Tom Scriba
@tomscriba.bsky.social
Professor in Immunology at University of Cape Town, Deputy Director at South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative. Views are my own.
Very pleased to contribute to this meta-analysis. Among contacts of #TB, protection from preventive therapy waned quickly in high incidence settings, but persisted for years in low and medium incidence settings authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S... @uofgshw.bsky.social 🦠🧪🛟
Most supplements and vitamins have little or no proven benefit, and even some have potential of harm, but that hasn't held back ~80% Americans taking them, highest proportion ever www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/w...
Supplements Are More Popular Than Ever (Gift Article)
A new survey found that 8 in 10 Americans were taking vitamins, protein powders or other supplements. But experts said many offer little to no benefit.
nytimes.com
Now published in @natcomms.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41... (open access) #tuberculosis #TB
Inflammatory biomarkers of asymptomatic and symptomatic tuberculosis - Nature Communications
A large number of individuals with tuberculosis (TB) are asymptomatic. Here, the authors characterise blood transcriptomic and proteomic profiles in South African community screening cohorts to identi...
nature.com
Tom Scriba@tomscriba.bsky.social · 12mo agoCan we advance our understanding of asymptomatic TB from inflammatory biomarkers? Our latest preprint. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
TB VACCINE | A pivotal clinical trial could pave the way for a new TB vaccine in more than a century. As we await the results, Russell Rensburg argues that it’s time to start preparing for the broader realities of rolling out the jab. www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/08/28/s...
SA is one step closer to a new TB vaccine, but there is a lot of work ahead
In March 2024, a pivotal clinical trial was launched to evaluate what might well become the first new tuberculosis vaccine on the market in more than a century. As anticipation mounts for the trial to...
spotlightnsp.co.za
😔 Newborn deaths are surging in the world’s most vulnerable communities as aid cuts hit www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...
Newborn deaths are surging in the world’s most vulnerable communities. Here’s why
Mothers across sub-Saharan Africa face a perfect storm of conflict, displacement and global aid cuts that are leaving them without the help they need in the most dangerous countries to give birth. Liz...
independent.co.uk
Really very good news for South African investigators! Though many will remain weary about risks posed by short-term reversals of such decisions, as frequently seen in the last 18 months. NIH lifts ban on funding research in South Africa | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH lifts ban on funding research in South Africa
Researchers who study HIV, tuberculosis, and other infectious disease in the country welcome policy change
science.org
Lab meetings don’t always have to be so formulaic go.nature.com/4qnykGh
Twenty-two easy ways to power up your lab meetings
Scientists share help and advice on how they got their research discussions flowing.
go.nature.com
Amazing TB vaccine PostDoc opportunities with one of the best in the field. Don't think Rasmus is on here. So thought I'd share like this #TBsky
"Those who believe in free, open, and responsive institutions must recognize how critically linked science is to democracy itself and defend its integrity with every tool at their disposal," writes John Palfrey in a new #ScienceEditorial. https://scim.ag/4i9awDH
Vaccine benefit in children "Since 1974, vaccination has averted 154 million deaths, including 146 million among children younger than 5 years of whom 101 million were infants younger than 1 year." www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... The most striking benefit was for vaccination vs measles (Figure)
Write-up on our latest story about the inflammatory response in asymptomatic TB. Will share the paper link in thread. www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-202...
Asymptomatic TB: A hidden challenge for TB control
UCT researchers have published new findings that challenge current approaches to TB detection and control in South Africa.
news.uct.ac.za
Peptide injections are the hottest trend in wellness. Researchers say enthusiasm for these unregulated drugs has got ahead of the science go.nature.com/4wUKtV2
Is the peptide craze backed by science? The promise behind the hype
Peptide injections are the hottest trend in wellness. Researchers say enthusiasm for these unregulated drugs has got ahead of the science.
go.nature.com
Mid-winter run on the southern slopes of Table Mountain - what a pleasure
Excellent review on the safety and efficacy of mRNA vaccines: a mechanistic and public health perspective - The Lancet www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Safety and efficacy of mRNA vaccines: a mechanistic and public health perspective
mRNA vaccines represent a transformative advance in vaccinology, combining rapid development timelines, scalable manufacturing, and strong immunogenicity with a favourable safety profile. Global deplo...
thelancet.com
We are looking for an amazing person to join our team as a Project Manager to support me across a portfolio of child and adolescent TB studies. Use the following link su.ac.za/en/careers-su to apply.
