Another massive jump in Ebola cases in DRC (reflecting new cases as well as "data harmonization"). Now 2,905 cases including 1,269 deaths. I find it harder every day to square the size and speed of spread of this outbreak with the lack of attention it is getting. insp.cd/sitrep-n069-...

New Ebola situation report is out and we are up to 837 confirmed cases now in the DRC (+29 in the last 24 hours) That includes 196 confirmed deaths. Follow-up of contacts is at 64.4%. At this rate we will reach a thousand cases early next week. insp.cd/sitrep-n32-m...

Just horrifying. Modelling predicts USAID funding cuts will result in > 14 MILLION DEATHS. 🧸 1 in 3 are <5 yrs of age -Lancet Global Health www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Effects of reductions in US foreign assistance on HIV, tuberculosis, family planning, and maternal and child health: a modelling study

Substantial progress has been made in improving global health in the past few decades. This progress has strengthened hope in reaching global development goals. However, the recent funding cuts threat...

thelancet.com

This is extremely chilling - virologists being targeted for what appears to be minor (if any) "offenses". We all know _why_ this is happening, so I'm not going to belabor that point - but I want to provide some context on the technical details. 🧵 www.science.org/content/arti...

NIH scientists plead not guilty to smuggling monkeypox viruses into U.S.

Defendants face prison time for criminal charges but samples may all have been inactivated and used for routine diagnostics

science.org

🔉 CEPI is urgently accelerating the development of three investigational vaccine candidates towards clinical trials in response to the deeply concerning Bundibugyo ebolavirus epidemic. More in the press release ⬇️

CEPI fast-tracks three Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine candidates

CEPI funding will advance vaccine candidates towards clinical trials as quickly as possible.

cepi.net

ARTIC network has published Bundibugyo (BDBV) sequencing resources as the 2026 outbreak continues in DRC & Uganda. We have compiled guidance for labs wishing to sequence, assemble and analyse BDBV genomes: artic.network/viruses/bdbv/bdbv-sequencing-guide.html

The amazing teams around Dav Ebengo & Placide Mbala-Kingebeni, alongside the Institut National de Santé Publique and AfricaCDC have led an effort to improve understanding of the current #Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak. Data: github.com/INRB-UMIE/Eb... Dashboard: inrb-umie.github.io/EBOV2026_Epi...

Our initial work on the potential geographic and ecological origin of the MV Hondius Andes virus outbreak showing the outbreak lineage clusters most closely with some of our new sequences from southern Chile (lead by the brilliant Lissette): virological.org/t/potential-....

Potential geographical and ecological origin of the MV Hondius Andes virus outbreak

The recent outbreak aboard the MV Hondius caused by Andes virus raises two key questions [1]: (i) where do the outbreak genomes cluster geographically, and (ii) how can the phylogenetic signal be reco...

virological.org

Overland Aid Convoy to Gaza Blocked by Military Forces novaramedia.com/2026/05/18/o...

Overland Aid Convoy to Gaza Blocked by Military Forces

A land convoy delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza has been blocked outside Sirte, in the buffer zone between eastern and western Libya, with reports emerging that eastern Libyan forces nearby are prep...

novaramedia.com

The contrast between the number of media requests I got when rich people on a cruise were facing a deadly, but contained outbreak versus now that some of the poorest people in the world are facing a deadly and devastating epidemic is just so so stark and it just really annoys the hell out of me.

Gotta say it’s a bit on the nose to have a ship full of wealthy white people and an outbreak that’s actually been controlled dominate global media while a major Ebola outbreak in DRC with cross boarder spread is going unnoticed. www.npr.org/2026/05/16/g...

