David Zamora
@davidzd.bsky.social
IM PGY-3 @loyolamedicine ID Fellow Soon @ucla-id-fellowship.bsky.social Posted opinions are own. Reposts are not endorsements.
A year ago I warned what would happen if the US tore down our disease detection system around the world With Hantavirus & Ebola we are seeing VERY clearly what we’ve lost And why it matters Read my @theatlantic.com piece from last year outlining what happened www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
The Diseases Are Coming
Elon Musk’s slash-and-burn government tear will have lasting effects on global health.
theatlantic.com
Some thoughts heading into the weekend: CDC has no permanent director. NIH director positions sitting open plus top aides leaving. And NIAID dropped pandemic preparation entirely. Public health infrastructure is being dismantled while H5N1 spreads across the country. 🧵
Exclusive: Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation
Staff members have been instructed to scrub this topic and ‘biodefense’ from the agency’s website.
nature.com
The next time politicians say there is no money for health or humanitarian aid, I will remember this: $1 billion per day on war
Robert Reich@rbreich.bsky.social · 7mo agoSo far the war in Iran has cost an estimated $5.5 billion. That's roughly $1 billion per day. $41,666,667 per hour. $11,574 per second. People do not want this. They want a living wage. They want healthcare. They want to be able to afford a home. They want their basic needs met.
Infectious diseases do not magically disappear just because you stop tracking and reporting. This is dangerous. When diseases spread in silence, outbreaks go undetected for much longer and containment is more difficult. All of this means more avoidable deaths. www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...
CDC Stopped Updating Key Vaccine, Infectious Disease Databases in 2025
The inaction 'demonstrates a profound disregard for human life,' says IDSA leader
medpagetoday.com
#Vaccination is effective against clinical disease caused by #influenza A(H3N2) A study from the UK found the typical range of #vaccine effectiveness in line with age groups (2−12 years, 18−64 years & ≥ 65 years) against emergency department attendance or #hospitalisation #IDSky #MedSky #EpiSky 🛟
Early influenza virus characterisation and vaccine effectiveness in England in autumn 2025, a period dominated by influenza A(H3N2) subclade K
Influenza A(H3N2) subclade K (J.2.4.1) has dominated the 2025/26 season start in England. Post-infection ferret antisera raised against northern hemisphere 2025/26 vaccine strains showed reduced reactivity to subclade K viruses in England, aligning with World Health Organization reports. Nevertheless, early post-vaccination, vaccine effectiveness against influenza-related emergency department attendances and hospital admissions remained within typical ranges, at 72–75% in children and adolescents (< 18 years) and 32–39% in adults. Hence, vaccination remains effective against clinical disease caused by influenza A(H3N2) viruses.
bit.ly
WHO@who.int · 10mo ago#Influenza and #COVID19 vaccines prevent hospitalizations and deaths. That’s why WHO recommends seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccination for people at risk of severe disease.
we’re talkin’ CloCeBa at @idsainfo.bsky.social Journal Club this month! Do we need to think about adding blaZ type to rapid diagnostic panels for MSSA bacteremia? www.idsociety.org/science-spea...
Anti-staphylococcal penicillins versus cefazolin for methicillin-susceptible S. aureus bacteremia: Is there a role for determining blaZ type?
A study in The Lancet addressed cloxacillin versus cefazolin for methicillin-susceptible S. aureus bacteremia. Read IDSA’s Journal Club review by Christopher J. Graber.
idsociety.org
From SARS Cov-2 Substack. ⚠️ BREAKING: Scientists Warn That If H5N1 Starts Spreading Easily Between People, We May Have Only 48 Hours to Stop a Pandemic www.nature.com/articles/d44... link.springer.com/article/10.1...
H5N1’s tipping point: Scientists identify when containment fails
India’s patchy bird monitoring across wetlands-farm interfaces risks overlooking the virus until it’s too late.
nature.com
Marburg outbreak with 9 people affected in southern Ethiopia, same strain as previously seen in East African outbreaks… #IDSky #marburg - hemorrhagic virus similar to Ebola - case fatality rate of ~50% - spread by bodily fluids, fomites, bats www.healthday.com/health-news/...
