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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.

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Age and COVID-19: What’s with all the young kids?

Age and COVID-19: What’s with all the young kids?

Inspired by an online conversation and the hard work of others, I set off to examine age groupings among Australians confirmed as COVID-19 cases, based on testing using a quality-laboratory Read More ...

Another way to look at flu season size

Another way to look at flu season size

Peak height, number of cases, deaths, severity – these are all terms that are used to give you an idea of how big a flu season has been. Here’s another Read More ...

The “Infection Pause”: because it’s about fewer infections, not an immune debt to repay

The “Infection Pause”: because it’s about fewer infections, not an immune debt to repay

There was a real, measurable shift in the peak season for several endemic human pathogens as well as a rebound in infections, coinfections, and disease severity among them after the Read More ...

Asymptomatic, acute and persistent COVID-19 symptom changes over the course of three infections

Asymptomatic, acute and persistent COVID-19 symptom changes over the course of three infections

Data from a UK healthcare worker cohort published in 2024 examined how signs and symptoms of COVID-19 changed after 1, 2, or 3 SARS-CoV-2 lab-confirmed infections. Those with no symptoms Read More ...

What does a positive PCR result mean…or not mean?

Posted onFebruary 19, 2019August 4, 20207 Comments

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has remained a hugely important laboratory tool for decades. Subtle changes to the enzymes and drastic changes to the detection of a result have occurred Read More …

CategoriesPCRTagsPCR

Starting a riot

Posted onFebruary 17, 2019March 1, 20191 Comment

Among last year’s many stories about influenza (Flu) deaths during the 1918 pandemic, we often heard about the secondary impact of bacteria; they complicate Flu virus infections, causing pneumonia and Read More …

CategoriesInfluenza

Invincible: viruses are always out there, take EV-D68 for example

Posted onFebruary 15, 2019February 16, 20191 Comment

Enterovirus species D genotype 68 (EV-D68) will be back in our media streams in 2020 as the biennial peak likely returns to cause more cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) Read More …

CategoriesEV-D68

Familia figures

Posted onFebruary 12, 2019February 16, 2019

Science communication can come in many shapes and sizes. But a picture still tells a thousand words. And in this case, there are about 6,000 words worth of mosquito communication Read More …

CategoriesCommunication, MosquitoTagsAedes aegypti, mozzie, SciComm

Way up…

Posted onFebruary 9, 2019February 10, 20192 Comments

Australia has had a big summer of flu with numbers way up from what we’re used to. As my recent posts here and here flagged, it’s hard to know whether Read More …

CategoriesUncategorized

SunFluwer…

Posted onJanuary 21, 2019January 22, 2019

Just for fun, I thought I’d check in on Australia’s influenza tally again. I posted my last tally 3 days ago (Jan 18) and upon looking today (Jan 21), it’s Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsAustralia, influenza, seasonal influenza, summer

What’s up d̵a̵n̵g̵e̵r̵ Flu?

Posted onJanuary 18, 2019January 22, 20192 Comments

Influenza is still hammering Australia with unseasonable disrespect. Is this just more testing for flu viruses, or is it a new variant virus? January in Australia is continuing 2018’s out-of-character Read More …

CategoriesUncategorized

Flu keeps Australia under the weather

Posted onJanuary 11, 2019January 11, 2019

Influenza has been unseasonably hyperactive during Australia’s hotter and wetter months at the end of 2018 and the start of 2019. In what’s shaping up to be our biggest summer Read More …

CategoriesInfluenzaTagsAustralia, influenza virus, Queensland, seasonal influenza, summer

Ebola virus disease (EVD) update: to 01JAN2019

Posted onJanuary 3, 2019January 3, 2019

This is a brief Ebola virus disease (EVD) update of the latest number of people infected with, vaccinated against disease due to and killed as a result of, Ebola virus Read More …

CategoriesEbola virusTagsDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Ebola virus disease, snapdate

MERS-CoV infection without disease: When the coalmine has no canary

Posted onJanuary 2, 2019January 11, 2019

Infection by viruses including the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) does not always result in obvious sickness. MERS-CoV infection without disease may simply reflect that a healthy human’s immune Read More …

CategoriesMERS-CoVTagsasymptomatic, MERS, MERS-CoV, Review, transmission

No, it isn’t time to cede the field to endemic Ebola virus disease in the DRC

Posted onNovember 21, 2018November 22, 20181 Comment

A few weeks ago, the Director of the CDC made comments to the mainstream media raising the spectre of endemic Ebola virus disease, or an ongoing, permanent infection in the Read More …

CategoriesCommunication, Ebola virusTagsDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Ebola virus, Ebola virus disease

It’s spooky how much the virus linked to “polio-like illness” isn’t coming from immigrants

Posted onOctober 31, 2018March 26, 202210 Comments

It’s important to read. Reading is a great way to learn about new things and other people and cultures. It can also help prevent you from opening your mouth and Read More …

CategoriesEnterovirus, EV-D68

Flushing virus surveillance in Ecuador….

Posted onOctober 17, 2018

Tracking viruses in a community can mean testing lots and lots of people. That can be expensive, require a lot of permissions, approvals, a big and capable laboratory capacity and Read More …

CategoriesVirus discovery

Life after PhD in the medical research hamster wheel…

Posted onOctober 15, 2018

I got to meet up with some colleagues from my past research life recently. A few different but related things struck me as interesting. These thoughts are filtered through the Read More …

CategoriesScience researchTagsEditor's Comment, medical research, science research, stress

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

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Recent Posts

  • Age and COVID-19: What’s with all the young kids? April 14, 2026
  • Asymptomatic, acute and persistent COVID-19 symptom changes over the course of three infections March 5, 2026
  • How are asymptomatic COVID-19 cases tracking? March 2, 2026
  • Another way to look at flu season size February 28, 2026
  • Whooping cough in 2024 was huge in Australia, but is declining in 2025 and 2026 February 19, 2026
  • Pathology lab PCR is not research lab PCR January 27, 2026
  • Is there more flu in Australia and New Zealand than normal for Christmas? Hell Yes! December 27, 2025
  • Catch them all? There are three different influenza viruses and they can co-circulate each season August 22, 2025
  • The “Infection Pause”: because it’s about fewer infections, not an immune debt to repay July 31, 2025
  • A Flunami in July July 27, 2025
  • COVID-19 is a Pandemic: What if it was a Pandemic Emergency? And what are they anyway? July 24, 2025
  • In Australia, COVID-19 deaths did decrease between 2023 and 2024, but it’s still a major killer. July 2, 2025
  • Flu down under is a July thing June 16, 2025
  • Q fever – an old zoonosis with a better diagnosis June 9, 2025
  • What if Harvard loses? April 19, 2025

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

  • Age and COVID-19: What’s with all the young kids?
  • Asymptomatic, acute and persistent COVID-19 symptom changes over the course of three infections
  • How are asymptomatic COVID-19 cases tracking?
  • Another way to look at flu season size
  • Whooping cough in 2024 was huge in Australia, but is declining in 2025 and 2026

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.

Bluesky: @mackayim.bsky.social

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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.

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