Heather McSharry, PhD
@pathogenscribe.bsky.social
Virologist turned science writer. She/her. Fighting science misinformation with a podcast/blog. Infectiousdose.com
My views are my own & do not represent any organization
My views are my own & do not represent any organization
🕯️ Spices. Candles. Cleaning rituals. Citrus in stockings.
What if your favorite winter traditions weren’t just cozy,
but accidental tools in the fight against disease?
🎙️ New Infectious Dose episode drops Tues at midnight!
#InfectiousDose #ColdComfort #Microbiology #PublicHealth
What if your favorite winter traditions weren’t just cozy,
but accidental tools in the fight against disease?
🎙️ New Infectious Dose episode drops Tues at midnight!
#InfectiousDose #ColdComfort #Microbiology #PublicHealth
December 1, 2025 at 7:38 PM
🕯️ Spices. Candles. Cleaning rituals. Citrus in stockings.
What if your favorite winter traditions weren’t just cozy,
but accidental tools in the fight against disease?
🎙️ New Infectious Dose episode drops Tues at midnight!
#InfectiousDose #ColdComfort #Microbiology #PublicHealth
What if your favorite winter traditions weren’t just cozy,
but accidental tools in the fight against disease?
🎙️ New Infectious Dose episode drops Tues at midnight!
#InfectiousDose #ColdComfort #Microbiology #PublicHealth
New episode drops tomorrow, midnight!
Superbugs aren’t sci-fi villains — we’re cultivating them.
Hospitals are seeing “routine” infections turn untreatable.
Farm use, global travel, broken surveillance… it’s all fueling the rise.
💊🦠🔥
#InfectiousDose #AMRAwarenessWeek
Superbugs aren’t sci-fi villains — we’re cultivating them.
Hospitals are seeing “routine” infections turn untreatable.
Farm use, global travel, broken surveillance… it’s all fueling the rise.
💊🦠🔥
#InfectiousDose #AMRAwarenessWeek
November 18, 2025 at 1:32 AM
New episode drops tomorrow, midnight!
Superbugs aren’t sci-fi villains — we’re cultivating them.
Hospitals are seeing “routine” infections turn untreatable.
Farm use, global travel, broken surveillance… it’s all fueling the rise.
💊🦠🔥
#InfectiousDose #AMRAwarenessWeek
Superbugs aren’t sci-fi villains — we’re cultivating them.
Hospitals are seeing “routine” infections turn untreatable.
Farm use, global travel, broken surveillance… it’s all fueling the rise.
💊🦠🔥
#InfectiousDose #AMRAwarenessWeek
The #MonthOfTheMacabre ends with an epic debut… 👁️🔥
Welcome to Outbreak After Dark, the new monthly ritual within #InfectiousDose... & I have cohosts! Sam & Kate join me for drinks & snacks & real science that's darker, weirder, & sometimes just gross.
🎧 Ep 1: Ocularium
👇
Welcome to Outbreak After Dark, the new monthly ritual within #InfectiousDose... & I have cohosts! Sam & Kate join me for drinks & snacks & real science that's darker, weirder, & sometimes just gross.
🎧 Ep 1: Ocularium
👇
October 29, 2025 at 8:08 PM
The #MonthOfTheMacabre ends with an epic debut… 👁️🔥
Welcome to Outbreak After Dark, the new monthly ritual within #InfectiousDose... & I have cohosts! Sam & Kate join me for drinks & snacks & real science that's darker, weirder, & sometimes just gross.
🎧 Ep 1: Ocularium
👇
Welcome to Outbreak After Dark, the new monthly ritual within #InfectiousDose... & I have cohosts! Sam & Kate join me for drinks & snacks & real science that's darker, weirder, & sometimes just gross.
🎧 Ep 1: Ocularium
👇
🪶 Next week on #InfectiousDose:
A man mocks vaccines — until his smart home starts to whisper.
This week’s #SickFlick lineup: obsession, decay, and the long fall into madness 👇
#MonthOfTheMacabre #TheRaven
A man mocks vaccines — until his smart home starts to whisper.
This week’s #SickFlick lineup: obsession, decay, and the long fall into madness 👇
#MonthOfTheMacabre #TheRaven
October 11, 2025 at 7:14 PM
🪶 Next week on #InfectiousDose:
A man mocks vaccines — until his smart home starts to whisper.
This week’s #SickFlick lineup: obsession, decay, and the long fall into madness 👇
#MonthOfTheMacabre #TheRaven
A man mocks vaccines — until his smart home starts to whisper.
