Prof Brendan Crabb AC
@brendancrabb.bsky.social
research scientist in infectious diseases, health equity advocate, director & ceo burnet institute (www.burnet.edu.au), chair, australian global health alliance & pacific friends of global health (www.ausglobalhealth.org)
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
Bat virologist Dr Joshua Hayward, senior research officer at Burnet Institute, answers some of the most common questions about Nipah virus: www.burnet.edu.au/news/what-is...
What is Nipah virus and should Australians be concerned?
Bat virologist Dr Joshua Hayward answers some of the most common questions on Nipah virus.
www.burnet.edu.au
January 30, 2026 at 3:02 AM
Bat virologist Dr Joshua Hayward, senior research officer at Burnet Institute, answers some of the most common questions about Nipah virus: www.burnet.edu.au/news/what-is...
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
James Flintoft has been appointed Burnet's new Chair following the retirement of long-serving Board member and Chair Mary Padbury. Find out more: https://www.burnet.edu.au/news/james-flintoft-appointed-burnet-chair-following-mary-padburys-retirement/
January 28, 2026 at 10:40 PM
James Flintoft has been appointed Burnet's new Chair following the retirement of long-serving Board member and Chair Mary Padbury. Find out more: https://www.burnet.edu.au/news/james-flintoft-appointed-burnet-chair-following-mary-padburys-retirement/
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
Brilliant reporting here by Gareth Hutchens on the Atlas Network and its insidious work across the world, including Australia
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
A discreet intellectual network has been reshaping the world for 70 years. Here's how
A constant battle of ideas reshapes the world we live in, and few groups have been more successful in winning the war than the little-known Atlas Network.
www.abc.net.au
January 25, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Brilliant reporting here by Gareth Hutchens on the Atlas Network and its insidious work across the world, including Australia
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
My column on Oxfam's inequality report #ThePoint
"Oxfam: Australian billionaires pocket $600,000 a day as inequality deepens"
thepoint.com.au/news/260120-...
"Oxfam: Australian billionaires pocket $600,000 a day as inequality deepens"
thepoint.com.au/news/260120-...
Oxfam: Australian billionaires pocket $600,000 a day as inequality deepens
A major report by Oxfam released today has found that the average Australian billionaire increased their wealth by almost $600,000 a day over the past year, or more than $10.5 billion altogether.
thepoint.com.au
January 19, 2026 at 11:26 PM
My column on Oxfam's inequality report #ThePoint
"Oxfam: Australian billionaires pocket $600,000 a day as inequality deepens"
thepoint.com.au/news/260120-...
"Oxfam: Australian billionaires pocket $600,000 a day as inequality deepens"
thepoint.com.au/news/260120-...
It’s not just obscene, but I’d go as far as to say extreme inequity is our (and the developed world’s) most significant problem; the issue that must be addressed first if we are to be healthier, wealthier, more secure, and more sustainable.
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
Australia's 48 billionaires wealthier than bottom 40pc combined, Oxfam finds
Oxfam Australia is calling on the federal government to tax the super rich to help tackle growing inequality, as billionaires grow their wealth by more than half a million a day on average.
www.abc.net.au
January 19, 2026 at 2:07 AM
It’s not just obscene, but I’d go as far as to say extreme inequity is our (and the developed world’s) most significant problem; the issue that must be addressed first if we are to be healthier, wealthier, more secure, and more sustainable.
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
There’s a lot happening in and around this brilliant shot.
Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.
January 18, 2026 at 12:06 AM
There’s a lot happening in and around this brilliant shot.
Extraordinary contribution, a reference for us all - vaccines promise to be an even bigger part of the future than they have been in the past. And that’s saying something. Thankyou @scientificdiscovery.dev
NEW article by me!
We can now visualize pathogens down to atoms; design vaccines in weeks; manufacture them in microbial factories; engineer them more precise than ever before.
We're living through a golden age of vaccine development, but only if we continue to invest in them.
We can now visualize pathogens down to atoms; design vaccines in weeks; manufacture them in microbial factories; engineer them more precise than ever before.
