Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
@esbwenge.bsky.social
MD, PhD – Infectious Diseases Epidemiologist, Johns Hopkins University, and Center for Tropical Diseases and Global health, Bukavu, DR Congo. Interested in cholera, mpox, outbreaks, vaccines, and Barcelona football club.
We are hiring! Join us through our partner Oxfam DRC: a unique opportunity for multi-institutional, multidisciplinary research on infectious diseases (including cholera), from bacteriology to clinical & community studies. Opportunity to collaborate with @lshtm-ehg.bsky.social
Also collaborations with the DRC Ministry of Health, WHO, MSF & INRB, generating evidence to improve patient care and inform effective interventions and policy. Looking MDs specialised in infectious diseases, pediatrics, microbiology or related field + experience managing complex (research) projects
jobs.oxfam.org.uk
there's a pretty straightforward parallel with the way black businesspeople were targeted for lynching. Black success—even fairly mild success—is seen as a violation of the rightful white supremacist order. it's viewed as a cheat and a scandal to be met with outrage up to and including violence.
I didn't follow the Arday story closely. It's pretty clear though that plagiarism allegations against Black professors are seen as a major news story because many ppl see Black success and intelligent as automatically illegitimate. So the real "scandal" is that Black ppl are professors at all. 1
This is an excellent opportunity to collaborate on a high-impact project with Professor @jackieknee.bsky.social at LSHTM, in collaboration with our group at Geneva University @gddynamics.bsky.social
Jackie Knee@jackieknee.bsky.social · last mo.Job alert! Join our fantastic cholera research team & work with colleagues at LSHTM, University of Geneva, & DRC. Closing August 30. Details and application here: jobs.lshtm.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx... @lshtm-ehg.bsky.social @gddynamics.bsky.social @lshtm.bsky.social @lshtmamrcentre.bsky.social
📊 #Ebola #Ituri | 70 samples tested today, 101 confirmed cases cumulative, but how many tested positive today? Positivity rate is a key transmission indicator. 🇨🇩 #Bundibugyo
Ebola: Serious incident in Rwampara (near Bunia): a deceased patient's family forcibly retrieved the body. 6 patients fled. Treatment facilities burned down. Staff under military protection. actualite.cd/2026/05/21/e...
Ebola en RDC : incident grave à Rwampara, des patients fuient, les installations d'Alima incendiées
Un incident grave a éclaté jeudi à l'hôpital général de Rwampara, à une dizaine de kilomètres de Bunia, dans la province de l'Ituri, épicentre de l'épidémie d'Ebola Bundibugyo qui frappe l'est de la RDC.
actualite.cd
Important: mpox case definition is not specific and also picks up children with varicella, in particular now at what's hopefully the tail-end of the mpox outbreak in DRC. Diagnostics key.
Espoir Bwenge Malembaka@esbwenge.bsky.social · 5mo agoWhen mpox is not mpox: varicella and measles in DR Congo thelancet.com/journals/lan... Congratulations @bugwaja and team for this nice work calling for efforts to transform mpox treatment centers from monofacal isolation units into integrated hubs for acute febrile rash illnesses.
When mpox is not mpox: varicella and measles in DR Congo thelancet.com/journals/lan... Congratulations @bugwaja and team for this nice work calling for efforts to transform mpox treatment centers from monofacal isolation units into integrated hubs for acute febrile rash illnesses.
When mpox is not mpox: varicella and measles in DR Congo
The global epidemiology of eruptive skin diseases remains poorly characterised, particularly in settings with insufficient health-care access and weak surveillance systems.1,2 Eruptive rashes are a common feature of monkeypox virus, varicella-zoster virus (VZV), measles, syphilis, and other infections. Varicella is often mistaken for poxvirus infection despite having been clinically distinguished from smallpox as early as 1767.3 Ambiguity in clinical diagnosis paired with infrequent laboratory confirmation creates challenges in resource-limited settings, such as the DR Congo, where mpox and varicella outbreaks can co-occur.
thelancet.com
Our paper on the incubation periods of mpox clade Ib is out, with Javier-Perez Saez, @andrewazman.bsky.social @justinlessler.bsky.social Elizabeth Lee, @jackieknee.bsky.social @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...
The Incubation Periods of Mpox Virus Clade Ib | Annals of Internal Medicine
Background: Mpox virus (MPXV) clade Ib, first detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in September 2023, spread internationally within months, prompting an emergency declaration from th...
acpjournals.org
PhD position (Toronto, Canada) Modeling infectious disease dynamics + evolution (multiple projects) with @alisonhill.bsky.social at @utoronto.ca More details: http://iddjobs.org/jobs/2396
Heading to @astmh.bsky.social tomorrow? Join us at 11:30 am for our symposium, “Mpox Without Borders: Global Trends, Breakthroughs & Preparedness.” Honored to co-chair with my colleague & friend Dr. Placide Mbala, with an all-star panel of experts. You don’t want to miss this! #ASTMH2025
Dr Ellie Murray, ScD@epiellie.bsky.social · 12mo agoMy review of the third autism-Tylenol study RFK Jr mentioned is out now. If you weighed in on "what proportion of kids have neurodevelopmental disorders" yesterday, this paper is why I asked the question. Most of you will be very surprised by their answer! open.substack.com/pub/epiellie...
