Vaccines are one of the strongest and most cost-effective strategies to reduce outbreaks everywhere. But the presence of vaccines also comes with droves of misinformation about them — from false connections to autism to allegations that COVID-19 vaccines contained microchips.
On this episode of "What's Health?" epidemiologist Dr. Seth Berkley explains the scientific limits and global consequences of not properly managing vaccines.
Berkley covers the unfinished quest for an HIV vaccine to the resurgence of other preventable diseases, like measles, due to misinformation and declining trust.
Berkley and other vaccine advocates say global vaccine equity is necessary to protect societies and that underinvestment in vaccines would leave the world in danger, if or when the next pandemic rolls around.
Berkley is former CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public-private partnership that supports immunization programs worldwide.
In our latter block, we discuss Spark, a new app from The Mind Co., the creative force behind some of the most beloved New York Times puzzles.
Spark reframes crossword, trivia and other games as cognitive rehab. In an effort to break habits that hijack our focus, like doomscrolling and other forms of digital overload, Spark seeks to return to intentional activities that challenge our brains with bite-sized problem-solving.
Chandi Deitmen, co-founder of The Mind Co., joins the show and emphasizes how even the smallest forms of learning can help the brain stretch its muscles and protect it from the dreaded "brain rot."
"What's Health Got to Do with It?" is a talk program from WJCT in Jacksonville that examines the intersection of health care and daily life.
The host is Jacksonville neurologist Dr. Joe Sirvan.
Click on the Listen button above to hear the program.
Copyright 2026 WJCT News 89.9
