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BK. Titanji

@boghuma.bsky.social

33K followers 3.2K following 4.7K posts

Physician Scientist MDPhD Infectious Diseases Academic Medicine Global Health Science Communicator Posts are my opinions, not my employer's and not medical advice I bet on myself and double down https://substack.com/@bktitanji

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · Feb 12

I think I shall just pin this post because ....👀

BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · Dec 26

Here are 5 top things I'll be watching closely in global public health in 2025:

1. H5N1 outbreak trajectory
2. Impact of RFK Jr. on infectious dz control and vaccines in the US.
3. The mpox outbreak in Africa
4. Expanded access to Lenacapavir for HIV PrEP.
5. The US withdrawal from the WHO.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 56m

The number of deaths caused by antimicrobial resistance is predicted to rise from 1 millio to 2 million death per year by 2050. Reasons:
- Too few new drugs
- Excessive use of antibiotics in agriculture
- Antibiotics overuse in medical practice
- Lack of awareness
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The rise of ‘nightmare bacteria’: antimicrobial resistance in six charts

Data reveal how the global challenge to reduce deaths and infections from drug-resistant bacteria is not going according to plan.

www.nature.com

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1h

"H5N1 virus can remain infectious for extended periods in raw-milk cheeses under specific conditions, underscoring the potential public health risks associated with consuming unpasteurized milk products "
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

H5N1 influenza virus stability and transmission risk in raw milk and cheese - Nature Medicine

The pathogenic avian flu H5N1 virus remains stable in raw milk and throughout the cheese-making process, but contaminated cheese fed to ferrets did not lead to infection, whereas raw milk did.

www.nature.com

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 22h

11/ In conclusion
Multivalent vaccines are not riskier.
They’re tested more rigorously, protect more people with fewer barriers, and save lives efficiently.
Separating MMR or other combination vaccines wastes resources, undermines coverage, and solves a problem that doesn’t exist.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 22h

10/Why the myth persists:
- It sounds “cautious,” which people equate with safe.
- Anti-vaccine groups misuse technical terms like monovalent to sow doubt.
- Rapid COVID-19 vaccine updates created confusion about how formulation changes work.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 22h

9/“More antigens = more side effects”
- Large cohort studies show no correlation between antigen count & serious adverse events.
Mild effects (soreness, low-grade fever) occur w both mono- and multivalent vaccines & resolve quickly.
In fact, fewer injections often mean fewer local reactions overall.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 22h

8/ Senegal just introduced a six-in-one vaccine protecting infants against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, polio, and Haemophilus influenzae b.This move⬆️ adherence, simplifies supply chains, and makes every healthcare visit count exactly the kind of innovation global programs need.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 22h

7/ The public-health payoff is big because combination vaccines
- Reduce clinic visits and needle sticks.
- Improve on-time completion.
- Simplify logistics and cold-chain storage.
- Save costs that can be redirected to outreach and education.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 22h

6/
- A complete childhood vaccine schedule exposes a baby to fewer than 150 antigens total.
- A common cold exposes them to thousands.
The immune system is built for parallel processing, not single-tasking. There is no such thing as “vaccine overload.”
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11773551/

Addressing parents' concerns: do multiple vaccines overwhelm or weaken the infant's immune system? - PubMed

Recent surveys found that an increasing number of parents are concerned that infants receive too many vaccines. Implicit in this concern is that the infant's immune system is inadequately developed to...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 22h

5/ DTaP: Combined vaccine replaced three monovalent injections equal safety, better adherence.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33483215/
HPV-9 vaccine trial: >15 000 participants in trials; safety identical to earlier versions.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Final efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety analyses of a nine-valent human papillomavirus vaccine in women aged 16–26 years: a randomised, double-blind trial

The 9vHPV vaccine prevents infection, cytological abnormalities, high-grade lesions, and cervical procedures related to HPV 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58. Both the 9vHPV vaccine and qHPV vaccine had a simila...

www.thelancet.com

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 22h

4/ These standards are evaluated in large randomized trials and tracked for decades after rollout.
Here are examples:
- MMR: Over 500 million doses administered; no increase in serious adverse events vs. giving three separate shots.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 22h

3/How combination vaccines are tested:
Before licensing, manufacturers must show that:
Each antigen provokes the same immune response together as alone.No component interferes with another’s effectiveness.
Adverse-event rates are the same or lower than for separate injections.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 22h

2/
- Monovalent vaccines protect against one strain or pathogen (e.g., Hepatitis B).
- Multivalent (combination) vaccines protect against several at once MMR, DTaP, or HPV-9.
Multivalent ≠ “rushed cocktail.” It’s a deliberate, data-driven design that broadens protection safely and efficiency.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 22h

1/ The origin of the myth:
People assume “fewer components = safer.” It’s intuitive but scientifically wrong.
Your immune system encounters thousands of antigens every day from food, bacteria, and your own microbiome.
The few dozen antigens in vaccines even combined ones are trivial by comparison.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 22h

🧵 #MythBustingTuesday
The CDC reportedly floated separating the MMR into individual shots without any published evidence that doing so improves safety.
Let’s unpack why this myth persists, what the data show, and why countries like Senegal are moving in the opposite direction.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

I banked it for future use when someone says some foolishness hahaha

BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you so much.

BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

I promise I wasn't fishing for a complement 😊 LOL , thanks so much, it means alot and I admire you too!

BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

I hard co-sign this one.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

Yup!

BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

👹 Evil Bunny
😂

BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

Vaccine disinformation/misinformation is as damaging as banning vaccines because it accomplishes the same thing i.e. fewer people get vaccinated as a result.
RFK. Jr's agenda doesn't need to explicitly take vaccines off shelves to meet its goals pseudoscience and misinformation are doing the job.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

All this announcement accomplishes is consolidate the additional barriers that will make it more challenging for people to access safe and effective vaccines. It is a step backwards not forwards.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

Informed consent is an important and integral part of the vaccine delivery process. We are not forcibly vaccinating people anywhere. Even where mandates are in place people have the right to refuse and provide documentation for waivers.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

The non scientist former venture capitalist now turned interim CDC interim director, rubber stamped the deeply flawed ACIP vaccine recommendations.
He also declared "informed consent is back" further undermining public trust in health providers and vaccines.
www.npr.org/2025/10/06/n...

The CDC says people must consult a health professional before COVID shot

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention accepted a controversial recommendation from outside vaccine advisers to tighten guidelines for the COVID vaccine.

www.npr.org

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 1d

The Nature Medicine paper also looked at all-cause dementia, not just Alzheimer’s.VZV can cause vasculopathy and neuroinflammation which may drive non-Alzheimer dementias too. So the antiviral null result doesn’t disprove the preventive signal seen with shingles vaccination.

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