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iballesty.bsky.social
Iain Ballesty
@iballesty.bsky.social
77 followers 130 following 280 posts
Follow @iBallesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy for new posts. Facts matter/opinions differ. If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem. 🇪🇺 🇮🇪 🇨🇱. #LongCovid #SDG #ARP #HostingUkrainians
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iballesty.bsky.social
Iain Ballesty @iballesty.bsky.social · Apr 19
Short but emphatic. Let's talk about long-COVID.
What is it? How to minimise your chances of getting it. A collection of articles 🧵

From 2022: youtube.com/watch?v=jOa9...
Let's talk about long-COVID
youtube.com
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
42000+ Ukrainians continue to be hosted in Irish homes and houses. 🏆 Supported by 1,000s more in the community. #IrelandIsFull of welcoming Irish. #zelenskyinireland #ukrainiansinireland 🇮🇪🇺🇦
December 2, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
#LongCovid #preventlongcovid #COVID19

Original post: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:cyy3irakdgdbhcdtd4ik6aro/post/3m6qrcco5rk2e
November 29, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
irishexaminer.bsky.social
Gareth O'Callaghan: Vaccination is vital for people with chronic illness as covid and flu season returns
Gareth O'Callaghan on living with COPD, the return of flu and covid, and why vaccine misinformation — especially from RFK Jr — puts vulnerable people at risk
dlvr.it
November 29, 2025 at 1:42 PM
iballesty.bsky.social
#LongCovid #PreventLongCovid #Covid19
@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social on Bluesky
“Long COVID has shattered every aspect of my life,” says Ella, who contracted COVID in 2021 at 19 and had to move home. Once active and social, she now spends days in a dark room with “debilitating fatigue,” exercise intolerance, brain fog, nerve pain, breathlessness and many other symptoms.
bsky.app
November 29, 2025 at 10:37 AM
iballesty.bsky.social
Good 🧵
@mecfsskeptic.bsky.social on Bluesky
1) Dr. Michael Peluso will lead a big ME/CFS project called CHIME. The infrastructure first built for HIV, then used for Long Covid in the LIINC study, will now also help with studying pre-pandemic ME/CFS The research will focus on gut biopsies and PET-CT scans.
bsky.app
November 28, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
‘My life has been shattered by long COVID’ - Free https://www.farmersjournal.ie/life/health/my-life-has-been-shattered-by-long-covid-891876 #LongCovid #preventlongcovid #COVID19
November 27, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
I have long thought that the ROI on #ai is in the boring & the mundane. When it becomes business as usual that we will see the gains. Prepare now, strategically, not tactical.

AI investments show returns, but data problems slow progress | heise online […]
Original post on mastodon.ie
mastodon.ie
November 27, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
Diesel consumption in China, the 2nd-largest consumer of the fuel after the U.S., fell to 3.9 million barrels per day in June 2024, down 11% year-on-year and the largest drop since mid-2021, partly reflecting the shift to #ev trucks. #sdg
https://buff.ly/DJhgCAX
November 27, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
Tizgui waterfalls on a tranquil Sunday. شلالات تيزغوي
Water drops through greenery Oasis pool and a trickle of water.
November 23, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
🦠 Flu is on the rise and above normal levels
😷 RSV is creeping up but still low
🧼 COVID-19 is going down and staying low
🤧 Rhino/enterovirus remains elevated

🔗 https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/acuterespiratoryinfection/surveillance/integratedreports/IRV_bulletin_week_45_2025.html
November 14, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
"Autism charities must rethink how they portray autistic people—moving from pity to authentic representation. Leadership should include autistic voices, and funding systems need reform". #neurodiversity
Link […]

[Original post on mastodon.ie]
fingers being pointed at a woman in distress reading A paper with symbols on it
November 11, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
Excellent article, thanks.
An Ongoing Battle for Adequate Treatment and Care: The Impact of Long Covid on Families' by Marianne Lynch.

Exulansis - The Gulf of Understanding […]

[Original post on mastodon.ie]
An elephant in the room.
November 9, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
⚖️ Can AI deliver justice?