Want a large language model that never hallucinates? Easy: just get it to always print “I don’t know”, regardless of the input. If you find this solution is a bit unsatisfying, you’re not alone. But it hits on a crucial trade-off with learning machines and decision-making more generally. New post:
An LLM that never hallucinates
There are two big errors we can make with information, but one often gets forgotten
kucharski.substack.com
Tell me you’ve never heard of reverse causation without telling me you’ve never heard of reverse causation….
Omar Wasow@owasow.bsky.social · last yr.“Smartphone users spent significantly more time on the toilet and had a 46% increased risk for hemorrhoids than nonusers, according to results of a recent survey.” www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...
At least 60 deaths recorded in the Fizi, one of the DRC's historical cholera hotspots. It would not be surprising to see a sharp increase in the number of cases, given the devastating impact of flooding on water and sanitation infrastructures. Preventive vaccination ! actualite.cd/2025/05/10/r...
actualite.cd
In this second paper, clade Ib mpox outbreak in Uvira primarily affected children under 15 years (63.7%), with limited reported sexual transmission. Occupational healthcare and workplace exposures were rare. The overall case fatality ratio was 0.7%, but high among HIV-positive and infants < 1 yr.
Mpox Clade Ib incubation periods are longer than previous MPXV estimates and vary by exposure route, with shorter periods for sexual transmission. These differences suggest the need to revise post-exposure monitoring guidelines. doi.org/10.1101/2025...
The incubation periods of Monkeypox virus clade Ib
Background Monkeypox virus (MPXV) clade Ib, first detected in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in September 2023, spread internationally within months, prompting a WHO emergency declaration. Dat...
doi.org
New correspondence in The Lancet Infectious Diseases Disseminated mpox in an immunocompromised patient in DR Congo: a call for a shift from disease-focused to person-centred outbreak response www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Disseminated mpox in an immunocompromised patient in DR Congo: a call for a shift from disease-focused to person-centred outbreak response
This Correspondence examines a complex case of an immunocompromised patient at an mpox treatment centre in South Kivu, DR Congo, highlighting the shortcomings of outbreak-focused care models and their...
thelancet.com
"Although reactive vertical approaches can provide rapid responses to outbreaks, they often fail to strengthen broader health systems, leaving countries ill-prepared for future crises and jeopardising progress toward universal health coverage and pandemic resilience www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Disseminated mpox in an immunocompromised patient in DR Congo: a call for a shift from disease-focused to person-centred outbreak response
This Correspondence examines a complex case of an immunocompromised patient at an mpox treatment centre in South Kivu, DR Congo, highlighting the shortcomings of outbreak-focused care models and their...
thelancet.com
This raises an important point. The U.S. withdrawal from WHO would undoubtedly disrupt critical health programs and initiatives, potentially causing significant harm, especially in vulnerable regions. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Trump orders US to leave World Health Organization
Trump has long been critical of how the Geneva-based institution handled the Covid-19 pandemic.
bbc.com
Whether it’s Ebola, cholera, or mpox, the same issues persist—narrowly focused vertical programs driven by donor priorities. In an upcoming piece, we reflect on this challenge in the context of the current mpox outbreak in eastern DR Congo.
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD@madhupai.bsky.social · 2y agoFrom HiV to Ebola to Covid and mpox, inequities in access is a defining feature Grateful to @craigspencer.bsky.social for his advocacy www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
From HiV to Ebola to Covid and mpox, inequities in access is a defining feature Grateful to @craigspencer.bsky.social for his advocacy www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Ebola and a Decade of Disparities — Forging a Future for Global Health Equity | NEJM
Since the 2014–2016 West African Ebola outbreak, there have been numerous proposals and promises to reform global health infrastructure. Yet inequity remains deeply entrenched.
nejm.org
Who are you “performing” for? A book review and personal reflections on: The Foreign Gaze – Essays on Global Health by @seyeabimbola.bsky.social katribertram.wordpress.com/2025/01/06/w...
Who are you “performing” for? A book review and personal reflections on: The Foreign Gaze – Essays on Global Health by Seye Abimbola
Who are you “performing” for? A book review and personal reflections on: The Foreign Gaze – Essays on Global Health by Seye Abimbola
katribertram.wordpress.com
Such horizontal preventive programs have been notoriously hard to motivate and fund precisely because the impact of each dollar spent is diffuse across many health outcomes and donors struggle to see the selfish benefit of their specific investment.
The root causes of measles mortality and recent headline grabbing malaria outbreak in DRC are the same: poverty, access, infrastructure. All are legacies of oppressive history.
Tiny Coffins: Measles Is Killing Thousands of Children in Congo
Problems with getting vaccines to families have left many children unvaccinated and in danger of contracting the virus.
nytimes.com
If the unknown disease X in the DRC is malaria... its concernig that in 2024, there are still areas on earth unable to diagnose malaria. How can we discuss advancements like genomics surveillance when we have yet to address the basics of infectious diseases surveillance in DR Congo?
This doctor raised the alarm about a deadly mpox outbreak that went global Placide Mbala is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 202 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
This doctor raised the alarm about a deadly mpox outbreak that went global
Placide Mbala is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 2024.
nature.com
