Emma Thomson
emcat1.bsky.social
Emma Thomson
@emcat1.bsky.social
I am clinical professor of infectious diseases at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research and professor of emerging viruses at LSHTM. I study emerging viruses in Uganda and the UK.
Reposted by Emma Thomson
🎉 We are very excited to have our recent @naturecomms.bsky.social publication chosen to be featured on a Editors’ Highlights webpage specific to public health.

www.nature.com/collections/...

@emcat1.bsky.social & Shirin Ashraf
Public health
Our recent highlights in the field of public health, including epidemiological studies investigating the social, environmental, genetic, and behavioural ...
www.nature.com
April 3, 2025 at 10:48 AM
New in Nature Comms: We applied metagenomic + targeted NGS to serum from febrile patients in Uganda. Post-COVID, LMICs have sequencing infrastructure that could be repurposed for pathogen discovery.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Uncovering the viral aetiology of undiagnosed acute febrile illness in Uganda using metagenomic sequencing - Nature Communications
Acute febrile illness is common in sub-Saharan Africa and causative agents are often unknown. Here, the authors perform metagenomic sequencing on samples from patients with acute febrile illness in Ug...
www.nature.com
March 27, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
Reposted by Emma Thomson
Today is the 5-year anniversary of the first #COVID19 lockdown in UK.

Really important to reflect on lessons we have (or haven't) learnt, as the threat of another pandemic is higher than ever.

Glad that @emcat1.bsky.social & I could contribute to this.👇

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
Ten lockdown lessons to learn for next time
Five years since Boris Johnson ordered the UK to stay home, steps to prepare for the next national emergency are clearer
www.theguardian.com
March 23, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
How can you help tackle HPV? VACCINATE & SCREEN

CVR researchers are working hard to develop new tests to catch early warning signs more accurately—potentially streamlining cervical screening and reducing patient stress.

www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/...

#HPVAwarenessDay
March 4, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
Infectious Disease Society of America issues a statement on the political interference with the CDC vaccine information and the advisory committee on immunisation www.idsociety.org/news--public...
Statement on Removal of Vaccine Promotion and ACIP Meeting Postponement
www.idsociety.org
February 23, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
If you are one of the #CDC #HHS #FDA #NIH employees who have learned today that your employment is being abruptly ended, we want to hear from you. @altcdc.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/02/14/f...
Are you affected by firings at federal health agencies?
Have you been affected by firings at federal health agencies? @statnews would like to hear from you.
www.statnews.com
February 14, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Wow - a super-fast effort to sequence a sample from the recent SUDV case in Kampala, Uganda 🇺🇬 - showing a closer link to sequences from 2012 than 2022, suggesting that this is a new outbreak. virological.org/t/near-real-...
Near Real-Time Genomic Characterization of the 2025 Sudan Ebolavirus Outbreak in Uganda’s Index Case: Insights into Evolutionary Origins
Introduction Case History: On January 30, 2025, the Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus (SUDV) Disease in Kampala, Uganda, following the death of a healthcare worker at Mula...
virological.org
February 4, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
NIH appears to have canceled/postponed all of its study sections—the independent review panels that approve federal grants for health research.