Ms. Justice Eileen Roberts, Dr Brian Barry & Karlin Lillington unpack how AI is transforming Irish courts—transcription to sentencing algorithms & deepfakes

Ethics, fairness & the future of judgment. #ai #law #justice […]
Original post on mastodon.ie
mastodon.ie
November 7, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
The Elders today call on world leaders attending COP30 in Belém to show courage and ambition in the face of a worsening climate and nature crisis. https://theelders.org/news/world-leaders-must-step-cop30-strengthen-climate-action-and-multilateralism #sdg #globalcompact
World leaders must step up at COP30 to strengthen climate action and multilateralism
The Elders today call on world leaders attending COP30 in Belém to show courage and ambition in the face of a worsening climate and nature crisis
theelders.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
Over 24,208 refugees are being accommodated in Irish residences, thanks to the support of countless community members. This is an untold success story showcasing the generosity of the Irish people. #arp #refugeeswelcome #IrelandIsFull of hospitality. While some […]

[Original post on mastodon.ie]
November 6, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
🦠 #fluwatch Ireland Week 44

• Influenza rising from low levels 📈
• RSV 🆙 slightly, still low
• COVID-19 ⤵️ across all indicators
• Rhino/enterovirus declining

💉 key to reducing severe illness
🛡️ Surveillance = public health protection
🔗 […]

[Original post on mastodon.ie]
The first image shows a multi-year, color-coded time-series graph summarizing SARS-CoV-2 viral loads detected in Irish wastewater, normalized per population (genome copies per day per person) from May 2021 until week 44 of 2025. The y-axis uses a logarithmic scale to represent viral load, ranging from 10^6 to 10^8 genome copies per day per person. The colors indicate intensity levels, with higher viral loads shown in red and lower loads in green. The graph highlights peaks and troughs in viral load trends, with notable surges corresponding to specific periods, visualizing changes in population-level infection across the country. The second image displays a map of Ireland, marked with locations of wastewater catchment areas where SARS-CoV-2 viral loads were measured for week 44 of 2025. The symbols on the map show how viral loads changed compared to the previous week: green downward arrows indicate a decrease of 10% or more, while orange pause symbols denote steady viral loads (within -10% to +10% change). The map helps to geographically identify areas with rising, steady, or falling viral loads, providing an up-to-date spatial overview of community virus trends in Ireland.
November 7, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
Business is going green 🌱

🔋 97% of execs back renewables
💰 91% of firms boosting net-zero investments
🚚 50%+ ready to relocate for clean energy

Momentum is real—but speed is lacking. #climateaction #netzero #renewables #sustainability Interesting :🔗 […]
Original post on mastodon.ie
mastodon.ie
November 5, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
"....However, we did see records in terms of fossil fuel generation: the lowest amount of fossil fuel generation (and, by extension, carbon emissions) in an October month, by some distance". #ireland #greenenergy Irish Grid Monthly: October 2025 […]

[Original post on mastodon.ie]
November 1, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
theworld.org
The nation currently known as Turkey sits where Europe meets Asia. That land was once known to Europeans as part of the Levant. #NatGeoExplorer @paulsalopek.social walked across Turkey on foot in 2014, and looks back on the experience. cc: @outofedenwalk.social
Out of Eden Walk: Walking through Turkey between conflicts - The World from PRX
The nation currently known as Turkey sits where Europe meets Asia. That land was once known to Europeans as part of the Levant. National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek walked across Turkey on foot i...
theworld.org
November 1, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
Guisers (men or kids in disguise) went door-to-door in masks and costumes to give their neighbors a good scare! 🎭👻

Ghost turnips, the púca, fortune-telling and evil abductions...how our ancestors inspire our Halloween | National Museum of Ireland […]

[Original post on mastodon.ie]
October 31, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
🧠 Risk factors associated with #LongCovid using global data
🧬 🤔: Omicron variant infection: Associated with a significantly ⬇️risk of longCOVID

🧭 LongCOVID risk is influenced by age, sex, comorbidities, severity of initial infection, and 💉status.

🔗https://buff.ly/SgvQqUH
Risk Factor Interpretation Middle age Higher risk than older adults Older age Elevated risk compared to younger adults Female sex Women more likely to develop long COVID Obesity Increased susceptibility Respiratory disease Strong association with long COVID Anxiety Mental health impacts linked to long COVID Depression Similar to anxiety Acute hospitalization Strong predictor of long COVID Critical illness (ICU/ECMO) Highest risk among severity factors Non-vaccination Vaccination reduces risk of long COVID
October 28, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Reposted by Iain Ballesty
iballesty.mastodon.ie.ap.brid.gy
Smell loss = intimacy loss?
Touch, imagination may step in—briefly.
But post-COVID, some report lasting sexual dysfunction.
Could this be Sexual #LongCovid?
🧠👃💔
🔗 https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/10/1597
#preventlongcovid #COVID19
October 25, 2025 at 9:01 AM
iballesty.bsky.social
These statements are true:
This month I put my mother in a home
Flew to Dubai for lunch with His Excellency
& then took an underage refugee home from a pole dancing event.
Also true: my mum had a week's break in a care home; I visited a client; we took our sponsee to a 💃🕺event.
an image of a iceberg with the phrase the truth and nothing but the truth (but not the whole truth) super imposed on it
October 21, 2025 at 7:52 AM