Careers at SU
Careers at SU
su.ac.za
IN THE SPOTLIGHT | Globally, childhood vaccines have saved an estimated 154 million lives since 1974. In this special briefing, we detail which vaccines are in used in South Africa. www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/07/01/i...
In The Spotlight | What is in SA’s vaccination schedule and how does it measure up?
Which vaccines are in use in South Africa and how does our vaccination schedule measure up to international standards? In this #InTheSpotlight special briefing, Catherine Tomlinson unpacks the recent ...
spotlightnsp.co.za
SHINGLES VACCINE | A new, more effective shingles vaccine is finally set to hit the market in South Africa. The vaccine, Shingrix, should soon be available at private sector pharmacies, but availability in the public sector seems unlikely for the time being. www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/06/25/n...
New shingles vaccine to be launched in SA private sector, but affordability may limit access
Ten years after its launch in the United States, a new, more effective shingles vaccine is finally set to hit the market in South Africa. While the vaccine, called Shingrix, should soon be available a...
spotlightnsp.co.za
Exciting opportunity for a Medical Officer and a Study Nurse to join our research team at the Desmond Tutu TB Centre to work on the newly funded DEFIANT study to evaluate the impact of puberty on host immune responses to Mtb. www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/44... www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/44...
Stellenbosch University hiring Medical Officer in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa | LinkedIn
Posted 12:42:57 PM. Department Description/Departement BeskrywingFaculty of Medicine and Health SciencesDesmond Tutu TB…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.
linkedin.com
Chronic air pollution exposure (even moderate) and more advanced coronary artery disease pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/...
Sex-Specific Associations between Long-term Air Pollution Exposure and Coronary Atherosclerosis at Cardiac CT | Radiology
Long-term exposure to air pollution, even at moderate levels, is independently associated with greater coronary artery calcium extent and total plaque burden at cardiac CT.
pubs.rsna.org
Perhaps the fact that we are conducting an unprecedented experiment with the only home we have, by digging up and burning massive amounts of fossil fuels that is driving global change at rates 10X faster than the most recent warming of this magnitude that occurred oh about 55 million years ago? 🧐
Why temperature records are being not only broken but smashed
The combined effects of a heat dome and climate change have brought extreme warmth to western Europe.
bbc.com
This BBC article states that "climate change is believed to have played a role in such hot spells as this." Let me fix it: Climate change IS making these hot spells more likely and more dangerous. Scientists have been warning of this for decades. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Hottest May day on record in UK as temperatures pass 34C
It comes after the UK recorded its warmest May night on Sunday when temperatures reached 19.4C.
bbc.com
Katharine Hayhoe@katharinehayhoe.com · 5mo agoPerhaps the fact that we are conducting an unprecedented experiment with the only home we have, by digging up and burning massive amounts of fossil fuels that is driving global change at rates 10X faster than the most recent warming of this magnitude that occurred oh about 55 million years ago? 🧐
Tuberculosis kills on a vast scale, but as foreign aid shrinks, countries with a high burden of TB stand to gain a lot by investing more to curb the disease and its heavy social cost @economist.com impact.economist.com/health-socie...
SCIENCE AND STRATEGY STAR | Professor Willem Hanekom tells Spotlight about taking a ventilated young patient to the Sea Point promenade, living with HIV, the need for an African research agenda, and the recurring joy that has defined his career. www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/05/07/t...
To the US and back: SA’s Prof Willem Hanekom reflects on the joys of science and a career ‘running with opportunities’
At his Durban office, Professor Willem Hanekom tells Biénne Huisman about taking a ventilated young patient to the Sea Point promenade, living with HIV, the need for an African research agenda, and th...
spotlightnsp.co.za
A Review in Communications Medicine explores Long COVID — which affects more than 400 million people globally — including current knowledge, gaps and future directions for research, diagnosis and treatment. go.nature.com/4unyxtI #medsky 🧪
Bangladesh is in the grip of an explosive measles epidemic, stemming from a catastrophic breakdown in vaccine procurement following the country’s 2024 revolution. The result was nationwide vaccine shortages and plummeting immunization rates. https://scim.ag/4tM2lAr
Measles explodes in Bangladesh after vaccination breakdown, killing hundreds of children
Changes to government’s vaccine purchase system after 2024 revolution led to nationwide shortages, gaps in immunity
scim.ag
