Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

Mosquito Scotland Project @mosquitoscotland.bsky.social · 10h

Moving into Oct with temperatures & daylight hours falling in Scotland, the "peak" mosquito activity season is passing. However, some species like Culex pipiens can still be found 'overwintering'; like this one our team found on #Arran yesterday. Let us know if you see any
⬇️
mosquito-scotland.com

Close up picture of a plastic tube with a single Culex pipiens mosquito caught inside it. It has a brownish body, six legs, and a long needle-like proboscis on its head

5 7

Heather Ferguson @drheatherferg.bsky.social · 2d

"Let us be remembered for our solidarity, not our silence. This is a decisive moment. Future generations will judge whether we defended life or looked away. Medicine is more than science—it is a moral duty. And when that duty is under threat, silence becomes betrayal."

The Lancet @thelancet.com · 2d

On this week’s cover of The Lancet, a new letter: “Gaza’s healthocide: medical societies must not stay silent”.

Read the letter and more in our latest issue: tinyurl.com/5n85x448

Cover of The Lancet's Oct 4, 2025 issue. Cover quote reads: "Most medical and surgical societies worldwide have remained silent or issued vague statements about Gaza's healthocide [...] Staying silent while pretending to be neutral is, in effect, a form of complicity."

2 6

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 3d

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

800 17K 37K

Heather Ferguson @drheatherferg.bsky.social · 3d

Beautiful day for the #GreatScottishRun
Our team from @sbohvm.gla.ac.uk were proud to run in support of a charity that is very near & dear to our hearts @malarianomoreuk.bsky.social
Many thx to all who supported us - if you would like to ⬇️
ajbellgreatscottishrun2025.enthuse.com/pf/heather-f...

Five people from the Vectors & Infectious Diseases group at the School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, lying on the ground in a circle, just after the finish line of the Great Scottish Run. From top of the circle and clockwise - Tasmin Alexander, Meshach Lee, Mimi Cox, Heather Ferguson & Francesco Baldini. They are - still smiling - but also pretending to be exhausted /passed out (or are they pretending?).

2 7

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

Dr. Tom Frieden @drtomfrieden.bsky.social · 4d

9-month-old Mohamat died of malaria in Cameroon. Before U.S. aid cuts, he likely would have survived. Malaria deaths are rising after years of progress. Abrupt and irresponsible budget cuts can have deadly consequences.

Babies' deaths in Cameroon show how US aid cuts curtail malaria fight

Nine-month-old baby Mohamat burned with fever for three days before his family took him to the closest health centre in northern Cameroon, but it was too late. He died of malaria that day.

www.reuters.com

2 22 35

Heather Ferguson @drheatherferg.bsky.social · 6d

Great work by @ukhsa.bsky.social team on 4 yrs of invasive #mosquito surveillance in UK. Sporadic detection of Aedes albopictus on transport routes in England & one-off detection of aegypti at Heathrow don't confirm establishment, but show value of surveillance
journals.plos.org/globalpublic...

Invasive mosquito surveillance in the United Kingdom 2020 to 2024: First detection of Aedes aegypti eggs in the UK and further detection of Aedes albopictus

Here, we provide an update on invasive mosquito surveillance activities coordinated by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) between May 2020 and November 2024. Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti are ...

journals.plos.org

7 13

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

Prof Nisreen Alwan @nisreenalwan.bsky.social · 8d

Can we all just shout about how despicable it is to scapegoat migrants for everything? Can we just stop being too polite or shy about it? Can we condemn it at work, with friends, family, on SM, everywhere? Can we just not keep calm & carry on until it’s too late?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Stop blaming migrants and tackle UK’s real problems, 100 charities tell home secretary

A letter warns Shabana Mahmood that ‘targeting refugees will do nothing to tackle’ problems with housing and the NHS

www.theguardian.com

12 190 580

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 9d

What has Yvette Cooper’s proscription of Palestine Action done to this country?

Beyond absurd. It’s extreme authoritarianism. These police should be arresting rapists & crooks, not neglecting those duties to spend time arresting citizens standing against genocide.

It undermines police and the law.

620 2.7K 6.8K

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN) @wwarnnews.bsky.social · 10d

#ScienceReadForSunday: Status and prospects of seasonal malaria chemoprevention among children in Sahelian countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis
journals.plos.org/globalpublic...

