Flu down under is a July thing

This is a graph I didn’t know I wanted to make. But now I have, I needed to make it! It shows the influenza virus detections reported to laboratories in Read More ...

A measles infographic: virus, symptoms and white blood cells

Here’s a measles infographic prepared using a range of sources and some feedback from the public. It aims to present measles symptoms and the levels of the virus and white Read More ...

Q fever – an old zoonosis with a better diagnosis

Q fever or ‘query fever’ is a vaccine-preventable zoonosis first described in Australia in 19377. The causative agent8 for this disease is the obligate intracellular coccobacillus Coxiella burnetii. The bacterium Read More ...

Measles takes your immune memories

Acute measles virus (MeV) infection can be serious You may have heard that the United States is having a multistate outbreak of MeV infections, mainly causing its worst outcomes among Read More ...

Flu down under is a July thing

Posted onJune 16, 2025June 16, 2025Leave a comment

This is a graph I didn’t know I wanted to make. But now I have, I needed to make it! It shows the influenza virus detections reported to laboratories in Read More …

Q fever – an old zoonosis with a better diagnosis

Posted onJune 9, 2025June 16, 2025Leave a comment

19th April Harvard webpage landing page snippet

What if Harvard loses?

Posted onApril 19, 2025April 23, 2025

The prestigious Ivy League private university has taken a stand against the Trump administration’s demands. Briefly (see the link above for full details), these set out a list that aims Read More …

Measles takes your immune memories

Posted onApril 9, 2025April 9, 2025

Acute measles virus (MeV) infection can be serious You may have heard that the United States is having a multistate outbreak of MeV infections, mainly causing its worst outcomes among Read More …

A measles infographic: virus, symptoms and white blood cells

Posted onMarch 27, 2025April 3, 2025

Here’s a measles infographic prepared using a range of sources and some feedback from the public. It aims to present measles symptoms and the levels of the virus and white Read More …

United States influenza: biggest season in 15 years of data

Posted onFebruary 18, 2025February 25, 2025

The United States has been suffering from many influenza virus infections. And it looks like those are translating into a “flunami” of hospitalisations, which has resulted in the US CDC Read More …

No new A/H7N8 chook farms hit in Victoria so far

Posted onFebruary 17, 2025February 17, 2025

Two poultry farms in the southern Australian State of Victoria have been quarantined for high pathogenicity avian influenza A/H7N8 infections, but spread to additional farms has not been observed so Read More …

The US 2024-2025 flu season and the vaccine

Posted onFebruary 13, 2025February 13, 2025

The United States has been having one of its biggest influenza (flu) years. Let’s look at how this season’s northern hemisphere flu vaccine, which most Americans most likely didn’t seek Read More …

An illustration of a spherical RSV virion.

A good news RSV vaccine story for adults

Posted onFebruary 5, 2025February 5, 2025

An overview of a new study in adults showing the Abrysvo respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine preventing lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by RSV infection among older adults, a Read More …

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in Australia – a 2022 study and the current state

Posted onJanuary 29, 2025February 19, 2025

A brief overview of a report describing the 2022 discovery of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in Australia. This was the first local outbreak in southern Australia and set the stage Read More …

people in facial mask standing on sidewalk

Not the “Chinese flu” label thing again…please

Posted onJanuary 6, 2025January 11, 2025

A few recent headlines have suggested something novel and infectious might be brewing among China’s children. But is it really novel? The hard-to-source headlines imply that we should be concerned. Read More …

SNAPDATE: MPOX cases in Australia, 14.09.2024

Posted onSeptember 14, 2024October 19, 2024

MPOX, the disease resulting from Monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection, continues to rise rapidly in Australia, as elsewhere in the world. It is unclear if Australia has rolled out more of Read More …

In Australia, COVID-19 deaths may have stopped decreasing

Posted onSeptember 6, 2024September 9, 20241 Comment

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) published excellent data on deaths due to or with COVID-19 in Australia from 2022 to July 2024. Deaths dropped between 2022 and 2023, but Read More …

It takes a while to gather death data

Posted onSeptember 5, 2024September 5, 2024

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) published some excellent data on the sad topic of mortality (death) in Australia. In doing that, they nicely defined why it takes patience to Read More …

Update on Monkeypox virus (MPXV) transmission in Australia

Posted onAugust 6, 2024August 6, 2024

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) causes MPOX. A ‘global outbreak’ of infections and disease became noticeable in 2022. The MPOX outbreak continues, and below is an update on the ongoing MPOX cases Read More …

Virology Down Under

Facts, data, info, expert opinion and a reasonable, occasionally grumpy, voice on viruses: what they are, how they tick and the illnesses they may cause.

Latest posts...

Flu down under is a July thing

A measles infographic: virus, symptoms and white blood cells

Q fever – an old zoonosis with a better diagnosis

Measles takes your immune memories

Flu down under is a July thing

Q fever – an old zoonosis with a better diagnosis

What if Harvard loses?

Measles takes your immune memories

A measles infographic: virus, symptoms and white blood cells

United States influenza: biggest season in 15 years of data

No new A/H7N8 chook farms hit in Victoria so far

The US 2024-2025 flu season and the vaccine

A good news RSV vaccine story for adults

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in Australia – a 2022 study and the current state

Not the “Chinese flu” label thing again…please

SNAPDATE: MPOX cases in Australia, 14.09.2024

In Australia, COVID-19 deaths may have stopped decreasing

It takes a while to gather death data

Update on Monkeypox virus (MPXV) transmission in Australia