@aggiemt90.bsky.social
Reposted
1/ Today, ProPublica is running a piece I've been working on for a bit. It's about what happened with a devastating wave of bird flu earlier this year, as egg prices hit record highs.
And it's a story that illuminates the ways the U.S. is failing to control what could become the next pandemic. 🧵
And it's a story that illuminates the ways the U.S. is failing to control what could become the next pandemic. 🧵
November 18, 2025 at 9:11 PM
1/ Today, ProPublica is running a piece I've been working on for a bit. It's about what happened with a devastating wave of bird flu earlier this year, as egg prices hit record highs.
And it's a story that illuminates the ways the U.S. is failing to control what could become the next pandemic. 🧵
And it's a story that illuminates the ways the U.S. is failing to control what could become the next pandemic. 🧵
Reposted
Let’s talk about why I am increasingly uneasy about the upcoming flu season. A new H3N2 influenza variant has been emerging globally, and it carries mutations linked to immune escape i.e the virus’s ability to bypass some of our pre-existing immunity. 🧵
utppublishing.com/doi/10.3138/...
utppublishing.com/doi/10.3138/...
Emergence of seasonal influenza A(H3N2) variants with immune escape potential warrants enhanced molecular and epidemiological surveillance for the 2025–2026 season | Journal of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada
Background: All of the major antigenic changes in influenza A(H3N2) viruses since 1968 have involved mutations at just nine amino acid positions, called cluster transition sites, surrounding the receptor binding region of the hemagglutinin surface protein. During the northern hemisphere (NH) 2024–2025 influenza season, A(H3N2) variants emerged with multiple parallel substitutions affecting cluster transition sites 135, 145, 158 and/or 189, with implications for the 2025–2026 season. Methods: Using >24,000 global A(H3) sequences between September 2024 and August 2025, we assess the nature and frequency of amino acid mutations among emerging NH and southern hemisphere (SH) A(H3N2) variants relative to the 2024–2025 subclade J and updated 2025–2026 subclade J.2 vaccine reference strains. We contextualize based upon historic amino acid variation among >210,000 global A(H3) sequences since 1968 and publicly available antigenic characterization data relative to 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 vaccine reference strains Results: Virtually all circulating A(H3N2) viruses in 2024–2025 were subclade J.2. In Europe, about one-third had cluster transition site mutations, mostly T135A with S145N. In North America, more than two-thirds had cluster transition site mutations, including T135K or S145N, with late-season increase in doubly mutated J.2.3 (N158K + K189R) and J.2.5 (S145N + N158K) subclades. The SH 2025 season showed increase in J.2.3 and emergence of J.2.4 (T135K + K189R) including a further drifted J.2.4.1 variant with additional N158D and other mutations, recently renamed subclade K. A substantial proportion of J.2.3 and J.2.4 viruses are antigenically distinct from the 2025–2026 influenza vaccine. Conclusion: Influenza A(H3N2) variants with a combination of cluster transition site mutations emerged during the NH 2024–2025 season. A further drifted and vaccine-mismatched variant now called subclade K arose during the SH 2025 season and is projected to predominate among A(H3N2) viruses for the NH 2025–2026 season. While mismatched vaccines may still provide protection, enhanced genetic, antigenic and epidemiological (eg, vaccine effectiveness) monitoring are warranted to inform risk assessment and response.
utppublishing.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Let’s talk about why I am increasingly uneasy about the upcoming flu season. A new H3N2 influenza variant has been emerging globally, and it carries mutations linked to immune escape i.e the virus’s ability to bypass some of our pre-existing immunity. 🧵
utppublishing.com/doi/10.3138/...
utppublishing.com/doi/10.3138/...
Reposted
Luckily, Sinclair has a helpful database of all their stations, so you can see if they're operating in your area and respond accordingly.
sbgi.net/tv-stations/
sbgi.net/tv-stations/
September 18, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Luckily, Sinclair has a helpful database of all their stations, so you can see if they're operating in your area and respond accordingly.
sbgi.net/tv-stations/
sbgi.net/tv-stations/
Reposted
Imagine if we were forced to post these in schools instead
August 15, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Imagine if we were forced to post these in schools instead
Reposted
The first time I tried to read this piece…I couldn’t get through it because I was uncontrollably sobbing by the time I got near the end
It’s beautiful and heartbreaking.
Read it: www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
It’s beautiful and heartbreaking.
Read it: www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
“The River House Broke. We Rushed in the River.”
The July 4 Texas flooding ripped our Kerr County home from its pillars, pulling us into the water and into the night. Then morning came.
www.texasmonthly.com
July 11, 2025 at 3:27 AM
The first time I tried to read this piece…I couldn’t get through it because I was uncontrollably sobbing by the time I got near the end
It’s beautiful and heartbreaking.
Read it: www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
It’s beautiful and heartbreaking.
