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Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · May 23

Reposted by Emma Thomson

MRC-UofG Centre for Virus Research @cvrinfo.bsky.social · Apr 3

🎉 We are very excited to have our recent @naturecomms.bsky.social publication chosen to be featured on a Editors’ Highlights webpage specific to public health.

www.nature.com/collections/...

@emcat1.bsky.social & Shirin Ashraf

Public health

Our recent highlights in the field of public health, including epidemiological studies investigating the social, environmental, genetic, and behavioural ...

www.nature.com

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Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · Mar 27

Huge effort from @UVRIug @The_MRC @lshtm.bsky.social @cvrinfo.bsky.social . A cross-continental, cross-disciplinary collaboration.
📄 Read the full paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Uncovering the viral aetiology of undiagnosed acute febrile illness in Uganda using metagenomic sequencing - Nature Communications

Acute febrile illness is common in sub-Saharan Africa and causative agents are often unknown. Here, the authors perform metagenomic sequencing on samples from patients with acute febrile illness in Ug...

www.nature.com

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Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · Mar 27

NGS isn’t cheap—but for public health intelligence + surveillance in LMICs, it’s incredibly powerful. This approach reveals what’s circulating, not just what we’re looking for.

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Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · Mar 27

Common respiratory + GI viruses were also picked up in serum—rhinovirus, enterovirus, rotavirus. Suggests that viraemia may play a role in systemic illness, especially in children.

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Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · Mar 27

We also found Le Dantec virus, a rhabdovirus and went on to develop an ELISA and pseudovirus neutralisation assay, then in a parallel paper we mapped exposure—high in some Ugandan regions, absent in others. journals.plos.org/plosntds/art...

Widespread human exposure to ledanteviruses in Uganda: A population study

Author summary Understanding the viruses capable of human infection is important for outbreak prevention and early intervention in viral epidemics. Le Dantec virus (LDV) is a member of the viral genus...

journals.plos.org

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Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · Mar 27

We detected VHF viruses including CCHFV in patients who’d never have been tested. Silent transmission, undetected by routine surveillance. The CCHFV work has now seeded an international partnership to investigate prevalence in ticks, livestock & humans across Uganda.

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Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · Mar 27

We used agnostic + targeted sequencing to uncover viral causes of acute febrile illness (AFI) where standard diagnostics fail. This isn’t likely to be cost-effective for individual diagnosis—but it’s vital for understanding transmission + emergence at a population level.

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Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · Mar 27

New in Nature Comms: We applied metagenomic + targeted NGS to serum from febrile patients in Uganda. Post-COVID, LMICs have sequencing infrastructure that could be repurposed for pathogen discovery.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Uncovering the viral aetiology of undiagnosed acute febrile illness in Uganda using metagenomic sequencing - Nature Communications

Acute febrile illness is common in sub-Saharan Africa and causative agents are often unknown. Here, the authors perform metagenomic sequencing on samples from patients with acute febrile illness in Ug...

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Emma Thomson

Oliver Koch @okoch.bsky.social · Mar 26

We are looking for a research fellow for our clinical infection research group. Apply now. @emcat1.bsky.social @drtoniho.bsky.social @nhsresearchscotland.org.uk @edinburghaccord.bsky.social @nhslothian.bsky.social @ukri.org apply.jobs.scot.nhs.uk/Job/JobDetai...

211677 - Clinical Research Fellow in Infectious Diseases (MCD):Western General Hospital

apply.jobs.scot.nhs.uk

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Reposted by Emma Thomson

Antonia Ho @drtoniho.bsky.social · Mar 23

Today is the 5-year anniversary of the first #COVID19 lockdown in UK.

Really important to reflect on lessons we have (or haven't) learnt, as the threat of another pandemic is higher than ever.

Glad that @emcat1.bsky.social & I could contribute to this.👇

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

Ten lockdown lessons to learn for next time

Five years since Boris Johnson ordered the UK to stay home, steps to prepare for the next national emergency are clearer

www.theguardian.com

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Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · Mar 6

Can’t wait :)

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Reposted by Emma Thomson

MRC-UofG Centre for Virus Research @cvrinfo.bsky.social · Mar 4

How can you help tackle HPV? VACCINATE & SCREEN

CVR researchers are working hard to develop new tests to catch early warning signs more accurately—potentially streamlining cervical screening and reducing patient stress.

www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/...

