Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
@esbwenge.bsky.social
MD, PhD – Infectious Diseases Epidemiologist, Johns Hopkins University, and Center for Tropical Diseases and Global health, Bukavu, DR Congo. Interested in cholera, mpox, outbreaks, vaccines, and Barcelona football club.
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
My review of the third autism-Tylenol study RFK Jr mentioned is out now.
If you weighed in on "what proportion of kids have neurodevelopmental disorders" yesterday, this paper is why I asked the question. Most of you will be very surprised by their answer!
open.substack.com/pub/epiellie...
If you weighed in on "what proportion of kids have neurodevelopmental disorders" yesterday, this paper is why I asked the question. Most of you will be very surprised by their answer!
open.substack.com/pub/epiellie...
RFK Jr's third Tylenol-autism study is just run-of-the-mill bad research
I’m reading through RFK Jr’s supposed evidence that Tylenol causes autism and it’s not looking good for his conclusions.
open.substack.com
October 5, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
Want a large language model that never hallucinates? Easy: just get it to always print “I don’t know”, regardless of the input.
If you find this solution is a bit unsatisfying, you’re not alone. But it hits on a crucial trade-off with learning machines and decision-making more generally.
New post:
If you find this solution is a bit unsatisfying, you’re not alone. But it hits on a crucial trade-off with learning machines and decision-making more generally.
New post:
An LLM that never hallucinates
There are two big errors we can make with information, but one often gets forgotten
kucharski.substack.com
September 10, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Want a large language model that never hallucinates? Easy: just get it to always print “I don’t know”, regardless of the input.
If you find this solution is a bit unsatisfying, you’re not alone. But it hits on a crucial trade-off with learning machines and decision-making more generally.
New post:
If you find this solution is a bit unsatisfying, you’re not alone. But it hits on a crucial trade-off with learning machines and decision-making more generally.
New post:
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
Tell me you’ve never heard of reverse causation without telling me you’ve never heard of reverse causation….
“Smartphone users spent significantly more time on the toilet and had a 46% increased risk for hemorrhoids than nonusers, according to results of a recent survey.” www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...
Using Smartphones on the Toilet Increases Hemorrhoid Risk
Spending significant time on the toilet while using a smartphone is associated with an increased risk for hemorrhoids.
www.medscape.com
May 24, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Tell me you’ve never heard of reverse causation without telling me you’ve never heard of reverse causation….
At least 60 deaths recorded in the Fizi, one of the DRC's historical cholera hotspots. It would not be surprising to see a sharp increase in the number of cases, given the devastating impact of flooding on water and sanitation infrastructures. Preventive vaccination !
actualite.cd/2025/05/10/r...
actualite.cd/2025/05/10/r...
actualite.cd
May 11, 2025 at 6:55 AM
At least 60 deaths recorded in the Fizi, one of the DRC's historical cholera hotspots. It would not be surprising to see a sharp increase in the number of cases, given the devastating impact of flooding on water and sanitation infrastructures. Preventive vaccination !
actualite.cd/2025/05/10/r...
actualite.cd/2025/05/10/r...
In this second paper, clade Ib mpox outbreak in Uvira primarily affected children under 15 years (63.7%), with limited reported sexual transmission. Occupational healthcare and workplace exposures were rare. The overall case fatality ratio was 0.7%, but high among HIV-positive and infants < 1 yr.
February 27, 2025 at 11:10 AM
In this second paper, clade Ib mpox outbreak in Uvira primarily affected children under 15 years (63.7%), with limited reported sexual transmission. Occupational healthcare and workplace exposures were rare. The overall case fatality ratio was 0.7%, but high among HIV-positive and infants < 1 yr.
Mpox Clade Ib incubation periods are longer than previous MPXV estimates and vary by exposure route, with shorter periods for sexual transmission. These differences suggest the need to revise post-exposure monitoring guidelines.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
The incubation periods of Monkeypox virus clade Ib
Background Monkeypox virus (MPXV) clade Ib, first detected in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in September 2023, spread internationally within months, prompting a WHO emergency declaration. Dat...
doi.org
February 27, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Mpox Clade Ib incubation periods are longer than previous MPXV estimates and vary by exposure route, with shorter periods for sexual transmission. These differences suggest the need to revise post-exposure monitoring guidelines.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
New correspondence in The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Disseminated mpox in an immunocompromised patient in DR Congo: a call for a shift from disease-focused to person-centred outbreak response
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Disseminated mpox in an immunocompromised patient in DR Congo: a call for a shift from disease-focused to person-centred outbreak response
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Disseminated mpox in an immunocompromised patient in DR Congo: a call for a shift from disease-focused to person-centred outbreak response
This Correspondence examines a complex case of an immunocompromised patient at an
mpox treatment centre in South Kivu, DR Congo, highlighting the shortcomings of outbreak-focused
care models and their...