We're living through a golden age of vaccine development, but only if we continue to invest in them.
The golden age of vaccine development - Works in Progress Magazine
The first vaccine was a lucky accident. Now we can design new vaccines in weeks, atom by atom.
worksinprogress.co
January 7, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Extraordinary contribution, a reference for us all - vaccines promise to be an even bigger part of the future than they have been in the past. And that’s saying something. Thankyou @scientificdiscovery.dev
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
Burnet Institute and Acting CEO Professor Caroline Homer AO express condolences on the death of the University of Melbourne’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Emma Johnston AO – distinguished scientist, respected higher education leader, and passionate advocate for research excellence and gender equity.
December 30, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Burnet Institute and Acting CEO Professor Caroline Homer AO express condolences on the death of the University of Melbourne’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Emma Johnston AO – distinguished scientist, respected higher education leader, and passionate advocate for research excellence and gender equity.
If ever there was a breath of fresh air and optimism in Australian academia it was Emma. Utterly devastating news.
www.afr.com/work-and-car...
www.afr.com/work-and-car...
Melbourne Uni vice chancellor dies after short illness
Emma Johnston took charge of Australia’s top-ranked university in 2025 after a lauded career as a research scientist. She was 52.
www.afr.com
December 29, 2025 at 1:37 AM
If ever there was a breath of fresh air and optimism in Australian academia it was Emma. Utterly devastating news.
www.afr.com/work-and-car...
www.afr.com/work-and-car...
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
Poverty is a policy choice. Concentrated wealth is a policy choice. Inequality is a policy choice. None of it is natural or inevitable. Remember: We have the power to build a system that serves the many, not the powerful few.
December 28, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Poverty is a policy choice. Concentrated wealth is a policy choice. Inequality is a policy choice. None of it is natural or inevitable. Remember: We have the power to build a system that serves the many, not the powerful few.
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
It was such a joy to celebrate Hanukkah with Mandy, Kathryn and their son, Gideon. As Jewish New Yorkers across our city prepare to light candles and mark the seventh night today, I wish you and your families a Hanukkah full of light and love.
youtu.be/KIxAKyioXng
youtu.be/KIxAKyioXng
Happy Hanukkah
YouTube video by Zohran Mamdani for NYC
youtu.be
December 20, 2025 at 1:58 PM
It was such a joy to celebrate Hanukkah with Mandy, Kathryn and their son, Gideon. As Jewish New Yorkers across our city prepare to light candles and mark the seventh night today, I wish you and your families a Hanukkah full of light and love.
youtu.be/KIxAKyioXng
youtu.be/KIxAKyioXng
Underscoring that long COVID is as biological as a broken leg. This commentary is on a new paper in Nature Immunology (see next link). Not new findings in the main but beautifully done work that offers both mechanic insights and potential therapeutic solutions.
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
Break in the case for long COVID investigators — Harvard Gazette
Research highlighting chronic inflammation opens path to treating illness that affects millions of Americans.
news.harvard.edu
December 14, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Underscoring that long COVID is as biological as a broken leg. This commentary is on a new paper in Nature Immunology (see next link). Not new findings in the main but beautifully done work that offers both mechanic insights and potential therapeutic solutions.
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center studied 142 people and found that long COVID is marked by chronic immune activation, including IL-6 and JAK-STAT signaling, T cell exhaustion, and metabolic disruption lasting over 6 months.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Long COVID involves activation of proinflammatory and immune exhaustion pathways - Nature Immunology
Long COVID (LC) involves a spectrum of chronic symptoms after resolution of acute severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Barouch and colleagues show that LC is characterized by per...
www.nature.com
December 12, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center studied 142 people and found that long COVID is marked by chronic immune activation, including IL-6 and JAK-STAT signaling, T cell exhaustion, and metabolic disruption lasting over 6 months.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
Huge thanks to @mikehoney.bsky.social for all the valuable COVID data he tracks. His work has become incredibly important for scientists and health professionals, and with so little data available now, it really matters for people who want to stay safe and informed.