#HPVAwarenessDay

A vibrant pink and purple digital graphic promoting HPV vaccination and screening. The bold, white text reads, "How can you help tackle HPV? VACCINATE & SCREEN." On the right side, additional text states, "HPV affects us all. Let's tackle it together for ONE LESS WORRY." The "One Less Worry" slogan is inside a geometric, colourful shape. The background includes playful illustrations such as smiley faces, stars, and a brain. The bottom right corner features the hashtag "#onelessworry" and the website "AskAboutHPV.org."

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Reposted by Emma Thomson

Marion Koopmans @marionkoopmans.bsky.social · Feb 23

Infectious Disease Society of America issues a statement on the political interference with the CDC vaccine information and the advisory committee on immunisation www.idsociety.org/news--public...

Statement on Removal of Vaccine Promotion and ACIP Meeting Postponement

www.idsociety.org

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Reposted by Emma Thomson

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · Feb 14

If you are one of the #CDC #HHS #FDA #NIH employees who have learned today that your employment is being abruptly ended, we want to hear from you. @altcdc.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/02/14/f...

Are you affected by firings at federal health agencies?

Have you been affected by firings at federal health agencies? @statnews would like to hear from you.

www.statnews.com

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Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · Feb 15

Hi

Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · Feb 13

Thank you Nick!

Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · Feb 4

Wow - a super-fast effort to sequence a sample from the recent SUDV case in Kampala, Uganda 🇺🇬 - showing a closer link to sequences from 2012 than 2022, suggesting that this is a new outbreak. virological.org/t/near-real-...

Near Real-Time Genomic Characterization of the 2025 Sudan Ebolavirus Outbreak in Uganda’s Index Case: Insights into Evolutionary Origins

Introduction Case History: On January 30, 2025, the Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus (SUDV) Disease in Kampala, Uganda, following the death of a healthcare worker at Mula...

virological.org

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Reposted by Emma Thomson

Nsikan Akpan @monscience.bsky.social · Jan 22

NIH appears to have canceled/postponed all of its study sections—the independent review panels that approve federal grants for health research.

Such grants fund the work/salaries of 300k people at more than 2,500 institutions

Jane Liebschutz, MD MPH (she/her) @liebschutz.bsky.social · Jan 22

All NIH study sections canceled indefinitely. This will halt science and devastate research budgets in universities.

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Emma Thomson @emcat1.bsky.social · Jan 16

Bravo!

Reposted by Emma Thomson

Institut Pasteur | 130 years of biomedical research @pasteur.fr · Jan 16

L’Institut Pasteur décide de quitter X (ex-Twitter) pour rejoindre BlueSky ! 🦋
L’Institut Pasteur a pris cette décision en raison de plusieurs dérives graves constatées sur la plateforme X depuis son rachat. Rejoignez-nous pour continuer à défendre la science ! www.pasteur.fr/fr/espace-pr...

L’Institut Pasteur a décidé de quitter X

L’Institut Pasteur, organisme de recherche engagé depuis plus de 130 ans dans la lutte contre les maladies infectieuses, le partage des connaissances et la défense de la science, a décidé de quitter l...

www.pasteur.fr

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Reposted by Emma Thomson

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Dec 18

Good news on a H5N1 vaccine efficacy in a preclinical model in case it is needed
science.org/doi/10.1126/...

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Reposted by Emma Thomson

Thelonevirologist @thelonevirologist.bsky.social · Dec 18

CDC confirms first severe H5N1 case in US patient www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influe...

CDC confirms first severe H5N1 case in US patient

www.cidrap.umn.edu

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Reposted by Emma Thomson

Thelonevirologist @thelonevirologist.bsky.social · Dec 6

A Decade After the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, Sierra Leone Begins a New Chapter With Nation-Wide Preventive Vaccination of Frontline Workers allafrica.com/stories/2024...

Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Begins Nationwide Vaccination Campaign Against Ebola

Press Release - Sierra Leone becomes the first country, among those most severely affected ten years ago by the West Africa Ebola outbreak, to launch nationwide preventive Ebola vaccination, targeting...

allafrica.com

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Reposted by Emma Thomson

Eddie Holmes @eddieholmes.bsky.social · Jan 9

A REALLY big flavi-like virus...https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.01.08.574764v1.full.pdf

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