Ursula Hofer
@hoferu.bsky.social
Desk-chair virologist, EiC of The Lancet Infectious Diseases, previously at different Nature journals, MD PhD. She/her/expert. Opinions my own.
Damn, what a loss.
Dorit Reiss@doritreiss.bsky.social · 6h agoA real loss. She was a wonderful journalist and a caring person. "Helen Branswell, a renowned infectious disease reporter who earned the respect of experts and public health officials around the world ...died Tuesday at age 69." www.statnews.com/2026/10/13/h...
If you previously published a handful of papers only and now suddenly publish ~100 papers a year, editors will be suspicious 🤨
Very interesting although disappointing trial
The Lancet Infectious Diseases@thelancetinfdis.bsky.social · 17h agoNew Research Efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of a nine-valent vaccine (ExPEC9V) for the prevention of invasive Escherichia coli disease in older adults: a phase 3, randomised, placebo-controlled trial (E.mbrace) www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
US Executive Order on child vaccines deemed unscientific - The Lancet Microbe www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
US Executive Order on child vaccines deemed unscientific
In a move described as “unscientific and dangerous” by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), US President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order on Aug 10, 2026, recommending that children only ge...
thelancet.com
Massive outbreaks and death aren't the only fallout from anti-vaxxers' rhetoric. Now they're going after the doctors who treat measles patients, reporting them to the state medical board. Thrilled to team up with @walkerbragman.bsky.social on this one! www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Anti-vaxxers target Texas measles doctors to cast doubt on deaths amid outbreak
Children’s Health Defense and RFK Jr publicly dispute recent measles deaths to ‘distract’ from damage caused and question vaccines, experts say
theguardian.com
Can't decide whether I should laugh or cry about this...
Samuel Moore@samuelmoore.org · 3d agoOnly a financial journalist would look at academic publishing and think "what that sector needs is more mergers and private equity" to deal with the mess that financialisation has caused. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
It has happened! Someone offered me money to publish their stuff 😱
Hypothetical question; you are a journal editor and receive an AI-generated complaint about a paper that, although professional English, makes little sense. What do you do?
📣 We’re looking for the next director of the AMR Action Subcommittee! Member positions are also open for applications. Help shape ESCMID’s activities addressing #AMR and take an active role in this critical area. 👉 Learn more & apply: https://www.escmid.org/about-us/jobs-talents/
Happily sitting in my little corner, ignoring everything related to the plague.
Study: No evidence RSV is mutating in response to infant immunizations Drugs to prevent RSV in infants remain effective and do not appear to spur the growth of resistant viral variants. Read more: https://bit.ly/4ytySxx
The #Ebola outbreak in DRC isn't getting much attention these days. It should be. www.statnews.com/2026/10/02/e...
An Ebola treatment center was burned down as the death toll in Congo passes 4,000
Congo's Ebola outbreak has killed more than 4,000 people, authorities said, as they struggle to contain what has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.
statnews.com
I'm increasingly receiving AI-generated complaints about papers we've published, some many years ago. Such a drain of my time. I'm indeed checking each and every one diligently. Although I'm tempted to just use AI to tell the complainant why they're wrong... 😭
arXiv rate limiting submissions in face of AI deluge blog.arxiv.org/2026/10/01/u...
Fair Moderation, Equitable Access, and AI: arXiv’s Updated Rate Limit Policy
arXiv, and the scientific community at large, are facing a watershed moment. Scholarly publishing is currently changing at a rapid pace, and we are seeing a…
blog.arxiv.org
Job alert: STAT is hiring a National Pharma Correspondent www.statnews.com/careers/nati...
