and director of the Community Health Equity Research Institute. He said: “Even looking at an entire ZIP code number, you know, doesn’t tell the whole story. I do think that having, having access to more localized and more specific data would be very helpful and very important in terms of addressing this issue.”

Prevention featured Thomas Russo, chief of the division of infectious disease at the Jacobs School, in a story about a flesh-eating sexually transmitted infection (STI) that is gaining attention. Donavanosis is a disease caused by the bacterium that causes ulcers around a person’s genitals. Even though donovanosis has been described as a flesh-eating STI, it’s not quite as gruesome as it sounds, explained Russo. “There is a great fear factor surrounding this but, at the end of the day, it’s an ulcerative sexually transmitted disease,” he says. “There are others like this as well, such as syphilis. This isn’t going to be like the zombie apocalypse where parts suddenly start falling off.” The article also appeared on Yahoo! News, International Business Times and other news websites.

In an article about lessons learned from the pandemic, The Buffalo News interviewed John Sellick, professor of medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, about lessons individuals might have learned during the pandemic. “We’re going to be thinking about this more in the future, especially in the winter, when we’re in respiratory season: ‘Maybe I should be wearing a mask every time I go to the grocery store,’” said Sellick. “Even if I’m vaccinated, a mask is a good idea because there are all these other viruses floating around.”

The Washington Post quotes Thomas Russo, professor and chief of infectious disease in the Department of Medicine at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, in a story on COVID-19 boosters. With regard to the timing of boosters, scientists are utilizing knowledge from other viruses and applying it to the coronavirus, but they’re still on the steeper end of the learning curve, said Russo. “We learned you need a tetanus shot every 10 years, but there was a point where we didn’t know that,” he said. “We’re learning on the fly with COVID.” WGRZ-TV also interviewed Russo with regard to boosters.

Women's Health quotes Timothy Murphy, senior associate dean for clinical and translational research in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, in a story titled, "Cold Vs. COVID: How Do I Tell The Difference In Symptoms?" Murphy says it’s hard for even doctors to tell the difference from just an examination or hearing about symptoms. There is one symptom, though, that makes it more likely that you have COVID-19: losing your sense of taste and smell. “Though that does occur sometimes with colds, it’s far more likely with COVID,” Murphy says. “With colds, you would typically get really stuffy first before you lost your sense of smell. With COVID, many people just lose their sense of smell altogether.” MSN, Yahoo! Life and other outlets also ran the story.

WKBW quotes Thomas Russo, professor and chief of infectious disease in the Department of Medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, in a story titled, "Answering your questions: Mixing and matching COVID-19 booster shots." "The FDA has already approved boosters for Pfizer. We anticipate the FDA will approve boosters for Moderna and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine," Russo said. "The FDA will also approve of a mix and match strategy. Which means, regardless of which vaccine you initially received, you can receive a booster of any of the other vaccines."​

Well + Good quotes Thomas Russo, chief of infectious disease in the Department of Medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, in a story about COVID-19 safety measures during the holiday season. "You need to think about who will be there, and who will be vulnerable," he says. He also suggests using rapid home COVID-19 tests on the day of your gathering. "These tests aren't perfect but, if everyone gets tested and they're negative, people will be significantly less likely to get sick," he says.

This is example copy. Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, is an international expert on the diagnosis, nature and treatment of bacterial infection.

Health.com interviews Thomas Russo, chief of infectious disease in the Department of Medicine in the Jacobs School, in a story about COVID-19 vaccine boosters. Russo says the half dose of the Moderna vaccine may be more appealing to some people, given that it's less likely to cause side effects.

An article published in Women’s Health on about whether to get a flu shot when you are sick quotes Timothy Murphy, SUNY Distinguished Professor and senior associate dean for clinical and translational research in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.  “In general, if you have a little cold or the sniffles, it’s okay to proceed with a flu shot,” says Murphy. “To a certain extent, it’s a judgment call, depending on how bad you’re feeling. … A reasonable guideline is when you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours,” he says. “But it really comes down to judgment. When you’re feeling good, just go for it.” The article was widely reprinted including articles in MSN Canada, Yahoo! Life and elsewhere.

An article published in Women’s Health about whether to get a flu shot when you are sick quotes Timothy Murphy, SUNY Distinguished Professor and senior associate dean for clinical and translational research in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.  “In general, if you have a little cold or the sniffles, it’s okay to proceed with a flu shot,” says Murphy. “To a certain extent, it’s a judgment call, depending on how bad you’re feeling. … A reasonable guideline is when you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours,” he says. “But it really comes down to judgment. When you’re feeling good, just go for it.” The article was widely reposted on MSN Canada, Yahoo! Life, KSBW (California), WLKY (Kentucky) and elsewhere.

An article on WKBW-TV on whether the COVID-19 vaccine will be mandated to attend schools quotes Thomas Russo, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who said he believes there will need to be a mandate to get kids vaccinated. “There will be parents reluctant to get their children vaccinated, and if it takes a mandate to do it, so be it,” he said. “Dr. Russo says this to parents who are fearful of long-term vaccine effects,” according to the article. “In the history of vaccination, all adverse effects have happened during the first several months, so I do not think that is a valid concern for not getting vaccinated,” he said.

A story in The Buffalo News on lingering effects of the pandemic quotes John Sellick, professor of medicine in the Jacobs Schoolof Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “It wasn’t any fun to begin with,” said Sellick, a Buffalo-based infectious diseases physician who has been treating patients – and acting as one of the region’s de facto spokespeople on Covid issues – since the start of the pandemic,” according to the story. “But now a year and a half later, it’s really no fun.” The story was also reprinted in numerous publications including the Marietta Daily Journal.

Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was quoted in a story about Buffalo Bills receiver Cole Beasley being booed at Bills home games by fans frustrated by Beasley’s anti-vaccine stance. “Cole Beasley – and he’s part of a significant minority – has made mistakes about being public about his tweets. As a result, he has become an object of frustration. Not only is he holding us back, at the end of the day, it’s costing lives,” Russo says.

Thomas A. Russo, MD, SUNY Distinguished Professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, is quoted in an article on what to know about the triple threat of respiratory diseases — seasonal allergies, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — as flu season begins. The flu shot won’t prevent or ease a case of COVID-19, but does greatly reduce the odds of having to fight both COVID and the flu back-to-back or together. The vaccine is typically 30 percent to 60 percent effective in preventing influenza depending on strains that circulate during flu season but gives some protection against all of them. “That means those who get the flu are more likely to have a milder case, less likely to be hospitalized and less likely to die,” Russo said.