Status and prospects of seasonal malaria chemoprevention among children in Sahelian countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

In areas with seasonal malaria transmission, seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) involves giving children a three-day course of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and amodiaquine once a month during the…

journals.plos.org

3 2

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

East Anglia Bylines @eastangliabylines.co.uk · 11d

A city divided by flags… until children’s chalk messages and global bunting offered a different vision.

Owen Sennitt reports 🌍✏️

When patriotism turns sour, a city answers with kindness

After weeks of flag disputes, one city’s residents respond creatively – from children’s chalk to international flags – showing unity over division

eastangliabylines.co.uk

3 33 100

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

Madhusudan 🦉 Katti @leafwarbler.bsky.social · 13d

Just came across this collection of essays from earlier this year making "The Scientific Case for DEI"

"In light of attacks on DEI, we gathered articles that lay out the evidence in favor of fostering racially diverse and equitable schools, workplaces, cities, and societies."

The Scientific Case for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In light of attacks on DEI, we gathered articles that lay out the evidence in favor of fostering racially diverse and equitable schools, workplaces, cities, and societies.

greatergood.berkeley.edu

3 8

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

WHO @who.int · 14d

WHO statement on autism-related issues

The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes that there is currently no conclusive scientific evidence confirming a possible link between #autism and use of acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol) during pregnancy

Full statement bit.ly/47YsgwI

WHO statement on autism-related issues

Follow @WHO for the latest updates

24 560 1.1K

Heather Ferguson @drheatherferg.bsky.social · 14d

Absolutely life changing for those with Huntingtons & brings hope for all with rare genetic diseases.

"There was every chance that we would never see a result like this, so to be living in a world where we know this is not only possible, but the actual magnitude of the effect is breathtaking"

David Blanchflower BSc @davidbflower.bsky.social · 14d

Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time. 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time

One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.

www.bbc.co.uk

6

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

Christmas Coffee @christmascoffee.bsky.social · 17d

Best alt text of the day award goes to…

RNIB @rnib.bsky.social · 17d

Hey, we're the RNIB Social Media Team and yes we can be friends x

"Unfortunately I do love:
- descriptive alt text on thirst traps
- braille menus at my fave restaurant
- respect for my guide dog
- other ‘Royal’ charities
- accessible telly
- when allies call out ableism
- decluttered pavements
- a boop with my guide dog while watching the telly on the sofa "

In the background, a film photo of Jeremy Allen White laying on an orange sofa on a rooftop in New York City. He's only wearing pale Calvin Klein jeans. His toned physique is partially covered by the things we love. One of his arms is draped delicately over his forehead, his trademark curly hair poking through the gaps, as he tilts his head and looks directly into the camera.

2 2 16

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

Alison Phipps አሊሰን @alisonphipps.bsky.social · 17d

"Above all, this moment belongs to the people of Palestine. It is the fruit of more than a century of struggle, sacrifice, steadfastness, and love of our homeland. It is because of their resilience that the State of Palestine is being recognised here today." www.thenational.scot/news/2548329...

UK Government formally recognises state of Palestine

The UK Government has formally recognised the state of Palestine ...

www.thenational.scot

1 4 22

Heather Ferguson @drheatherferg.bsky.social · 16d

In 2wks, our #VectorsGlasgow team will do #GreatScottishRun for @malarianomoreuk.bsky.social They do crucial work to raise awareness & advocate for investment in #malaria control- never more needed with recent global health funding cuts
⏬️

- ajbellgreatscottishrun2025.enthuse.com/pf/heather-f...

4 10

Heather Ferguson @drheatherferg.bsky.social · 17d

Looking forward to presenting our thoughts on potential impacts of hashtag#climatechange on hashtag#malaria vector control to the #COMSTECH - OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation on Wed Sept 25th.

You can register here docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

The image is an advertisement for my talk. It has a title reading COMSTECH Expert Talk : Potential impacts of climate change on malaria vector control in Africa" Date: 24th Sept 2025. Time: 15:00-16:00 PST. Mode: Online. Dr Heather Ferguson, Profession of Infectious Disease Ecology, University of Glasgow UK. It has a photo of me, and a short biography as taken from my website (https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/bohvm/staff/heatherferguson/). Deadline for registration is Sept 23rd. Contact is mnoor@comstech.org. Registration link is in the post.

4

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

MESA - the malaria knowledge hub @mesamalaria.org · 18d

📢 New @who.int Free Academy Course!