Such grants fund the work/salaries of 300k people at more than 2,500 institutions
All NIH study sections canceled indefinitely. This will halt science and devastate research budgets in universities.
January 22, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
L’Institut Pasteur décide de quitter X (ex-Twitter) pour rejoindre BlueSky ! 🦋
L’Institut Pasteur a pris cette décision en raison de plusieurs dérives graves constatées sur la plateforme X depuis son rachat. Rejoignez-nous pour continuer à défendre la science ! www.pasteur.fr/fr/espace-pr...
L’Institut Pasteur a décidé de quitter X
L’Institut Pasteur, organisme de recherche engagé depuis plus de 130 ans dans la lutte contre les maladies infectieuses, le partage des connaissances et la défense de la science, a décidé de quitter l...
www.pasteur.fr
January 16, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
Good news on a H5N1 vaccine efficacy in a preclinical model in case it is needed
science.org/doi/10.1126/...
December 18, 2024 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
CDC confirms first severe H5N1 case in US patient www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influe...
CDC confirms first severe H5N1 case in US patient
www.cidrap.umn.edu
December 18, 2024 at 10:02 PM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
A Decade After the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, Sierra Leone Begins a New Chapter With Nation-Wide Preventive Vaccination of Frontline Workers allafrica.com/stories/2024...
Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Begins Nationwide Vaccination Campaign Against Ebola
Press Release - Sierra Leone becomes the first country, among those most severely affected ten years ago by the West Africa Ebola outbreak, to launch nationwide preventive Ebola vaccination, targeting...
allafrica.com
December 6, 2024 at 3:42 AM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
A REALLY big flavi-like virus...https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.01.08.574764v1.full.pdf
January 9, 2024 at 11:41 PM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
Fabulous work with colleagues in Burundi, who took up Mpox sequencing to understand the situation AND are willing to share pre-publication, shows the expanding tree, and evidence for several introductions not taking off. In progress virological.org/t/preliminar...
Preliminary analysis of 98 genomic sequences of MPXV clade Ib cases from Burundi, July to September 2024
Preliminary analysis of 98 genomic sequences of MPXV clade Ib cases from Burundi, July to September 2024 Introduction A large mpox clade Ib virus outbreak started in the province of South Kivu in th...
virological.org
November 21, 2024 at 7:52 AM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
.@capublichealth.bsky.social announced a broad recall of Raw Farms LLC raw whole milk & cream on store shelves & has suspended distribution of additional products after multiple positive #H5N1 #birdflu tests. It advises avoiding other Raw Farm products for now. www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA...
December 4, 2024 at 4:24 AM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
I talked to the world news cast about the newly authorized #mpox vaccine LC16m8 which can be used in children >1 year old. 3 million doses have been donated to African countries dealing with outbreaks currently.
theworld.org/segments/202...
The UN approves mpox vaccine for children - The World from PRX
The World Health Organization has authorized the first mpox vaccine for children. This is huge news because the mpox outbreak in Africa has disproportionately affected children in countries like Congo...
theworld.org
November 22, 2024 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
Poignant frontline perspective of a #Rwandan physician responding to the recent #marburg outbreak. It is well worth a read. We are are two weeks into the 42 day countdown to declaring the outbreak over🤞🏾. These brave HCPs kept us safe. #medsky #idsky 🧪
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Fight or Flight — Facing the Marburg Outbreak in Rwanda | NEJM
Having diagnosed two ICU patients with the first known cases of Marburg virus disease in Rwanda, a physician must prioritize limiting spread, despite pleas for transfer from the patients’ families.
www.nejm.org
November 21, 2024 at 2:19 AM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
Couldn’t find a virology starter pack so here’s one to get the ball rolling. Repost/reply if you are a virologist so I can find and add you to the list!

go.bsky.app/SinqoJU
November 10, 2024 at 2:43 PM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
The US joins the list of countries that has detected clade Ib #mpox. A person who recently traveled from eastern Africa was diagnosed with the disease in San Mateo County, California. Sounds like a mild case. My story: www.statnews.com/2024/11/16/m...
First U.S. case of new mpox strain detected in California
California has detected the country’s first case of a new mpox strain in a person who recently traveled from Eastern Africa
www.statnews.com
November 16, 2024 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
Potent neutralization by a RBD antibody with broad specificity for SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 and other variants
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Potent neutralization by a RBD antibody with broad specificity for SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 and other variants - npj Viruses
npj Viruses - Potent neutralization by a RBD antibody with broad specificity for SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 and other variants
www.nature.com
November 14, 2024 at 7:21 PM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
Update on the teenager with #H5N1 #birdflu in British Columbia: Canada's national lab confirms it is H5N1 virus. It is a version of the virus that is slightly different than the one in cows in the US. This version is one found in wild birds. www.canada.ca/en/public-he...
Statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada: Update on Avian Influenza and Risk to Canadians
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) today confirmed a human case of avian influenza (also known as bird flu) caused by influenza A(H5N1) virus in Canada.
www.canada.ca
November 13, 2024 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Emma Thomson
Update on the H5n1 case in a teenager. Unfortunately very severe. Source remains unknown. Wastewater testing ongoing www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influe.... Not clear which lineage yet
Canadian teen with suspected avian flu in critical condition
www.cidrap.umn.edu
November 12, 2024 at 11:12 PM