Heather Ferguson
@drheatherferg.bsky.social
Prof of Medical #Entomology & Disease Ecology @uofgsbohvm.bsky.social & Visiting Scientist Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania. #Malaria #Mosquito #NTDs #GlobalHealth #Equity https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/bohvm/staff/heatherferguson
"When a government funds 5% of its health budget and donors cover the rest, the national plan would easily read like the funders' plan' Great read on how decades of extrene reliance on external donors for health financing has created vulnerabilities ⬇️ ofon1.substack.com/p/who-really...
Who Really Shapes Health Policy in Africa? Government or Donors
By: Abasiofon Ita
ofon1.substack.com
Congrats to #Spain on well deserved win of the #FIFA Men's World Cup. Lets also celebrate the other unequivocal winner - #CaboVerde for an amazing performance. How could they have pulled this off against the odds - it's no coincidence #ZeroMalaria (... ps for last time #NoScotlandNoparty)
A fascinating throwback to 1976 from the BBC, as the city empties for the Glasgow Fair fortnight, heading to exotic destinations like Whitley Bay. 📽️ BBC Archive #glasgow
As summer temperatures rise in the northern hemisphere & mosquitoes with them, the age old question arises: "Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others?" 🔍 🦟 This article on #BBC Future discusses current knowledge, with comments from Prof Steven Lindsay & I www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others?
Long before they land, mosquitoes are reading our body signals from afar. Find out if you feature high on the bloodsuckers' hit list.
bbc.co.uk
Following the recommendation by the Strategic Technical Advisory Group on Neglected Tropical Diseases #NTDs, #Noma was added to the #WHO #NTD list in Dec 2023. Good to see this technical guidance published, outlining strategic interventions for control share.google/jiDIPDMtyc8P... #BeatNTDs
Ending the neglect to attain the sustainable development goals: noma control: technical brief
This technical brief provides an evidence-based overview of noma to support implementation of the WHO road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030 following the disease’s inclusion in the WHO li...
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Our team had a blast taking part in the Glasgow Science Festival over the weekend, showcasing a display and activities related to explaining the role of hashtag#mosquitoes in the environment, how you can recognize them, and what you can do to stop them breeding around your house. @sbohvm.gla.ac.uk
On June 3rd we held our final #MosquitoScotland project mtg at Loch Lomond. When we began 3 years ago, we knew so little about #mosquito #vectors & pathogens in Scotland. We've learned so much more. While this project is ending, our work on mosquitoes & VBDs is not -stay tuned! @sbohvm.gla.ac.uk
First paper from the project is now out - led by @sbohvm.gla.ac.uk PhD student @meshachlee.bsky.social this study evaluated of the efficiency of different trapping methods for sampling #mosquito populations in Scotland. Read here ⬇️ 🦟 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
📢 New paper led by Dr Georgia Kirby with findings from 1st comprehensive survey of #mosquitoes across #Scotland. Results address the substantial knowledge gap on mosquito vector ecology in Scotland, as needed to assess vector-borne disease risk under #climatechange link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Thanks to Christine Ro for this article on the importance of inclusion on the #WHO Neglected Tropical Disease list #NTDs to catalyse action, as well as the challenges in setting priorities during this time of #globalhealth funding collapse. Pleasure to be interviewed www.forbes.com/sites/christ...
What Makes A Condition A ‘Neglected Tropical Disease’?
Advocacy groups have pushed hard for certain conditions to be included on the WHO list of neglected tropical diseases.
forbes.com
🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 (no I will not be regularly updating this picture as the week progresses..)
There is no global financial down turn, no funding crisis that requires drastic cuts to global health. There is lots of money - trillions of dollars even. It is just that only one person has it, rather than the >1.5 billion at risk of #malaria, #NTDs & orher preventable health problems.
Mehdi Hasan@mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 2mo ago"Elon Musk’s $1.77 Trillion SpaceX IPO: What You Absolutely Need to Know" The world’s richest man will soon be a trillionaire thanks to changes made by Trump regulators and financial markets. You might end up holding the bag.
Its almost time friends - after a 28 year wait, Scotland 🏴 - the men's team - is poised to return to the World Cup ⚽️ And just in time, Scotland's fave indie band Belle & Sebastian have released this wee banger.. youtu.be/O8riNobpEyg?...
Belle and Sebastian - It Only Takes One Lion (Official Music Video)
YouTube video by Belle and Sebastian
youtu.be
Very sad to hear that Dr Naseem Salahuddin, a leading expert in #Rabies, #OneHealth & #NTDs, has passed away. Dr Salahuddin was our colleague on the WHO Strategic Technical Advisory Group on #NTDs. She leaves an incredible legacy of supporting health and equity www.who.int/news/item/24...
who.int
New from Dr Najat Kahamba #IfakaraHealthInstitute /@sbohvm.gla.ac.uk - 1 of most in-depth studies of Anopheles funestus, a key #malaria vector. 2,800+ habitats mapped, shows: 🔍 Clear seasonal shifts in habitat use 👉 Strong case for seasonally targeted larval control link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Seasonal variation in aquatic habitat availability and use by the malaria vector, Anopheles funestus - Malaria Journal
Background Larval source management (LSM) can be highly effective for controlling malaria vectors such as Anopheles funestus s.s., which typically exploit large and permanent aquatic habitats. While t...
link.springer.com
Excellent night at #PintofScience #Pint26 Festival on Monday
Mosquito Scotland Project@mosquitoscotland.bsky.social · 3mo ago@drheatherferg.bsky.social of #MosquitoScotland & Ryan Carmichael of #MosquitoNI joined #AveryHolmes from @sbohvm.gla.ac.uk to speak to a sell out crowd at the wildlife disease ecology #PintofScience session on Mon. Great enthusiam & submissions for beer mat design context - new lab logo?