Deadly Ebola-Like Marburg Virus Infects 9 in Ethiopia, WHO Confirms
MONDAY, Nov. 17, 2025 (HealthDay News) — At least nine people in southern Ethiopia have been infected with Marburg virus, a deadly illness similar to Ebola.This
healthday.com
The shutdown of USAID has already killed hundreds of thousands of people. It was also the most effective soft power organization on planet earth helping American interests across the globe. This was a powerfully foolish thing to do, inhuman and cruel. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorker.com
Finally published this article and it's more important now than ever to #SaveHIVFunding #HIVSky academic.oup.com/cid/article-...
Silence = Death Is Real Now More Than Ever, but Words Aren’t Enough—Action Is Needed!
To the editor—Thanks to Meyerowitz and Schwartz [1] for their viewpoint article, which highlights all the jarring changes that President Trump and his admi
academic.oup.com
Spent a lot of time at #IDWeek2025 thinking about life as an ID specialist in the USA one year ago compared to now. Summary: Times are tough, but the community and people remain strong. Stay that way, everyone. (Plus can't-miss bonus video.) #IDsky blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-obser...
What a Difference a Year Makes -- with Bonus Halloween Video
At last year’s IDWeek — the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America — a group of us veterans in the HIV/ID world wrapped up a busy day of symposia, abstracts, and posters with a l...
blogs.jwatch.org
Learned so much, but the best part of #IDWeek is the people. Grateful for this amazing ID community. See you next year as ID fellow!
Courage is contagious. 💪 IDSA and HIVMA members educated #IDWeek2025 attendees on how they can stand up for science & public health in today’s challenging political climate. Urge your congressional reps to support ID funding, strengthen research & uphold evidence-based policy: bit.ly/3L4pbBK
Anyone attending ID Week would like to join the team for the Out-BREAK escape room? #IDWeek2025 @idweek.bsky.social
🗣Your voice is needed! ACIP meets Sept. 18-19 to discuss vaccines, incl. COVID-19, RSV and MMRV. Clinicians and scientists must speak up on why vaccines save lives and access must remain broad. Take 2 min and submit your comment: https://idsociety.quorum.us/campaign/139983/ Deadline: Sat. Sept. 13
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Infectious Diseases Society of America
idsociety.quorum.us
"Biomedical research is not a luxury. It is a public good that enables emergency preparedness, equitable care, and medical progress...we cannot afford silence." @davidzd.bsky.social puts this so clearly. doi.org/10.1136/bmj.... 🧪 #MedSky #IDSky #PublicHealth #VaccinesWork #SciSky
US science funding cuts are a global health emergency
McKee and Buse considered the potential implications of a second Trump administration for global health.1 The situation might be more serious than anticipated because of ongoing biomedical research cu...
doi.org
If you are comparing childhood vaccination requirements with slavery a) you neither understand vaccines nor slavery b) you have no business being a “surgeon general” of any state
gift link to dr. susan monarez’s piece in the wall street journal this morning.
Opinion | Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the CDC and Me
I was fired after 29 days because I held the line and insisted on rigorous scientific review.
wsj.com
We knew this would happen. Am begging everyone to call their senators and demand his resignation. Trust actual medical experts! We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...
Opinion | We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health
nytimes.com
The vaccine is about 100% effective if taken when needed. Treatment for most is about 100% ineffective.
Bruno J. Navarro@brunojnavarro.bsky.social · last yr.Six deaths from rabies have been reported over the last 12 months in the U.S., the highest number in years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The CDC you knew is over...Unless someone takes radical action, there is nothing there that can be salvaged" @drdemetre.bsky.social www.advocate.com/politics/dem...
RFK Jr.’s damage to the CDC is ‘past the point of no return,’ Dr. Demetre Daskalakis warns
“The CDC you knew is over,” the infectious diseases doctor told The Advocate. “Unless someone takes radical action, there is nothing there that can be salvaged.”
advocate.com
TRUMP PRESIDENCY AND GLOBAL HEALTH US science funding cuts are a global health emergency — My viewpoint on BMJ #IDSky #MedSky BMJ2025;390:r1692 doi.org/10.1136/bmj....
US science funding cuts are a global health emergency
McKee and Buse considered the potential implications of a second Trump administration for global health.1 The situation might be more serious than anticipated because of ongoing biomedical research cu...
doi.org
Needle-free vaccine through gum inoculation? I love disruptive science. #IDSky
BK. Titanji@boghuma.bsky.social · last yr.Y’all. They used dental floss on mice.... for vaccine delivery!!! Not kidding. This is the type of research that keeps me so excited about science and innovation and why we should not be defunding science. www.science.org/content/arti...