A new Ebola outbreak has already killed 87 people in Democratic Republic of Congo

Health officials are working to contain a new Ebola outbreak in the DRC of a virus strain with no known vaccine.

npr.org

First genome sequence from Andes hantavirus strain from ongoing ship outbreak posted on Virological: virological.org/t/complete-s... courtesy Swiss National Reference Centre for Emerging Viral Infections, Geneva University Hospitals, University of Zurich

Complete sequence of Orthohantavirus andesense virus: Swiss resident 2026

Posted on behalf of the Swiss National Reference Center for Emerging Viral Infections, Geneva University Hospitals and the Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich (Partner Laboratory Natio...

virological.org

... and in case you're interested in learning more about hantaviruses and how diverse they can be, our recent preprint with phenomenal colleagues in Chile just landed: bsky.app/profile/edyt...

Edyth Parker@edythparker.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I was recently lucky enough to work with Lissette and the brilliant team at Universidad del Desarrollo's Hantavirus and Zoonosis Program in Chile on Hanta Andes virus genomic surveillance -- Some of our initial work here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

I was recently lucky enough to work with Lissette and the brilliant team at Universidad del Desarrollo's Hantavirus and Zoonosis Program in Chile on Hanta Andes virus genomic surveillance -- Some of our initial work here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Augustine is still battling PSP, but unfortunately had to be taken to the Kenema Government Hospital yesterday for further supportive care. If you have the means, please consider supporting him this Easter Sunday - we were hoping to reach a goal of $10k. www.gofundme.com/f/augustine-...

Kristian G. Andersen@kgandersen.bsky.social · 8mo ago

I rarely ask for things, but I will make an exception for my colleague and friend, Augustine Goba, who dedicated his life to saving others. Augustine was Director of the hemorrhagic fever lab in Kenema, Salone, and is struggling with PSP. Please consider donating. www.gofundme.com/f/augustine-...

Today, MSF is going public with something we've been fighting behind closed doors for months: Gilead will not sell us their new HIV drug, lenacapavir. The sticking point isn't even price, they just refuse to sell. Open letter linked + explainer 🧵1/ www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/gilea...

Gilead refuses to sell groundbreaking HIV prevention drug to MSF

Blocking humanitarian organizations from accessing a medical breakthrough puts vulnerable people across the world in danger.

doctorswithoutborders.org

👏 Please share widely: Calling for applications in Africa for our new bio threat reduction course and fellowship!

Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health@pandemiccenter.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Calling for applicants in Africa who want to make an impact on the future of biosecurity! The @pandemiccenter.bsky.social, supported by the @carnegie.org, is launching a Biological Threat Reduction Training Policy Program and a 12-month Fellowship for rising African biosecurity leaders.

Grand Challenge seeks cost-disruptive tools for diagnosis & screening, defined as devices that amortize capital to near-zero incremental cost, consumable $1-class tests that materially reset the cost curve in LMICs while meeting real-world constraints gcgh.grandchallenges.org/challenge/in...

Cost-Disruptive Tools for Diagnosis and Screening

Innovations in Cost-Disruptive Tools for Diagnosis and Screening - Grand Challenges RFP

gcgh.grandchallenges.org

Biosecurity depends critically on the early identification of novel pathogens. Our international team developed a global multi-scale model of infectious diseases to evaluate the time to detection in aircraft wastewater vs. other surveillance modalities. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

Before I was a teacher, I was a writer. This is a YA fantasy novel I wrote back when spare time was still a thing. Please have a look at the first few chapters on #Libraro for their Reader Engagement Prize and give it a like. Do it for the children. They want a happy teacher. app.libraro.com/feed

The species in which monkeypox virus naturally circulates is uncertain, but wildlife surveillance data suggest that the fire-footed rope squirrel is a likely candidate go.nature.com/4kDuHZZ

Squirrels could be a reservoir for the virus that causes mpox

The species in which monkeypox virus naturally circulates is uncertain, but wildlife surveillance data suggest that the fire-footed rope squirrel is a likely candidate.

