The lab's efforts aren't duplicated anywhere, there's no $ to be made so the private sector won't step in, and this lab is key to fighting anti-microbial resistance.

“To me, this is like a blind man with a chainsaw has just gone through the system and arbitrarily cut things without any rationale.”

https://www.statnews.com/2025/04/05/cdc-sexually-transmitted-diseases-laboratory-closed-by-trump-administration/

Via Dave Levitan:

Per a source with knowledge, the entire #HHS Office of #InfectiousDisease & #HIV / #AIDS Policy, or #OIDP, was just fired.

Second #death reported in growing #measles outbreak

The death of a #NewMexico #adult comes 8 days after a 6-year-old child succumbed to the disease in #Texas last week.

#PublicHealth #health #science #medicine #vaccines #InfectiousDisease #GetVaccinated #US #Trump #RFKJr #AntiVax #reckless #ConspiracyTheories #idiocracy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/03/06/measles-death-outbreak-new-mexico/

Overheard today: a woman could scarcely stop coughing. An acquaintance asked if she was okay, and she said it just seemed like she was sick all the time these days.

Please, if you're reading this, be aware that Covid damages your immune system and makes you more vulnerable to diseases. Now consider that with measles, one of the most infectious diseases ever, going around. Measles erases immunity - it's like starting over.

Mask up.

I get that folks love hunting but frankly, I wouldn't eat deer or elk anymore at all. That's just me. Prions are frightening. It's not known what the risk to humans is with this but prion diseases have extremely long incubation periods. So you might think there's no problem...when there is.

"Researchers have identified chronic wasting disease (CWD) prions in raw, cooked, and cured meat from an infected elk in Texas, confirming the presence of the infectious CWD-causing agents in muscle but concluding that the risk of transmission to humans through consumption is still unclear and requires continued vigilance.

Cooking temperatures are well known to be ineffective in disabling CWD prions, which are misfolded cervid (eg, deer, moose, elk) prions, leading to neurologic disease and death. The prions spread among cervids and through environmental contamination. There is no vaccine or treatment for CWD, which has been found in 35 US states, Canada, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and South Korea."
#prions #InfectiousDisease #cervids #CWD https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/chronic-wasting-disease/cwd-prions-confirmed-raw-cooked-elk-meat-and-water-used-boiling-risk-people

WHO on undiagnosed disease in DRC as of today,
BLUF: Still testing.

Given the clinical presentation and symptoms reported, and a number of associated deaths, acute pneumonia, influenza, COVID-19, measles and malaria are being considered as potential causal factors with malnutrition as a contributing factor. Malaria is a common disease in this area, and it may be causing or contributing to the cases. Laboratory tests are underway to determine the exact cause. At this stage, it is also possible that more than one disease is contributing to the cases and deaths. ... The clinical presentation of patients includes symptoms such as fever (96.5%), cough (87.9%), fatigue (60.9%) and a running nose (57.8%). The main symptoms associated with death include difficulty in breathing, anaemia, and signs of acute malnutrition. Based on the current context of the affected area and the broad presentation of symptoms, a number of suspected diseases need to be ruled out through further investigations and laboratory testing. These include but are not limited to measles, influenza, acute pneumonia (respiratory tract infection), hemolytic uremic syndrome from E. coli, COVID-19, and malaria.
#InfectiousDisease #DRC #Congo #WHO
https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2024-DON546

This week's #TWiV Clinical Update with Dr. Daniel Griffin is out. https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-1170/

In the initial comments discussing #H5N1, Prof. Racaniello and Dr. Griffin mentioned the 2012 Fouchier and Kawaoka studies demonstrating that as few as five mutations could result in airborne transmission of #H5N1 in mammals; these studies prompted a furor over gain of function research in viruses. CIDRAP has a summary here https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/fouchier-study-reveals-changes-enabling-airborne-spread-h5n1