This week’s #SickFlick lineup: obsession, decay, and the long fall into madness 👇
#MonthOfTheMacabre #TheRaven
Can't live on US trauma alone.
It's time for a #PathogenPoll!
If fear is infectious, what's its R₀?
(R₀ = how many one “infected” person infects.)
🧍♂️ One R₀ < 1
🧑🤝🧑 Whole village R₀ ≈ 3–5
🌍 Global R₀ ≈ 10+
🕯️ Infinite R₀ = ∞
🎧 infectiousdose.com/post/salem-1...
#MonthOfTheMacabre #InfectiousDose
It's time for a #PathogenPoll!
If fear is infectious, what's its R₀?
(R₀ = how many one “infected” person infects.)
🧍♂️ One R₀ < 1
🧑🤝🧑 Whole village R₀ ≈ 3–5
🌍 Global R₀ ≈ 10+
🕯️ Infinite R₀ = ∞
🎧 infectiousdose.com/post/salem-1...
#MonthOfTheMacabre #InfectiousDose
October 11, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Can't live on US trauma alone.
It's time for a #PathogenPoll!
If fear is infectious, what's its R₀?
(R₀ = how many one “infected” person infects.)
🧍♂️ One R₀ < 1
🧑🤝🧑 Whole village R₀ ≈ 3–5
🌍 Global R₀ ≈ 10+
🕯️ Infinite R₀ = ∞
🎧 infectiousdose.com/post/salem-1...
#MonthOfTheMacabre #InfectiousDose
It's time for a #PathogenPoll!
If fear is infectious, what's its R₀?
(R₀ = how many one “infected” person infects.)
🧍♂️ One R₀ < 1
🧑🤝🧑 Whole village R₀ ≈ 3–5
🌍 Global R₀ ≈ 10+
🕯️ Infinite R₀ = ∞
🎧 infectiousdose.com/post/salem-1...
#MonthOfTheMacabre #InfectiousDose
In #MonthoftheMacabre week 2, History & horror meet microbiology.
Salem 1692: The Grain, the Gallows, and the Whispering Tape.
Reviews are 100% positive so far! 😆 (Thanks!)
If you haven't listened yet, check it out!
🎧https://www.infectiousdose.com/post/salem-1692
#InfectiousDose #MonthOfTheMacabre
Salem 1692: The Grain, the Gallows, and the Whispering Tape.
Reviews are 100% positive so far! 😆 (Thanks!)
If you haven't listened yet, check it out!
🎧https://www.infectiousdose.com/post/salem-1692
#InfectiousDose #MonthOfTheMacabre
October 9, 2025 at 11:18 PM
In #MonthoftheMacabre week 2, History & horror meet microbiology.
Salem 1692: The Grain, the Gallows, and the Whispering Tape.
Reviews are 100% positive so far! 😆 (Thanks!)
If you haven't listened yet, check it out!
🎧https://www.infectiousdose.com/post/salem-1692
#InfectiousDose #MonthOfTheMacabre
Salem 1692: The Grain, the Gallows, and the Whispering Tape.
Reviews are 100% positive so far! 😆 (Thanks!)
If you haven't listened yet, check it out!
🎧https://www.infectiousdose.com/post/salem-1692
#InfectiousDose #MonthOfTheMacabre
🔮 The woods are dark. The villagers whisper.
To get in the spirit of next week's wicked microbial episode, I'm watching these #SickFlicks:
🍿 The Blair Witch Project (1999)
🍿 The Witch (2015)
Watch one—or both—this weekend… if you dare.
As Month of the Macabre continues...
Who's watching with me?
To get in the spirit of next week's wicked microbial episode, I'm watching these #SickFlicks:
🍿 The Blair Witch Project (1999)
🍿 The Witch (2015)
Watch one—or both—this weekend… if you dare.
As Month of the Macabre continues...
Who's watching with me?
October 4, 2025 at 12:53 AM
🔮 The woods are dark. The villagers whisper.
To get in the spirit of next week's wicked microbial episode, I'm watching these #SickFlicks:
🍿 The Blair Witch Project (1999)
🍿 The Witch (2015)
Watch one—or both—this weekend… if you dare.
As Month of the Macabre continues...
Who's watching with me?
To get in the spirit of next week's wicked microbial episode, I'm watching these #SickFlicks:
🍿 The Blair Witch Project (1999)
🍿 The Witch (2015)
Watch one—or both—this weekend… if you dare.
As Month of the Macabre continues...
