• Mayo Clinic Radio: Vector-borne diseases and vaccine hesitancy / HPV test versus Pap smear / Gut bacteria and weight loss

Illnesses caused by disease-infected ticks, mosquitoes and fleas have tripled in the U.S. in recent years, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the U. S. According to the CDC, about 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year, but the number of unreported cases is estimated to be 10 times that amount. You may wonder, if Lyme disease has become so common, why isn’t there a vaccine for it?

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. Gregory Poland, director of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, will discuss vaccines for vector-borne illnesses, including Lyme disease and Zika virus. Dr. Poland will also discuss the problem of vaccine hesitancy. Also on the program, Dr. Margaret Long, a gynecologist at Mayo Clinic, will explain how the HPV test works differently than a Pap smear. And, Dr. Purna Kashyap and Dr. Vandana Nehra, both gastroenterologists at Mayo Clinic, will share the findings of their research on how your individual gut bacteria may affect your ability to lose weight.

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Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.