Over the past year or so H5N1 has spread in various mammal species, often causing high mortality, but not yet in humans. A teen in British Colombia has been in critical condition for two weeks with H5N1 (not the new cow-adapted variant which has infected many dairy farmers with mild symptoms) but no one else has caught the virus from the teen.
#influenza #HPAI #InfectiousDisease

Prof. Racaniello and Dr. Griffin have a discussion about RFKJr and other issues of the week.
#medicine #vaccines #InfectiousDisease #PublicHealth https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-1168/

Osterholm Update: In "Serious Challenges Ahead: RFK Jr and a New HHS," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the recent nomination of RFK Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services. They also discuss the latest COVID data, a global increase in measles cases, and a decline in STI incidence in the United States.
#medicine #InfectiousDisease #HHS #COVID #PublicHealth #CIDRAP https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/episode-171-serious-challenges-ahead-rfk-jr-and-new-hhs

"The H5N1 bird flu is now circulating in poultry, cows, and pigs. It has infected people. There is no better place for a virus to mix-and-match and become more virulent than in a pig farm. Pigs are considered “mixing vessels” for pathogens, and it’s possible that the last horrible pandemic—the 1918 flu—passed through pigs on the way to people. That pandemic killed 50 million people. If H5N1 starts spreading easily among people, we’re going to need a lot of vaccines, clear public health messages, and federal experts who aren’t being contradicted, let alone actively hamstrung at their place of employment, by an anti-scientific crank." #medicine #natsec #InfectiousDisease #health
https://slate.com/_pages/cm3qctm2m0000lpkye5w6cw4v.html

Corriere.it - Homepage by di Alfio Sciacca
Matteo Bassetti contro i vigili dopo la multa alla festa del figlio. «Atteggiamenti da sceriffi che non tollero»

L'infettivologo ha postato un video accusando la polizia locale (intervenuta per la musica alta): «Fanno i forti con i deboli, vorrei vedere lo stesso rigore in altre zone della città»

Translated:
Matteo Bassetti against the police after a fine for his son's party. "Sheriff attitudes that I can't tolerate."

The infectious disease specialist posted a video accusing the local police (who intervened for loud music): "They are strong with the weak, I would like to see the same rigor in other areas of the city".

#MatteoBassetti #infectiousdisease #specialist #sheriff
https://www.corriere.it/cronache/24_ottobre_04/matteo-bassetti-e-la-multa-per-la-musica-alta-alla-festa-del-figlio-i-vigili-atteggiamenti-da-sceriffi-non-li-tollero-df204baf-dabb-411d-9174-a41377791xlk.shtml

A veritable who's who of SARS-CoV-2 researchers published another paper supporting the Huanan market's wildlife trade as the source of the virus spillover.
The paper: Genetic tracing of market wildlife and viruses at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00901-2
Discussion about the paper in Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03026-9
#COVID #InfectiousDisease #ZoonoticDiseases

#introduction

I'm Kylie Ainslie 


I'm originally from Atlanta, GA, #USA and now live in #Amsterdam on a floating house. 



I am an #infectiousdisease modeller for @rivm, where I use #math, #stats, and #rstats to study the spread of disease. I'm also an Hon. Asst. Prof. at HKU. Committed to #opensource and #openscience.

Proud #pupmom and organiser of #rladies Amsterdam.

A damning indictment of droplet theory (that pathogens spread by flying droplets out 'cha mouth) from as long ago as 1936.

Written by Dr. Wells & Mr. Wells, a wife and husband team.

Thread.

[originally posted August 28, 2020]

First post here #introduction

I write about science & medicine. I worked for #NZZ in Zurich, Switzerland for 25 years and decided to go freelance in 2024. I got into #ScienceJournalism after completing my PhD in neurobiology.

My interests include: #InfectiousDisease #COVID19 #Neuroscience #MentalHealth #Alzheimer #Cancer #HealthEquity #SciComm #HumanRights #ClimateCrisis #books
Raised in &, lives

Twitter has been very inspiring, hoping #ScienceMastodon and #MedMastodon will be good too