www.thelancet.com
January 23, 2025 at 2:24 PM
New correspondence in The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Disseminated mpox in an immunocompromised patient in DR Congo: a call for a shift from disease-focused to person-centred outbreak response
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Disseminated mpox in an immunocompromised patient in DR Congo: a call for a shift from disease-focused to person-centred outbreak response
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
"Although reactive vertical approaches can provide rapid responses to outbreaks, they often fail to strengthen broader health systems, leaving countries ill-prepared for future crises and jeopardising progress toward universal health coverage and pandemic resilience www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Disseminated mpox in an immunocompromised patient in DR Congo: a call for a shift from disease-focused to person-centred outbreak response
This Correspondence examines a complex case of an immunocompromised patient at an
mpox treatment centre in South Kivu, DR Congo, highlighting the shortcomings of outbreak-focused
care models and their...
www.thelancet.com
January 23, 2025 at 6:38 AM
"Although reactive vertical approaches can provide rapid responses to outbreaks, they often fail to strengthen broader health systems, leaving countries ill-prepared for future crises and jeopardising progress toward universal health coverage and pandemic resilience www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
This raises an important point. The U.S. withdrawal from WHO would undoubtedly disrupt critical health programs and initiatives, potentially causing significant harm, especially in vulnerable regions.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Trump orders US to leave World Health Organization
Trump has long been critical of how the Geneva-based institution handled the Covid-19 pandemic.
www.bbc.com
January 21, 2025 at 12:13 PM
This raises an important point. The U.S. withdrawal from WHO would undoubtedly disrupt critical health programs and initiatives, potentially causing significant harm, especially in vulnerable regions.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Whether it’s Ebola, cholera, or mpox, the same issues persist—narrowly focused vertical programs driven by donor priorities. In an upcoming piece, we reflect on this challenge in the context of the current mpox outbreak in eastern DR Congo.
From HiV to Ebola to Covid and mpox, inequities in access is a defining feature
Grateful to @craigspencer.bsky.social for his advocacy
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Grateful to @craigspencer.bsky.social for his advocacy
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Ebola and a Decade of Disparities — Forging a Future for Global Health Equity | NEJM
Since the 2014–2016 West African Ebola outbreak, there have been numerous proposals
and promises to reform global health infrastructure. Yet inequity remains deeply entrenched.
www.nejm.org
January 19, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Whether it’s Ebola, cholera, or mpox, the same issues persist—narrowly focused vertical programs driven by donor priorities. In an upcoming piece, we reflect on this challenge in the context of the current mpox outbreak in eastern DR Congo.
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
From HiV to Ebola to Covid and mpox, inequities in access is a defining feature
Grateful to @craigspencer.bsky.social for his advocacy
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Grateful to @craigspencer.bsky.social for his advocacy
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Ebola and a Decade of Disparities — Forging a Future for Global Health Equity | NEJM
Since the 2014–2016 West African Ebola outbreak, there have been numerous proposals
and promises to reform global health infrastructure. Yet inequity remains deeply entrenched.
www.nejm.org
January 18, 2025 at 11:30 PM
From HiV to Ebola to Covid and mpox, inequities in access is a defining feature
Grateful to @craigspencer.bsky.social for his advocacy
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Grateful to @craigspencer.bsky.social for his advocacy
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
Who are you “performing” for? A book review and personal reflections on: The Foreign Gaze – Essays on Global Health by @seyeabimbola.bsky.social katribertram.wordpress.com/2025/01/06/w...
Who are you “performing” for? A book review and personal reflections on: The Foreign Gaze – Essays on Global Health by Seye Abimbola
Who are you “performing” for? A book review and personal reflections on: The Foreign Gaze – Essays on Global Health by Seye Abimbola
katribertram.wordpress.com
January 6, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Who are you “performing” for? A book review and personal reflections on: The Foreign Gaze – Essays on Global Health by @seyeabimbola.bsky.social katribertram.wordpress.com/2025/01/06/w...
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
Such horizontal preventive programs have been notoriously hard to motivate and fund precisely because the impact of each dollar spent is diffuse across many health outcomes and donors struggle to see the selfish benefit of their specific investment.
December 18, 2024 at 4:05 PM
Such horizontal preventive programs have been notoriously hard to motivate and fund precisely because the impact of each dollar spent is diffuse across many health outcomes and donors struggle to see the selfish benefit of their specific investment.
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
The root causes of measles mortality and recent headline grabbing malaria outbreak in DRC are the same: poverty, access, infrastructure. All are legacies of oppressive history.