go.nature.com

I really enjoyed working on this piece on Riutord-Fe et al, a fantastic piece of work that highlights both the power of comprehensive, longitudinal wildlife surveillance and the challenges of disentangling the roles different hosts play in pathogen maintenance ecology. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Squirrels could be a reservoir for the virus that causes mpox

The species in which monkeypox virus naturally circulates is uncertain, but wildlife surveillance data suggest that the fire-footed rope squirrel is a likely candidate.

nature.com

This is Nathan Wolfe. Nathan is a virus hunter. Nathan has a bit of a reputation. Through the years, I've told multiple journalists stories I've heard, like "Nathan thanks Jeffrey Epstein in his book." Somehow no one ever wrote anything up. Want to see what Nathan was up to in today's Epstein files?

noting that @sdnsolidarity.bsky.social is collecting donations for on the ground mutual aid orgs here: www.sudansolidarity.com

Home - Sudan Solidarity Collective

Solidarity with Sudan! Support the Emergency Response Rooms doing life saving work in Sudan by donating to the Sudan Solidarity Fund. Workshops4Sudan is a new fundraising initiative of the Sudan Solid...

sudansolidarity.com

The New Arab@thenewarab.bsky.social · 6mo ago

The funding gap represents more than an administrative shortage; it reflects international attention drifting away from Sudan's crisis:

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. Maybe many of us won't be here to greet her, but on a quiet day, if I listen very carefully, I can hear her breathing.” Arundhati Roy

Madhu Pai, MD, PhD@madhupai.bsky.social · 7mo ago

We are in an era of rising authoritarianism, fading multi-lateralism, & increasing human rights violations But peoples movements have challenged power in the past Successful movements, as these books show, are about organizing, growing communities, and building power among people to effect change

Global solidarity in genomic surveillance improves early detection of acute respiratory virus threats. "Importantly, these benefits cannot be attained by siloed expansion in countries that already possess strong capacity." Well done to the team! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A few updates on the deeply unethical study to probe "non-specific" effects of the birth dose HepB vaccine in Guinea-Bissau by Danish investigators. 1️⃣ The study was canceled as per AfricaCDC - HHS disputes this. 2️⃣ Full protocol was leaked and it's bad. Quick 🧵 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Controversial US study on hepatitis B vaccines in Africa is cancelled

$1.6m project drew outrage over ethical questions about withholding vaccines proven to prevent disease

theguardian.com

I am very glad to share the preprint for our latest study on the 2024-2025 chikungunya virus outbreak on Réunion island, with primary data produced thanks to the massive efforts performed by Marie-C Jaffar and Etienne Frumence and analyses led by Simon Dellicour. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

Unravelling the epidemiological and dispersal dynamics of the 2024-2025 chikungunya virus outbreak on Reunion island

Reunion island just experienced a massive chikungunya virus outbreak in 2024-2025, with more than 54,000 confirmed cases. This is the second major chikungunya outbreak on the island, following the fir...

medrxiv.org

Our latest study dedicated to the massive 2024-2025 chikungunya virus outbreak on Réunion island is now available as a preprint on medRxiv: doi.org/10.64898/202.... With more than 54,000 confirmed cases this is the second major chikungunya outbreak on the island, following the 1° one 20 yrs ago. 1/9

Unravelling the epidemiological and dispersal dynamics of the 2024-2025 chikungunya virus outbreak on Reunion island

Reunion island just experienced a massive chikungunya virus outbreak in 2024-2025, with more than 54,000 confirmed cases. This is the second major chikungunya outbreak on the island, following the fir...

doi.org

We find that subclade K viruses are antigenically advanced; however, this year's flu vaccine surprisingly elicited antibodies in many individuals that efficiently recognized these viruses. The implications are clear: go get this year’s vaccine if you haven’t already! www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

Antibodies elicited by the 2025-2026 influenza vaccine in humans

A new H3N2 variant (named subclade K) possesses several key hemagglutinin substitutions and is circulating widely during the 2025-2026 influenza season. In this report, we completed experiments to det...

medrxiv.org