Who's watching with me?
🕵️♀️ A deadly mystery.
🏨 A faded hotel.
💨 An invisible killer drifting through the air.
Pneumonia Noir is live:
A public health whodunit where you're the CDC detective on the case.
🎧 Listen now.
#Podcast #SickFlicks #MedicalMystery
🏨 A faded hotel.
💨 An invisible killer drifting through the air.
Pneumonia Noir is live:
A public health whodunit where you're the CDC detective on the case.
🎧 Listen now.
#Podcast #SickFlicks #MedicalMystery
October 2, 2025 at 2:01 AM
🕵️♀️ A deadly mystery.
🏨 A faded hotel.
💨 An invisible killer drifting through the air.
Pneumonia Noir is live:
A public health whodunit where you're the CDC detective on the case.
🎧 Listen now.
#Podcast #SickFlicks #MedicalMystery
🏨 A faded hotel.
💨 An invisible killer drifting through the air.
Pneumonia Noir is live:
A public health whodunit where you're the CDC detective on the case.
🎧 Listen now.
#Podcast #SickFlicks #MedicalMystery
🦠👻 #InfectiousDose #MonthOfTheMacabre starts Tues midnight!
Each week I’ll pair #SickFlicks w/ spooky episodes.
This week we’ll be solving a deadly public health mystery together... so to prep watch either:
🧪 The Andromeda Strain (1971) or
🌊 The Bay (2012)
I'll bring the🍿
Each week I’ll pair #SickFlicks w/ spooky episodes.
This week we’ll be solving a deadly public health mystery together... so to prep watch either:
🧪 The Andromeda Strain (1971) or
🌊 The Bay (2012)
I'll bring the🍿
September 28, 2025 at 1:27 AM
🦠👻 #InfectiousDose #MonthOfTheMacabre starts Tues midnight!
Each week I’ll pair #SickFlicks w/ spooky episodes.
This week we’ll be solving a deadly public health mystery together... so to prep watch either:
🧪 The Andromeda Strain (1971) or
🌊 The Bay (2012)
I'll bring the🍿
Each week I’ll pair #SickFlicks w/ spooky episodes.
This week we’ll be solving a deadly public health mystery together... so to prep watch either:
🧪 The Andromeda Strain (1971) or
🌊 The Bay (2012)
I'll bring the🍿
From Argentina to Vietnam, from Nepal to Luxembourg… 🗺️✨
20 new countries (and Puerto Rico!) have joined the #InfectiousDose community.
Wherever you’re tuning in from, thank you for being part of this global conversation. 💚🎙️
#PublicHealth #SciCom
infectiousdose.com
20 new countries (and Puerto Rico!) have joined the #InfectiousDose community.
Wherever you’re tuning in from, thank you for being part of this global conversation. 💚🎙️
#PublicHealth #SciCom
infectiousdose.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:06 AM
From Argentina to Vietnam, from Nepal to Luxembourg… 🗺️✨
20 new countries (and Puerto Rico!) have joined the #InfectiousDose community.
Wherever you’re tuning in from, thank you for being part of this global conversation. 💚🎙️
#PublicHealth #SciCom
infectiousdose.com
20 new countries (and Puerto Rico!) have joined the #InfectiousDose community.
Wherever you’re tuning in from, thank you for being part of this global conversation. 💚🎙️
#PublicHealth #SciCom
infectiousdose.com
Big welkom to our new listeners from the Netherlands! The land of bikes, canals, and stroopwafels
🚲🌉🍪— we’re so glad you’ve joined the Infectious Dose community!
#InfectiousDose #SciComms #Welkom
🚲🌉🍪— we’re so glad you’ve joined the Infectious Dose community!
#InfectiousDose #SciComms #Welkom
September 17, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Big welkom to our new listeners from the Netherlands! The land of bikes, canals, and stroopwafels
🚲🌉🍪— we’re so glad you’ve joined the Infectious Dose community!
#InfectiousDose #SciComms #Welkom
🚲🌉🍪— we’re so glad you’ve joined the Infectious Dose community!