National Pharma Correspondent
About STAT In November 2015, STAT was launched as a new national media brand focused on health, medicine, and life sciences. Since then, we have grown to
statnews.com
From isolation to burial: dignity in the Bundibugyo virus disease response - The Lancet www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
From isolation to burial: dignity in the Bundibugyo virus disease response
The 2026 Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak has renewed attention to the conditions under which patients enter isolation and families confront death and burial. Recent commentary explained why the legi...
thelancet.com
Shorter is also better in ICU patients Timsit, Roberts, @angelahuttner.bsky.social, Daneman &c State-of-the-Art in AJRCCM @atsblueeditor.bsky.social For most ICU patients with (suspected) infections, abx can be 🛑 at 5-7d w clinical improvement academic.oup.com/ajrccm/advan... #IDSky #CritCareSky
📣 More evidence that less is probably more: During a global shortage of #bloodculture bottles, Japanese hospitals reduced the number of sets drawn per patient. Contamination rates went down, while detection rates of real pathogens did not. #IDSky #clinmicro www.cmi-comms.org/article/S295...
Impact of blood culture bottle shortage on blood culture positivity rates in Japan: a nationwide hospital-based study
In July 2024, a global shortage of blood culture bottles forced healthcare institutions in Japan to modify blood culture collection practices. This nationwide observational study evaluated the impact ...
cmi-comms.org
I know this preprint is basically rage bait, that's why I'm not linking it. But how cynical is it to say there is a death deficit after the pandemic that has been "paid off" by vulnerable people during the pandemic and excess deaths therefore are overestimated.
New research article Epidemiology and phylogenomic characterisation of the 2025 #Ebola virus disease outbreak in Bulape, Kasaï province, Democratic Republic of the Congo: a retrospective observational study www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... #IDSky #ClinMicro #MicroSky #ViroSky #OpenAccess #OA
“The continuously high CFR, and especially the continuous high rate of deaths occurring in communities, highlights the seriousness of the disease and the persistent challenges in timely case detection and access to early and adequate patient care,” www.cidrap.umn.edu/ebola/dr-con...
DR Congo Ebola outbreak tops 8,000 cases, with 48% death rate
cidrap.umn.edu
🧪 #HIVemergency #Fiji #InjectionDrugUse „UNAids is also concerned about the spread of the virus to the Pacific, with rising cases seen in Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.“ www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
‘Children are dying’: Fiji hopes declaring an HIV emergency will help it tackle crisis
One in 60 adults Fiji lives with HIV but a recent emergency declaration may help address key issues such as syringe sharing
theguardian.com
We’ve written about predatory publishers, fake papers, fake peer review and imposter researchers…. Now suspect ‘learned societies’ 🧪 #academicSky Exclusive: Sham scientific societies are misleading star researchers www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: Sham scientific societies are misleading star researchers
A Nature investigation reveals a network of organizations that have been building their ranks through deceptive practices.
nature.com
Mink farming is a massive pandemic risk. It's insane that they are allowed to exist. Now we have an active H5N1 outbreak on a mink farm, & "state officials have no clear plan to rein it in." Imagine if uncontrolled H5N1 transmission in mink were allowed in a research lab...
The Salt Lake Tribune@sltrib.com · 2w agoIt’s the first documented outbreak of bird flu in captive mink in the U.S., and an advocacy group is raising concerns about Utah’s response.
Four days ago, a scientist was surprised by the news that Anthropic discovered new virus genes for making DNA. He says he’s been studying them for years—and feeding his data to Anthropic’s AI as part of his own research. Coincidence? Here’s my story. nyti.ms/3VSWayc
Did Anthropic’s A.I. Really Make a Scientific Discovery on Its Own? (Gift Article)
An expert at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been sharing its research with the company’s A.I. model, Claude, and that its new finding matched their work.
nyti.ms
Apparently my Outlook hasn't been connected to the server for the last couple hours. It was so peaceful, should have realised it can't be real... 😭
New issue has dropped 👇
The Lancet Infectious Diseases@thelancetinfdis.bsky.social · 3w agoRead our October issue, live now! Featuring a new regimen with quabodepistat for tuberculosis, oral care for preventing hospital-acquired pneumonia, and tocilizumab for severe hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. bit.ly/4xDKa0Z
