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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: Vaccines & vaccination

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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

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 has peaked in Samoa…

Posted onDecember 11, 2019December 27, 20192 Comments

In one of the most satisfying graphs I’ve ever made, this plot of weekly measles cases – both suspected and confirmed (the minority) – shows that the epidemic of measles Read More …

CategoriesMeasles, Vaccines & vaccinationTagsSamoa

Anti-vaxxers hate your children

Posted onNovember 27, 2019December 1, 201912 Comments

What is happening in Samoa is exactly what science and history tell us to expect when the measles virus is introduced into a population with low immunity. Sick, hospitalised, immune-damaged Read More …

CategoriesEditorial, Vaccines & vaccinationTagsanti-vaccination, Samoa

H3N2 is 50 years old and still going strong

Posted onNovember 19, 2019November 19, 20191 Comment

The highly variable H3N2 influenza viruses which seem to cause us the most trouble, heartache and headlines have only been with us since 1968. These tiny droplets of dread emerged Read More …

CategoriesInfluenza, Vaccines & vaccinationTagsA/H3N2, drift, Immunology, Imprinting

The reality of vaccination success…

Posted onSeptember 23, 2019September 23, 20191 Comment

Perhaps we all forget just how well vaccines have protected us over the decades. Here’s a reminder! Vaccination success is not something we keep in front of mind because it’s Read More …

CategoriesVaccines & vaccinationTagsImmunisation

Could Measles virus and Ebola virus be working together in the DRC?

Posted onSeptember 7, 2019September 9, 20192 Comments

Measles, resulting from measles virus (MeV) infection can cause immune suppression and “immune amnesia”. MeV infection most often affects non-immune children but can occur in any age group. Immune suppression Read More …

CategoriesEbola virus, Measles, Vaccines & vaccination

Influenza vaccine protection in adults: it’s better than you think

Posted onApril 19, 2019April 20, 2019

It seems like every year we’re told that the timespan for which influenza (flu) vaccination provides us immunity is a little shorter. In the next few posts, I’ll have a Read More …

CategoriesInfluenza, Vaccines & vaccination

SNAPDATE: Measles in Australia

Posted onApril 18, 2019April 18, 20191 Comment

Measles in Australia is having a bumper year. But it hasn’t been such a good year for those who have not yet been vaccinated by necessity (younger than 9-12 months) Read More …

CategoriesMeasles, Vaccines & vaccination

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

Measles hot spots all over Australia

Posted onApril 5, 2019April 9, 2019

Overnight, New South Wales announced another two cases of measles bringing its total “since Christmas” to 30 cases.[1] Today Queensland announced another two as well. But perhaps more worrying is Read More …

CategoriesMeasles, Vaccines & vaccinationTagsDarwin, Northern Territory

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

Flu vaccines can Save The Day

Posted onFebruary 26, 2019March 1, 2019

There is a strong relationship between heart failure and respiratory illness due to infection.[1] It makes good sense that if a safe way to prevent infection from developing into illness Read More …

CategoriesInfluenza, Vaccines & vaccinationTagscardiac failure, Heart failure

Influenza seasons are unpredictable: deal with it

Posted onOctober 11, 2018October 12, 2018

Mainstream Australian media are reporting that influenza cases in Australia have dropped by 83 per cent. Doctors have also said this is the result of science, guesswork and “a bit Read More …

CategoriesInfluenza, Vaccines & vaccinationTagsAustralia, influenza, seasonal influenza, vaccine, vaccine effectiveness

The hardcore anti-vaxxer and you

Posted onJuly 27, 2018July 27, 20184 Comments

Below is a scenario I recently encountered which was very familiar to me. Boringly so. I’ve tried to put some words around it in case recognising the flow and patterns Read More …

CategoriesVaccines & vaccinationTagsanti-vaccination, fake news, falsehoods, online abuse, social media

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Recent Posts

  • ‘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
  • WHO to new PCR users: read the damned manual! January 23, 2021
  • Putting PCR into real-time January 2, 2021
  • The mechanics of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)…a primer December 28, 2020

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

  • ‘Endemic’ covers a lot of biology, but we’re probably not there yet for COVID-19
  • Whatever happened to communication?
  • Masks matter for more than mandates
  • An early & big flu rise in Australia
  • BA.2.12.1 is on the rise in New York…

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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