#InfectiousDose #SciComms #Welkom
This week on #InfectiousDose: My interview with organizer + sociologist Jon Shaffer, PhD, of Defend Public Health, on how public health can build power (ethically, nonpartisan, effective).
www.jonathanshaffer.net
www.defendpublichealth.org
#DefendPublicHealth
www.jonathanshaffer.net
www.defendpublichealth.org
#DefendPublicHealth
September 14, 2025 at 6:13 PM
This week on #InfectiousDose: My interview with organizer + sociologist Jon Shaffer, PhD, of Defend Public Health, on how public health can build power (ethically, nonpartisan, effective).
www.jonathanshaffer.net
www.defendpublichealth.org
#DefendPublicHealth
www.jonathanshaffer.net
www.defendpublichealth.org
#DefendPublicHealth
Hej Sweden! Thrilled to welcome new listeners—I’m over the moon that Infectious Dose has found a home in the land of fika and innovation. ☕🎙️
#Podcast #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDosePodcast #Sweden
#Podcast #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDosePodcast #Sweden
September 11, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Hej Sweden! Thrilled to welcome new listeners—I’m over the moon that Infectious Dose has found a home in the land of fika and innovation. ☕🎙️
#Podcast #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDosePodcast #Sweden
#Podcast #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDosePodcast #Sweden
A heartfelt céad míle fáilte to my new listeners in Ireland! This McSharry is grinning ear to ear knowing Infectious Dose has landed on the Emerald Isle. 🌍
#Podcast #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDisease #Ireland
#Podcast #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDisease #Ireland
September 10, 2025 at 2:22 AM
A heartfelt céad míle fáilte to my new listeners in Ireland! This McSharry is grinning ear to ear knowing Infectious Dose has landed on the Emerald Isle. 🌍
#Podcast #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDisease #Ireland
#Podcast #ScienceCommunication #InfectiousDisease #Ireland
I LOVE FALL!! And the spooky season especially.
So, of course #InfectiousDose will lean in.
Something wicked this way comes… 🦠🔥
#InfectiousDose #October #Halloween
infectiousdose.com
So, of course #InfectiousDose will lean in.
Something wicked this way comes… 🦠🔥
#InfectiousDose #October #Halloween
infectiousdose.com
September 5, 2025 at 7:08 PM
I LOVE FALL!! And the spooky season especially.
So, of course #InfectiousDose will lean in.
Something wicked this way comes… 🦠🔥
#InfectiousDose #October #Halloween
infectiousdose.com
So, of course #InfectiousDose will lean in.
Something wicked this way comes… 🦠🔥
#InfectiousDose #October #Halloween
infectiousdose.com
Ever feel lost in the noise of conflicting health info?
Here are 5 steps you can use to figure out what’s true 👇
Full breakdown in this week’s #InfectiousDose: infectiousdose.com/post/not-sma...
Here are 5 steps you can use to figure out what’s true 👇
Full breakdown in this week’s #InfectiousDose: infectiousdose.com/post/not-sma...
September 5, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Ever feel lost in the noise of conflicting health info?
Here are 5 steps you can use to figure out what’s true 👇
Full breakdown in this week’s #InfectiousDose: infectiousdose.com/post/not-sma...
Here are 5 steps you can use to figure out what’s true 👇
Full breakdown in this week’s #InfectiousDose: infectiousdose.com/post/not-sma...
🎉Welcome, new listeners from Italy and France!
🎧🌍I'm thrilled to have you join the Infectious Dose community.
🦠 Science, stories, and myth-busting—one episode at a time.
👉 infectiousdose.com
🎧🌍I'm thrilled to have you join the Infectious Dose community.
🦠 Science, stories, and myth-busting—one episode at a time.
👉 infectiousdose.com
August 27, 2025 at 4:45 PM
🎉Welcome, new listeners from Italy and France!
🎧🌍I'm thrilled to have you join the Infectious Dose community.
🦠 Science, stories, and myth-busting—one episode at a time.
👉 infectiousdose.com
🎧🌍I'm thrilled to have you join the Infectious Dose community.
🦠 Science, stories, and myth-busting—one episode at a time.
👉 infectiousdose.com
🎉A warm merhaba to listeners from our newest country, Turkey!
Extra special welcome—my late aunt spent much of her life as a university professor in Istanbul, so this one’s close to the heart.
Glad to have you in the #InfectiousDose family! 🌍🦠
infectiousdose.com
Extra special welcome—my late aunt spent much of her life as a university professor in Istanbul, so this one’s close to the heart.
Glad to have you in the #InfectiousDose family! 🌍🦠
infectiousdose.com
August 19, 2025 at 3:03 PM
🎉A warm merhaba to listeners from our newest country, Turkey!
Extra special welcome—my late aunt spent much of her life as a university professor in Istanbul, so this one’s close to the heart.
Glad to have you in the #InfectiousDose family! 🌍🦠
infectiousdose.com
Extra special welcome—my late aunt spent much of her life as a university professor in Istanbul, so this one’s close to the heart.