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
Scientists rely on this COVID-19 data. It's made by a volunteer in Melbourne
Meet the Melbourne IT specialist who tracks "incredibly valuable" COVID-19 data in his spare time.
www.sbs.com.au
December 12, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Huge thanks to @mikehoney.bsky.social for all the valuable COVID data he tracks. His work has become incredibly important for scientists and health professionals, and with so little data available now, it really matters for people who want to stay safe and informed.
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
A small Australian December (!) #flu thread.
In the ~25 days since my last update (08NOV), detections have risen by 32,330. That's a daily rate of 1,293 (up from 1,067 in the previous update).
In the ~25 days since my last update (08NOV), detections have risen by 32,330. That's a daily rate of 1,293 (up from 1,067 in the previous update).
December 3, 2025 at 10:32 AM
A small Australian December (!) #flu thread.
In the ~25 days since my last update (08NOV), detections have risen by 32,330. That's a daily rate of 1,293 (up from 1,067 in the previous update).
In the ~25 days since my last update (08NOV), detections have risen by 32,330. That's a daily rate of 1,293 (up from 1,067 in the previous update).
Great piece on perhaps humanity’s greatest ever achievement - extra special for this extraordinary vaccine-hesitancy-casual-with-new infections moment in history.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
300 million dead in 100 years: How we eradicated a killer
The eradication of smallpox 46 years ago has been hailed as the greatest triumph of global public health. It has also been held up as a model for global cooperation.
www.abc.net.au
December 8, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Great piece on perhaps humanity’s greatest ever achievement - extra special for this extraordinary vaccine-hesitancy-casual-with-new infections moment in history.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
Last night, Dr Jeanne Marrazzo delivered the inaugural AIID Oration. Dr Marrazzo argued that without strong systems, trusted institutions and equitable access, even the most extraordinary scientific breakthroughs can fail to reach the people who need them most. Thanks Dr Marrazzo!
December 3, 2025 at 6:30 AM
Last night, Dr Jeanne Marrazzo delivered the inaugural AIID Oration. Dr Marrazzo argued that without strong systems, trusted institutions and equitable access, even the most extraordinary scientific breakthroughs can fail to reach the people who need them most. Thanks Dr Marrazzo!
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
We welcome Australia's commitment of $48m to support Fiji's fast-growing HIV crisis.
"Infectious disease outbreaks require constant vigilance and sustained investment — the moment we look away, they accelerate," Prof @brendancrabb.bsky.social said.
Read more: www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
"Infectious disease outbreaks require constant vigilance and sustained investment — the moment we look away, they accelerate," Prof @brendancrabb.bsky.social said.
Read more: www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
Australia blitzed transmission of HIV, but a neighbour's crisis threatens the entire region
Australia has committed $48m to support Fiji's fast-growing HIV crisis, targeting testing, treatment and community-led prevention.
www.sbs.com.au
December 1, 2025 at 6:21 AM
We welcome Australia's commitment of $48m to support Fiji's fast-growing HIV crisis.
"Infectious disease outbreaks require constant vigilance and sustained investment — the moment we look away, they accelerate," Prof @brendancrabb.bsky.social said.
Read more: www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
"Infectious disease outbreaks require constant vigilance and sustained investment — the moment we look away, they accelerate," Prof @brendancrabb.bsky.social said.
Read more: www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
I’ve added an Excess Deaths Comparison page to my analysis on that topic. Here I’m comparing the UK, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand, to June 2025.
My method projects "Expected Deaths" using a linear regression on the weekly deaths (4-week average) from a baseline of 2015-2019 deaths.
🧵
My method projects "Expected Deaths" using a linear regression on the weekly deaths (4-week average) from a baseline of 2015-2019 deaths.
🧵
November 30, 2025 at 12:59 AM
I’ve added an Excess Deaths Comparison page to my analysis on that topic. Here I’m comparing the UK, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand, to June 2025.