Malaria: Harnessing the power of routine health facility data 🦟📊

💻 Self-paced (English)

🎯 Learn to analyze indicators, improve data quality & use routine data for decision-making

📅 Available until 1 July 2026

👉 shorturl.at/yNJuq

1 1

Heather Ferguson @drheatherferg.bsky.social · 20d

Congrats Tegemeo Gavana from #Ifakara Health Institute on passing his PhD at the Swiss Tropical Public Health Institute; presenting great work on community-based larviciding for #malaria vector control in Tanzania, & supervisors Christian Lengeler & Sarah Moore.

Pleasure to be external examiner.

Photo of 3 people standing in front of the entrance (glass doors) of the Swiss Tropical Public Health Instittue in Basel, Switzerland. It is bright and sunny. From left to right is Heather Ferguson (external examiner), Tegemeo Gavana (successful PhD candidate) and Christian Lengeler (PhD supervisor). Tegemeo is wearing the traditional 'PhD celebration' hat - a tall black mortar board hat, with pictures of a mosquito and the Tanzanian flag showing

2

Heather Ferguson @drheatherferg.bsky.social · 22d

Wow wow wow - Alphonce Felix Simbu pips rival just on the finish line after sprint finish, to win Tanzania's first ever gold in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Brilliant final kick - Hongera Tanzania 🇹🇿🇹🇿🤩
youtu.be/ED_3d6f-Fxg?...

Simbu and Petros sprint to photo finish for marathon gold | World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25

YouTube video by World Athletics

youtu.be

3

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

Amnesty International UK @amnestyuk.bsky.social · 25d

A hate-driven agenda stoked by politicians & pundits has fuelled violence, intimidation & division.

But we know the truth:
❌ Free speech is NOT a cover for hate speech
❌ Inciting hatred is NOT defending freedom
❌ Migration is NOT to blame for political and economic turmoil. It’s a scapegoat.

1 22 60

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

Amnesty International UK @amnestyuk.bsky.social · 25d

🚨 MARCHING UNITED 🚨

In Central London, thousands are marching united against racism, the far right, and division.

✊ Last summer, a national tragedy was twisted to stoke Islamophobic and racist fear. A year on, racist intimidation continues.

2 58 140

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @drtedros.who.int · 25d

@who.int is doing all we can to alleviate suffering & evacuate those who need urgent medical care outside Gaza.

The urgent problem we face is that too few countries are willing to receive them.

We call for countries to open their arms to these critically ill patients.

2 40 110

Reposted by Heather Ferguson

Alison Phipps አሊሰን @alisonphipps.bsky.social · Sep 7

Big Read news feature is an in-depth interview with me by @neilmackay.bsky.social on asylum, genocidal processes at work and need for leadership against hate.

www.heraldscotland.com/news/2544663...

And
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2544581...

Read via your library PressReader app

Society
Politics
UK News
Professor Alison Phipps is the nation's foremost authority on asylum. She tells our Writer at Large that demonisation has gone too far and Westminster politicians are now fuelling violence
The. Herald
7 Sep 2025

4 28 41

Heather Ferguson @drheatherferg.bsky.social · Sep 6

Street art in #BarrasMarket - keep Glesgae weird

Photo of front of a food stand, white board with red letters and the top saving "Rock Dog", and "cheeseburger " along the bottom.

Wall with street art painting- it is a purple skull with turquoise eyes and teeth. A red brain is showing . It is smoking a brown roll up, there is a yellow plume of smoke going from mouth up around skull to the other side of the head. It is on a red background

Street art painting. Three storey, light grey wall with an image a female body in a robot 1920s style (like the film Metropolis). The body is shown from gead to top of the thigh. The body is painted in geometric sections; with alternating colours of light and dark turquoise, light and dark peach, red and mustard yellow. The arms are bent, with hands in front of abdomen. Whike the body and arms are colours patches, the hands and face are in realistic /human style.Face is of young woman with long wavy brown hair, looking up. She has a halo made up of colour patches in same palette as the body.

Street art painting. Side of a one storey building. It is painted mauve, with a green cartoon head figure- open mouth, angular teeth, peach rimmed eyes with peach bolt on top of head. To the left of it are shapes like vases/orbs of blue, grey, orange and black colour. To the right is a realistic painting of a young woman's face, hair pulled back, in a turquoise tint. In the upper left are black letters saying 'the Square Yard'.

1 4