Why Are So Many Little Kids Sick Right Now?
What Next | Daily News and Analysis
Slate Podcasts
4.3 • 2.4K Ratings
🗓️ 6 November 2022
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It’s been a rough autumn for parents of little kids, as non-COVID respiratory diseases are taking advantage of the first fall since 2019 where schools and daycares are full again, and America’s strained pediatric health care system is once again put to the test.
Guest: Katherine Wu, science writer for The Atlantic.
Host: Lizzie O’Leary.
Podcast production by Madeline Ducharme.
If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This episode is brought to you by Best Buy. This year let Best Buy be your holiday |
| 0:05.3 | height partner. Whether you're searching for exciting gifts, trying to snag the hottest |
| 0:09.3 | holiday deals or looking for ways to simplify the giving and receiving experience, Best Buy is |
| 0:14.7 | here to help. Best Buy has the best assortment of impactful tech gifts, along with fast and free |
| 0:20.9 | fulfillment options and great deals all season long. Maybe you're looking for an air-fire to help |
| 0:26.9 | the aspiring foodie in your life unlock new recipes, or a new phone or camera for an aspiring |
| 0:32.6 | filmmaker who's turning their passion into a side gig. Or you might be on the hunt for a new |
| 0:37.8 | smartwatch to support a friend's wellness journey. No matter what you're looking for, Best Buy is your |
| 0:43.2 | gifting destination for everyone on your list. And Best Buy makes it easy to get your gifts how and |
| 0:49.4 | when you need them with free next day delivery on thousands of items, as well as same day delivery |
| 0:54.7 | and in-store pickup options. Shop great deals on gifts now at Best Buy. |
| 1:05.8 | There's something so romantic about winter and I don't know whether that's just because I'm |
| 1:09.4 | bit for homebody and I love a five. But I think it's just the holiday period is just for me, it's the |
| 1:15.6 | most romantic period. And I think anyone who's listened to my records will know that I'm quite |
| 1:20.5 | a big fan of Rybans. Joy in every sip with red cups now back at Starbucks. |
| 1:35.7 | Since my kid was a newborn, I've been in a group chat with other parents. It's eight mothers, |
| 1:41.5 | all of whom have two year olds. We talk about our kids, their tantrums, their development, |
| 1:47.6 | the kind of mundane stuff that other adults probably don't want to hear about. |
| 1:52.9 | Yeah, it's what do I feed my child for a lot in Halloween costumes, the interspersed with |
| 2:00.0 | my kid's sick, my kid's had a running nose for six months, my kid has had a thousand year |
| 2:09.9 | infections. And everyone at my kid's school is sick, half the class is out. That's basically our |
| 2:16.2 | conversation. That's my friend, best 11. She's part of the group chat. I'm a writer at Vanity Fair, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Slate Podcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Slate Podcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.