Clinician Scientist • Infectious Diseases / Virology @univofstandrews • @IDIMakerere • globalhealth, TB, HIV • #vegan🌱• RT ≠ endorsement
United Kingdom
Joined August 2009
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Concerns about outdoor transmission risk seem to be trending again. What is the risk of transmission outdoors and should we be more worried about outdoors with the new more-transmissible variant? 🧵(1/n)
It has been 2 months since the first cases were reported in the MPX multi-country outbreak, & the # of cases has now crossed 14k globally. While accurate information is critical to staying ahead, there is so much misinformation. An update on the current status of #monkeypox.🧵
Tanzanian MoH has just announced that these cases were diagnosed with Leptospirosis - thankfully, Ebola & other VHFs have been ruled out! 20 people were admitted & 3 unfortunately died. The majority have been discharged, with two remaining in-patients under treatment. #IDTwitter
3 people have died and 13 have been affected by an unknown illness in Tanzania.
The symptoms are reported to range from a fever, severe headache, fatigue, and nose bleeding.
Authorities are investigating and have urged Tanzanians to stay calm ➡️ bbc.in/3uJThzg
Official communication by the MoH confirms that Ebola, Marburg, anthrax, CCHF, yellow fever, chikungunya, West Nile virus, Rift Valley fever, COVID19 and influenza have been ruled out.
Waziri wa Afya Mhe @ummymwalimu amesema upimaji wa sampuli za wagonjwa waliokuwa wakiugua Ugonjwa Usiojulikana Wilaya ya Ruangwa katika Mkoa wa Lindi umethibitisha mlipuko huu kuwa wa ugonjwa wa Leptospirosis, Field Fever kwa lugha ya Kiswahili inajulikana kama Homa ya Mgunda.
As the monkeypox virus (MPX) outbreak continues, a lot of data emerging in real-time & being rapidly disseminated (as well as misinformation). I complied the unfolding scientific data (with direct links to papers and threads) on what we (don’t) know so far. #IDTwitter 🧵(1/n)
First, MPXV is not a novel virus. It is a viral zoonosis first discovered in 1958, with the first human infection reported in 1970. It is classified as a high priority pathogen by WHO, cases mostly identified in central & western Africa until now. (2/n) (who.int/news-room/fact-sheet…\)
A great article on hepatitis of unknown aetiology quoting experts directly involved in outbreak mgmt. “Getting too invested in an idea about the possible cause of an outbreak is a rookie mistake. You have to remain open to what the evidence reveals.” statnews.com/2022/05/04/with…
This was a very good #ECCMID2022 session on acute hepatitis of unknown origin presented by @KMougkou of @ECDC_EU and @meera_chand of @UKHSA. Lots of effort has been put in place already and a lot of work is in progress.
Late breaker session at #ECCMID2022 on acute hepatitis cases of unknown origin in children.
So far, 169 cases have been reported from 11 countries since first case was identified in 31 March. 17 have required liver transplant & at least one death has been reported. #IDTwitter
Late breaker session at #ECCMID2022 on acute hepatitis cases of unknown origin in children.
So far, 169 cases have been reported from 11 countries since first case was identified in 31 March. 17 have required liver transplant & at least one death has been reported. #IDTwitter
Almost all cases had high transaminases, majority of children have been hospitalised. No common exposure has been identified, no link to COVID19 vaccination. Adenovirus F41 was identified in several cases, but it doesn’t fully explain the clinical severity observed. #ECCMID2022
Hopium is not that bad after all!
It’s becoming clear that fear based messaging w/ scary graphs & worrying threads don’t lead to increased engagement in public health measures. ‘We need to not just appeal to fear but to help people see how we get through this.’
Very interesting analyses about the virology of #Omicron, which may explain the faster spread of this variant.
According to a new lab study, Omicron infects & multiplies ~70x faster than the Delta variant and the wild type SARS-CoV-2 in the human bronchus, but not in the lung.
In this ex vivo study (press release), Michael Chan, Malik Peiris & John Nicholls et al. @hkumed show that at 24h after infection Omicron replicated ~70x faster than Delta in bronchus. Interestingly, it replicated ~10x less efficiently in the lung tissue. hkumed.hk/96b127/
Important preliminary data from SA looking at whether vaccine elicited antibodies are still effective against #Omicron.
Good & bad news: There is a big drop in neutralisation activity, but it's partial & hybrid (vax + infection) holds fairly well. 🧵
xitter.twitterapi.xyz/mugecevik/status/14668…
This is a live virus neutralisation assay. Neutralisation studies can tell us whether levels of Ab in the blood (convalescent and vaccinated plasma) are high enough to prevent the virus from infecting cells in the lab.
xitter.twitterapi.xyz/mugecevik/status/14668…
🦠 There’s a lot we don’t yet understand about Omicron, including its impact on immunity and what it means for vaccines. New data will be emerging over the next few wks, which could be misinterpreted w/o context. What we might expect & how to interpret the emerging data? 🧵(1/n)
No one seems to be interested in the actual RCT data on long-term protection of Pfizer in 6 countries at 152 sites. Among 45k participants, while there was a gradual decline, high efficacy against Covid-19 & severe disease was preserved for at least 6m.
nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NE…
Bu yazımızda hastane verilerine bakarak aşıların etkinliğine dair çıkarım yapmanın neden hatalı olduğu, delta varyantına karşı aşıların etkinliği ve 3. Doz tartışmaları üzerine değindik. İyi okumalar! H/t @ainergiz
@bbcturkce
bbc.com/turkce/haberler-duny…
Meğer çokca iddia edilenin aksine 2 doz Sinovac inaktif aşı da gayet etkili. Şili’de 10 milyon kişi üzerinden yapılan araştırmaya göre 2 doz Sinovac hastaneye yatışı 87.5%, yoğun bakıma yatışı 90% ve ölümleri 86% oranında önlüyor. #VaccinesSaveLives
nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NE…
There is a lot of concern/confusion about vaccine effectiveness against the delta variant. How effective are the vaccines against Delta & how to interpret real-world observational data? So much misinformation is being circulated, so this thread brings key data together. 🧵(1/n)
“The long term solutions to these pressures are clear. A properly funded NHS where capacity genuinely, and sustainably, meets demand. A fully funded workforce plan to ensure NHS staff have a reasonable workload.”
To get an accurate picture of the pressure the NHS is under, it’s vital to look at the full range of demand and staffing pressures facing the service, not just the covid caseload @ChrisCEOHopson ow.ly/Z5wH50FQX7e
The idea that “living with covid” exposes the working class to higher risk is quite disingenuous. Working class have been living w/ infection risk even in lockdown. It’s not a new reality for many. Are we supposed to pretend it won't be endemic & is that any better for the poor?
Living with covid doesn't mean normalising death or not doing anything about it. The way to reduce the risk in disadvantaged groups is resource-based interventions. Let’s advocate for equitable policies that will protect the most vulnerable.
science.sciencemag.org/conte…
An iconic image of climate change.
7 days of devastating wildfires in Turkey reached a coal-based power plant tonight.
The irony of the most significant cause of climate change being in the middle of wildfires, which are a result of the #ClimateCrisis
Scientists are under a great deal of stress, but personal attacks must not be tolerated. Universities have a responsibility to urge academics to keep a decent tone, inc on social media. We need respectful debates for the scientific progress. @bmj_latest bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n489
Those suggesting that I dismiss #longcovid should first check what I have been doing over the last year. With @ISARIC1 we developed a follow-up protocol to understand the long-term consequences following COVID-19 which is now implemented internationally. medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/…