Tiny Coffins: Measles Is Killing Thousands of Children in Congo
Problems with getting vaccines to families have left many children unvaccinated and in danger of contracting the virus.
www.nytimes.com
December 18, 2024 at 4:05 PM
The root causes of measles mortality and recent headline grabbing malaria outbreak in DRC are the same: poverty, access, infrastructure. All are legacies of oppressive history.
If the unknown disease X in the DRC is malaria... its concernig that in 2024, there are still areas on earth unable to diagnose malaria. How can we discuss advancements like genomics surveillance when we have yet to address the basics of infectious diseases surveillance in DR Congo?
December 11, 2024 at 11:11 AM
If the unknown disease X in the DRC is malaria... its concernig that in 2024, there are still areas on earth unable to diagnose malaria. How can we discuss advancements like genomics surveillance when we have yet to address the basics of infectious diseases surveillance in DR Congo?
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
This doctor raised the alarm about a deadly mpox outbreak that went global
Placide Mbala is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 202
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Placide Mbala is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 202
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
This doctor raised the alarm about a deadly mpox outbreak that went global
Placide Mbala is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 2024.
www.nature.com
December 9, 2024 at 11:53 PM
This doctor raised the alarm about a deadly mpox outbreak that went global
Placide Mbala is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 202
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Placide Mbala is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 202
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
The DRC spends just $22 per person annually on health care.
A single Mpox test costs $20.
This is outrageous.
Poorer countries shouldn't have to pay heightened test prices just so big pharma can make a bigger profit.
Drop the price now.
A single Mpox test costs $20.
This is outrageous.
Poorer countries shouldn't have to pay heightened test prices just so big pharma can make a bigger profit.
Drop the price now.
November 30, 2024 at 5:11 PM
The DRC spends just $22 per person annually on health care.
A single Mpox test costs $20.
This is outrageous.
Poorer countries shouldn't have to pay heightened test prices just so big pharma can make a bigger profit.
Drop the price now.
A single Mpox test costs $20.
This is outrageous.
Poorer countries shouldn't have to pay heightened test prices just so big pharma can make a bigger profit.
Drop the price now.
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
Very happy to see this important collaborative work out on preprint now detailing clinical and epidemiological considerations for Clade Ib mpox
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
Epidemiological and Clinical Features of Mpox during the Clade Ib outbreak in South-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo: a prospective cohort study
BACKGROUND Clade Ib, a new strain of the Clade I monkeypox virus, emerged in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, sparking an international outbreak. Comprehensive studies are needed to assess it...
www.medrxiv.org
November 19, 2024 at 7:01 PM
Very happy to see this important collaborative work out on preprint now detailing clinical and epidemiological considerations for Clade Ib mpox
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
If you are interested in #emergingviruses, new #vaccines & #publichealth, save the date for this event! April 7-9, 2025 in Geneva, co-hosted by our Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases & the Centre of Vaccinology of the University of Geneva & University Hospitals of Geneva! Superb speakers list!
November 22, 2024 at 11:36 AM
If you are interested in #emergingviruses, new #vaccines & #publichealth, save the date for this event! April 7-9, 2025 in Geneva, co-hosted by our Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases & the Centre of Vaccinology of the University of Geneva & University Hospitals of Geneva! Superb speakers list!
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
So here is a starter pack of African scientists and researchers across disciplines. It will continue to grow as I find more people and more migrate to this platform but gotta start somewhere 😊.
go.bsky.app/GixA4xP
go.bsky.app/GixA4xP
November 21, 2024 at 7:44 PM
So here is a starter pack of African scientists and researchers across disciplines. It will continue to grow as I find more people and more migrate to this platform but gotta start somewhere 😊.
go.bsky.app/GixA4xP
go.bsky.app/GixA4xP
Reposted by Espoir Bwenge Malembaka
We can't avoid models - even insights from 'raw data' require assumptions... New post: kucharski.substack.com/p/we-cant-av...
January 23, 2024 at 10:11 AM
We can't avoid models - even insights from 'raw data' require assumptions... New post: kucharski.substack.com/p/we-cant-av...
Excited to see our working out in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on the effectiveness of one dose of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) in DR Congo. One dose of OCV protects against clinical cholera for up to 24-36 mo
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
with @justinlessler.bsky.social @andrewazman.bsky.social
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
with @justinlessler.bsky.social @andrewazman.bsky.social
January 19, 2024 at 10:47 AM
Excited to see our working out in The Lancet Infectious Diseases on the effectiveness of one dose of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) in DR Congo. One dose of OCV protects against clinical cholera for up to 24-36 mo
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
with @justinlessler.bsky.social @andrewazman.bsky.social
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
with @justinlessler.bsky.social @andrewazman.bsky.social