Why subscribe?
Force of Infection is a newsletter about what’s going around—outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics.
From August through the end of flu season I send out a weekly “weather report” of respiratory and stomach bug activity in the U.S., as well as food recalls. I gave early warning of the tripledemic (September!) and alerted readers to a surge in norovirus before it was in the news.
Paid subscribers get access to regional newsletters that contain information specific to the Southern, Western, Northeastern, and Midwest regions. They contain more detailed information relevant to your area.
During summer months, I have fun exploring other issues in epidemiology and public health, like radon mitigation. My publishing schedule is less frequent during the summer.
Occasionally, I post a deep dive on an infectious disease topic. I’ve reflected on moving beyond the pandemic origins debate, missing pieces of the monkeypox (mpox) response, and whether the COVID-19 pandemic is over. The essays I have published here have been cited in the Washington Post, the Atlantic, Vox, and STAT News.
Why upgrade? If you enjoy my writing and want more news you can use about what’s going around in your region, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. By upgrading you’ll also be helping keep Force of Infection sustainable so I can help inform readers about “what’s going around.”
Who am I?
My name is Dr. Caitlin Rivers. I’m an epidemiologist and associate professor at Johns Hopkins. I have a PhD in epidemiology and an MPH in infectious diseases. My personal website is here.
My work focuses on the policies and practices needed to improve outbreak response and pandemic preparedness. I’ve had multiple roles in the Federal government, including at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where I helped to found the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics.
I also like to write. I’ve written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Nature, and more. My first book, Crisis Averted: The Hidden Science of Fighting Outbreaks was published by Viking in 2024.
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