Read it: www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
Reposted
Medicaid is NOT a handout. It’s how 4.8M Texans survive.
Republicans want to cut $715B from it while handing out tax cuts to billionaires.
That’s not “fixing” the budget, it’s disrespect for the people who need it most — and voting for that is un-American, plain and simple.
Republicans want to cut $715B from it while handing out tax cuts to billionaires.
That’s not “fixing” the budget, it’s disrespect for the people who need it most — and voting for that is un-American, plain and simple.
May 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Medicaid is NOT a handout. It’s how 4.8M Texans survive.
Republicans want to cut $715B from it while handing out tax cuts to billionaires.
That’s not “fixing” the budget, it’s disrespect for the people who need it most — and voting for that is un-American, plain and simple.
Republicans want to cut $715B from it while handing out tax cuts to billionaires.
That’s not “fixing” the budget, it’s disrespect for the people who need it most — and voting for that is un-American, plain and simple.
Reposted
The biosafety hobbyist community is currently incensed that the new NIAID Director’s work to reconstruct 1918 had no benefits & was the most horrifyingly pointless gain-of-function work in the history of reckless virology. Also I’m a bitch.
The former isn’t true. Here’s why 🧵👇🏻
The former isn’t true. Here’s why 🧵👇🏻
April 28, 2025 at 12:44 PM
The biosafety hobbyist community is currently incensed that the new NIAID Director’s work to reconstruct 1918 had no benefits & was the most horrifyingly pointless gain-of-function work in the history of reckless virology. Also I’m a bitch.
The former isn’t true. Here’s why 🧵👇🏻
The former isn’t true. Here’s why 🧵👇🏻
Reposted
A tricky thing about modern society is that no one has any idea when they don’t die.
Like, the number of lives saved by controlling air pollution in America is probably over 200,000 per year, but the number of people who think their life was saved by controlling air pollution is zero.
Like, the number of lives saved by controlling air pollution in America is probably over 200,000 per year, but the number of people who think their life was saved by controlling air pollution is zero.
April 7, 2025 at 4:13 AM
A tricky thing about modern society is that no one has any idea when they don’t die.
Like, the number of lives saved by controlling air pollution in America is probably over 200,000 per year, but the number of people who think their life was saved by controlling air pollution is zero.
Like, the number of lives saved by controlling air pollution in America is probably over 200,000 per year, but the number of people who think their life was saved by controlling air pollution is zero.
Reposted
🧵1/ With rising STI rates across the U.S., the very programs that protect us were slashed. Cuts to CDC’s Division of STD Prevention gut a system built to stop syphilis, gonorrhea, HIV, and more. Here’s what we’re losing and why it matters to everyone. #IDSky #PublicHealthSky
April 5, 2025 at 1:02 PM
🧵1/ With rising STI rates across the U.S., the very programs that protect us were slashed. Cuts to CDC’s Division of STD Prevention gut a system built to stop syphilis, gonorrhea, HIV, and more. Here’s what we’re losing and why it matters to everyone. #IDSky #PublicHealthSky
Reposted
Working with an interdisciplinary team, we have developed a website to communicate how the White House's proposed cuts to health research would cause losses of $16B and 68,500 jobs.
Find out how your community may be impacted.
Explore more at SCIMaP: scienceimpacts.org
a 🧵
Find out how your community may be impacted.
Explore more at SCIMaP: scienceimpacts.org
a 🧵
March 28, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Working with an interdisciplinary team, we have developed a website to communicate how the White House's proposed cuts to health research would cause losses of $16B and 68,500 jobs.
Find out how your community may be impacted.
Explore more at SCIMaP: scienceimpacts.org
a 🧵
Find out how your community may be impacted.
Explore more at SCIMaP: scienceimpacts.org
a 🧵
Reposted
Okay, so.
I don’t know how much of a heads up this is when it’s just a notice about these 2 mutations. Do they really raise serious concerns about “increased transmission?”
Sort of. It’s more complex than D701N & E626K, omg pandemic bird flu.
What do these mutations do in H5N1?
I don’t know how much of a heads up this is when it’s just a notice about these 2 mutations. Do they really raise serious concerns about “increased transmission?”
Sort of. It’s more complex than D701N & E626K, omg pandemic bird flu.
What do these mutations do in H5N1?
February 27, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Okay, so.
I don’t know how much of a heads up this is when it’s just a notice about these 2 mutations. Do they really raise serious concerns about “increased transmission?”
Sort of. It’s more complex than D701N & E626K, omg pandemic bird flu.
What do these mutations do in H5N1?
I don’t know how much of a heads up this is when it’s just a notice about these 2 mutations. Do they really raise serious concerns about “increased transmission?”
Sort of. It’s more complex than D701N & E626K, omg pandemic bird flu.
What do these mutations do in H5N1?