Glad to have you in the #InfectiousDose family! 🌍🦠
infectiousdose.com
🦟 In the forest, chikungunya jumps between non-human primates & mosquitoes. Spillover adds people to the loop putting more at risk.
Once it adapts to a new mosquito, everyone’s in play.
🎧 Hear the full story: infectiousdose.com/post/blood-a...
#Chikungunya #Mosquitoes #InfectiousDose
Once it adapts to a new mosquito, everyone’s in play.
🎧 Hear the full story: infectiousdose.com/post/blood-a...
#Chikungunya #Mosquitoes #InfectiousDose
August 15, 2025 at 6:12 PM
🦟 In the forest, chikungunya jumps between non-human primates & mosquitoes. Spillover adds people to the loop putting more at risk.
Once it adapts to a new mosquito, everyone’s in play.
🎧 Hear the full story: infectiousdose.com/post/blood-a...
#Chikungunya #Mosquitoes #InfectiousDose
Once it adapts to a new mosquito, everyone’s in play.
🎧 Hear the full story: infectiousdose.com/post/blood-a...
#Chikungunya #Mosquitoes #InfectiousDose
Chikungunya isn’t just painful—it’s a mosquito-borne lesson in how viruses evolve and travel.
To understand more, check out my newest episode:
🎧 Listen or read: infectiousdose.com/post/blood-a...
#VirusEvolution #Chikungunya #SciencePodcast #InfectiousDose
To understand more, check out my newest episode:
🎧 Listen or read: infectiousdose.com/post/blood-a...
#VirusEvolution #Chikungunya #SciencePodcast #InfectiousDose
August 14, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Chikungunya isn’t just painful—it’s a mosquito-borne lesson in how viruses evolve and travel.
To understand more, check out my newest episode:
🎧 Listen or read: infectiousdose.com/post/blood-a...
#VirusEvolution #Chikungunya #SciencePodcast #InfectiousDose
To understand more, check out my newest episode:
🎧 Listen or read: infectiousdose.com/post/blood-a...
#VirusEvolution #Chikungunya #SciencePodcast #InfectiousDose
What bends the body, rides on a mosquito’s bite, and lingers long after it’s gone?
Chikungunya
Learn all you need to know in the next episode of #InfectiousDose
Drops tomorrow at midnight. On your favorite player.
infectiousdose.com
Chikungunya
Learn all you need to know in the next episode of #InfectiousDose
Drops tomorrow at midnight. On your favorite player.
infectiousdose.com
August 12, 2025 at 1:24 AM
What bends the body, rides on a mosquito’s bite, and lingers long after it’s gone?
Chikungunya
Learn all you need to know in the next episode of #InfectiousDose
Drops tomorrow at midnight. On your favorite player.
infectiousdose.com
Chikungunya
Learn all you need to know in the next episode of #InfectiousDose
Drops tomorrow at midnight. On your favorite player.
infectiousdose.com
🚨 First chikungunya case in Taiwan traced to China’s Foshan outbreak.
Next #InfectiousDose episode unpacks the outbreak, the virus, and the mosquitoes driving it.
🎧 Drops Tuesday, Midnight!
News Story: aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/...
#Chikungunya #Outbreak #GlobalHealth
Next #InfectiousDose episode unpacks the outbreak, the virus, and the mosquitoes driving it.
🎧 Drops Tuesday, Midnight!
News Story: aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/...
#Chikungunya #Outbreak #GlobalHealth
August 10, 2025 at 7:58 PM
🚨 First chikungunya case in Taiwan traced to China’s Foshan outbreak.
Next #InfectiousDose episode unpacks the outbreak, the virus, and the mosquitoes driving it.
🎧 Drops Tuesday, Midnight!
News Story: aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/...
#Chikungunya #Outbreak #GlobalHealth
Next #InfectiousDose episode unpacks the outbreak, the virus, and the mosquitoes driving it.
🎧 Drops Tuesday, Midnight!
News Story: aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/...
#Chikungunya #Outbreak #GlobalHealth
Why do I fight vaccine disinformation?
Why spend hours researching, writing, and fact-checking?
This quote is why. 👇
Why spend hours researching, writing, and fact-checking?
This quote is why. 👇
August 9, 2025 at 12:28 AM
Why do I fight vaccine disinformation?
Why spend hours researching, writing, and fact-checking?
This quote is why. 👇
Why spend hours researching, writing, and fact-checking?
This quote is why. 👇