My method projects "Expected Deaths" using a linear regression on the weekly deaths (4-week average) from a baseline of 2015-2019 deaths.
🧵
My method projects "Expected Deaths" using a linear regression on the weekly deaths (4-week average) from a baseline of 2015-2019 deaths.
🧵
Great to see Australian government support for this, the speed of this resurgence is troubling.
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
Australia blitzed transmission of HIV, but a neighbour's crisis threatens the entire region
Australia has committed $48m to support Fiji's fast-growing HIV crisis, targeting testing, treatment and community-led prevention.
www.sbs.com.au
November 29, 2025 at 6:50 AM
Great to see Australian government support for this, the speed of this resurgence is troubling.
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
"that it is far cheaper for Australia, and the world, to make a well-coordinated effort to reach net zero by 2050'
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
The climate crisis is expensive: net zero is cheaper for Australia than not doing more
The Coalition claims net zero by 2050 will cost too much – but unchecked warming or even a delayed transition would be worse for the economy
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:35 PM
"that it is far cheaper for Australia, and the world, to make a well-coordinated effort to reach net zero by 2050'
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
Hundreds of millions in MRFF funds are sitting idle while labs close and researchers leave.
The money is there – release the full MRFF.
www.aamri.org.au/mrff
#releasethefullmrff
The money is there – release the full MRFF.
www.aamri.org.au/mrff
#releasethefullmrff
November 14, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Hundreds of millions in MRFF funds are sitting idle while labs close and researchers leave.
The money is there – release the full MRFF.
www.aamri.org.au/mrff
#releasethefullmrff
The money is there – release the full MRFF.
www.aamri.org.au/mrff
#releasethefullmrff
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
1. This is a thread on freedom, and how easy it is to lose.
Over the past 2,000 years in Europe, there have been few periods and places of freedom. For much of the time we lived under highly oppressive tyrannies of various kinds, whether small or grand, local or imperial, secular or religious.🧵
Over the past 2,000 years in Europe, there have been few periods and places of freedom. For much of the time we lived under highly oppressive tyrannies of various kinds, whether small or grand, local or imperial, secular or religious.🧵
November 7, 2025 at 6:35 AM
1. This is a thread on freedom, and how easy it is to lose.
Over the past 2,000 years in Europe, there have been few periods and places of freedom. For much of the time we lived under highly oppressive tyrannies of various kinds, whether small or grand, local or imperial, secular or religious.🧵
Over the past 2,000 years in Europe, there have been few periods and places of freedom. For much of the time we lived under highly oppressive tyrannies of various kinds, whether small or grand, local or imperial, secular or religious.🧵
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
The Australian Centre for Disease Control is happening! Burnet’s Chief Health Officer, Associate Professor Suman Majumdar, welcomes the new CDC, saying: “Health challenges transcend national borders. The CDC will bolster Australia’s readiness and contribute to global health security.”
November 7, 2025 at 5:50 AM
The Australian Centre for Disease Control is happening! Burnet’s Chief Health Officer, Associate Professor Suman Majumdar, welcomes the new CDC, saying: “Health challenges transcend national borders. The CDC will bolster Australia’s readiness and contribute to global health security.”
Reposted by Prof Brendan Crabb AC
The future of Australian medical research is being held back, not by a lack of ideas, talent, or urgency, but by the failure to honour a long‐held funding promise, a situation all the more perplexing given that the promised funds are already available.
Read more: www.burnet.edu.au/news/burnet-...
Read more: www.burnet.edu.au/news/burnet-...
Burnet backs calls to fully release MRFF: media release
The MRFF was established to transform Australian health and medical research. We are calling on all funds to be released.
www.burnet.edu.au
November 7, 2025 at 12:03 AM
The future of Australian medical research is being held back, not by a lack of ideas, talent, or urgency, but by the failure to honour a long‐held funding promise, a situation all the more perplexing given that the promised funds are already available.
Read more: www.burnet.edu.au/news/burnet-...
Read more: www.burnet.edu.au/news/burnet-...