@drheatherferg.bsky.social of #MosquitoScotland & Ryan Carmichael of #MosquitoNI joined #AveryHolmes from @sbohvm.gla.ac.uk to speak to a sell out crowd at the wildlife disease ecology #PintofScience session on Mon. Great enthusiam & submissions for beer mat design context - new lab logo?
Folks in #Scotland - the main mosquito season is now underway and we would love to hear if you see them out and about. Please let us know at link below. Given recent detection of #Usutu virus in Scotland - we are keen enhance citizen science surveillance of mosquitoes this year.
Mosquito Scotland Project@mosquitoscotland.bsky.social · 3mo agoPosting a few weeks late -but happy (happy?) to announce that the mosquito season is now underway Scotland. Here is an egg raft (dark, bullet shaped object floating on water) of Culex pipiens - collected in Glasgow, May 1st. Let us know if see mosquitoes in Scotland here ⬇️ www.mosquito-scotland.com
The uncomfortable truth is that global health security is indivisible. When response systems weaken anywhere, vulnerability grows everywhere. Ebola is only exploiting the self inflicted fault lines created by the global world order. This is exactly what pathogens do.
Travel bans do not stop viruses from spreading. Resources, global solidarity and collaboration do. News that an American missionary has tested positive for Ebola is being airlifted out of the DRC while the US rolls out travel bans is eerily reminiscent of the 2014-2016 outbreaks in W Africa.
Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in the DRC and Uganda has been declared a PHEIC by the WHO. The highest alert lever it has. This requires swift a and multinational response. Estimated death count is already 80! No vaccine, no rapid diagnostic tests. www.science.org/content/arti...
BREAKING: WHO declares major outbreak of rare Ebola virus species in Congo and Uganda an international emergency
No vaccines or treatments exist for Ebola Bundibugyo, which has caused hundreds of suspected cases and 80 deaths; WHO warns of
science.org
Important week coming up for #GlobalHealth as the World Health Assembly #WHA79 starts in Geneva. #Climate and health will be the centre of many discussions, including impacts on vector-borne diseases, sustainability, WASH, respiratory diseases and many more www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Declare climate crisis a global public health emergency, experts tell WHO
Exclusive: Commission says alert would trigger coordinated international response that could help avoid millions dying
theguardian.com
🚨🆕 Reports of a new #Ebola outbreak in DRC are very concerning, with at least 65 deaths already reported. This is a reminder that Ebola remains a major global health threat and that rapid detection, IPC and support for frontline healthcare workers are critical to limiting further spread.
Congo declares new Ebola outbreak three years after last
Democratic Republic of Congo declared a new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus on Thursday, three years after its last one, saying there were now 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths.
reuters.com
“The fact is that we’re looking at a real drop in research being done by the people of MIT… Frankly, it’s a loss for the nation. When you shrink the pipeline of basic discovery research, you choke off the flow of future solutions, innovations and cures — & you shrink the supply of future scientists”
MIT says research has fallen 10%, and grad student enrollment is down
At MIT, research has shrunk 10% from a year ago, and the school expects a persistent drop in graduate admissions.
statnews.com
"Covid-19 prefigured and contributed to our current crises: “might makes right” and narrow national interest" www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on the WHO pandemic treaty: the west’s fantasy negotiations have put the world at risk | Editorial
Editorial: After five years of deliberation the global south has forced the question that defined the Covid crisis: who will get the vaccines?
theguardian.com
This headline is irresponsible. Yes it _can_ spread between humans, but that doesn't mean that it _did_. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...
Cruise ship hantavirus strain can spread among humans, says South Africa
Andes strain the cause of infection in two cases, says South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases
theguardian.com
"So we must act to contain malaria even while conflict rages –not only to save lives, but because letting malaria run rampant will exacerbate divisions, undermine the search for peaceful solutions & endanger any post-conflict recovery" Where Bullets Fly, Malaria Kills share.google/WqjlzDUT6fEK...
Where Bullets Fly, Malaria Kills
With conflicts escalating in many parts of the world, we're seeing an upsurge in malaria cases and deaths. In some cases, the disease kills more people than the fighting.
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Male allyship to advance women’s leadership in global health academia @plosglobalpublichealth.org speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2026/04/16/b...
Behind the Paper: Male allyship to advance women’s leadership in global health academia: A qualitative study
Today we talk with the authors of a recently published study in PLOS Global Public Health, Male allyship to advance women’s leadership in global health academia: A qualitative study, by Amanda Marr Ch...
speakingofmedicine.plos.org
