A good news RSV vaccine story for adults
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 …
Author: Ian M Mackay, PhD (EIC)
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in Australia – a 2022 study and the current state
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 …
Not the “Chinese flu” label thing again…please
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
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
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
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
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 …
More PCR cycles don’t mean magic results
The quote below has been circulated for a while, amplified by those with no PCR understanding. Its focus is to make you believe that too many PCR cycles create false Read More …
Stop Hijacking Definitions To Farm Anger And Clicks!
It’s a funny old time to be a scientist. Advances are being made as ever, and new knowledge around airborne virus infection and transmission is accruing like never before. Not Read More …
What is “Immunity Debt”?
Something called “immunity debt” has been in the news quite a bit lately. Most recently, because of what looks like a multicountry Mycoplasma pneumoniae epidemic, but before then, in the Read More …
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Australia – worth not(ify)ing
Once upon a time, we grew viruses from sick patients’ samples. This took an age, failed often, had low throughput and was not a good diagnostic tool. Then we developed Read More …
I’m voting YES to the Voice to Parliament.
Because the First Nations people of Australia deserve to have the privileges the rest of us take for granted and, at the very least, be the source of truth on Read More …
Excess deaths align with COVID-19
There are minimisers who spread misinformation, like butter on hot toast. And yes, it can sink in and spread further. One of these piles of melted fat ridiculously claims that Read More …
Variation is key to the SARS-CoV-2 ‘waves’
Just a short note to highlight that viruses changing their ‘look’ through selection and expansion of variants in response to our immune system’s pressure on their evolution has been the Read More …
The 2023 southern hemisphere influenza vaccine
Each year we get a new vaccine for each hemisphere. The design gets settled six months out, and sometimes a lot can change in that time. So how does the Read More …