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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.

Category: Debunking

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Ireland and the vaccinated hospitalised-it ain’t what it looks like

Posted onNovember 6, 2021November 7, 20213 Comments

The media have again become fixated on the higher number of COVID-19 fully-vaccinated people in Irish hospitals and ICUs – but when you apply a little mathematics, it’s clear that Read More …

CategoriesCOVID-19, Debunking, Vaccines & vaccination

Sigh, yes, the ‘COVID virus’ is real

Posted onOctober 6, 2020November 3, 202024 Comments

There has been talk out thar in the wildlands of Twitter from people who don’t believe the evidence that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is real. Has Read More …

CategoriesCOVID-19, Debunking, PCR, Virus discovery

Yes, PCR tests can detect “the COVID virus”

Posted onAugust 4, 2020September 14, 2020113 Comments

I was asked to write some comments for a fact check article about some of the myths going around about PCR-based testing and whether PCR tests can detect “the COVID Read More …

CategoriesCommunication, Debunking, DNA, Laboratory methods, PCR, SARS-CoV-2TagsRT-PCR, RT-rPCR

There are plenty of placebo-controlled vaccine trials

Posted onDecember 31, 2019September 22, 202011 Comments

The agglomeration of anti-vaxxers love to plague us with their pro-disease perfidy. They really enjoy wheeling out the lie that vaccines have never been tested with a placebo. Turns out, Read More …

CategoriesDebunking, Vaccines & vaccinationTagsPlacebo

Measles in Samoa – a couple of referenced facts

Posted onDecember 30, 2019December 30, 20193 Comments

Measles has killed 81 people in Samoa so far, mostly children. Meanwhile, like a pack of hyenas laughing maniacally off stage, the anti-vaccination cult is drooling over the harm and Read More …

CategoriesDebunking, Measles

Aluminium and you

Posted onApril 12, 2019December 30, 2019

Aluminium (aluminum if you’re from North America) is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust and the third most abundant element of the planet.[1,37] Compounds containing aluminium are also Read More …

CategoriesDebunking, Vaccines & vaccinationTagsAluminium

But 40,000+ cases of AFP in India must mean polio is thriving, right? No.

Posted onMarch 28, 2019April 20, 20198 Comments

Have you heard the one about the global conspiracy that polio is rampant in India because thousands of cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) occur there each year? Follow me Read More …

CategoriesDebunking, Enterovirus, PicornavirusTagsIndia, poliovirus

No, they didn’t rename polio

Posted onMarch 20, 2019March 21, 20191 Comment

Have you heard the one about all the world’s health experts getting together and hiding the real state of human polio cases by renaming “polio” to “acute flaccid paralysis” (AFP)? Read More …

CategoriesDebunking, Enterovirus, Picornavirus, Vaccines & vaccination

Galloping Gish! So many papers, so little relevance

Posted onMarch 16, 2019March 17, 20191 Comment

Have you been privileged to interact with that fine, tiny but very loud cabal we call #antivaxxers? Do you know the ones? Those who have minds totally made up. They Read More …

CategoriesDebunking

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Recent Posts

  • Excess deaths align with COVID-19 May 7, 2023
  • Variation is key to the SARS-CoV-2 ‘waves’ May 7, 2023
  • The 2023 southern hemisphere influenza vaccine April 29, 2023
  • ‘Endemic’ covers a lot of biology, but we’re probably not there yet for COVID-19 January 2, 2023
  • Whatever happened to communication? July 24, 2022
  • Masks matter for more than mandates July 7, 2022
  • An early & big flu rise in Australia June 7, 2022
  • BA.2.12.1 is on the rise in New York… May 2, 2022
  • Unexplained hepatitis: severe liver inflammation among young children April 25, 2022
  • Lockdowns had a role: they saved lives April 18, 2022
  • Super-cold or a silly headline? April 15, 2022
  • Arrrrr on the rise (Rhinovirus, RSV and RATs) March 19, 2022
  • Thank goodness we did all the work January 29, 2022
  • Living next door to Alice January 3, 2022
  • Ireland and the vaccinated hospitalised-it ain’t what it looks like November 6, 2021

All opinions are my own and do not represent medical advice or the views of any institution.

All graphics made by me are free-to-use. Please just cite the particular page, blog and me. A heads-up would be nice, but that can happen later.

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Recent Posts

  • Excess deaths align with COVID-19
  • Variation is key to the SARS-CoV-2 ‘waves’
  • The 2023 southern hemisphere influenza vaccine
  • ‘Endemic’ covers a lot of biology, but we’re probably not there yet for COVID-19
  • Whatever happened to communication?

All opinions are my own and do not represent medical advice or the views of any institution.

All graphics made by me are free-to-use. Please just cite the particular page, blog and me. A heads-up would be nice too but that can happen later.

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