Jason Kindrachuk
LightNews LightNews
banner
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
Jason Kindrachuk
@kindrachukjason.bsky.social
13K followers 3.2K following 390 posts
Vice President - National Microbiology Laboratory Branch, PHAC; Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair in emerging viruses, U.Manitoba. Expert in the emerging zoonotic viruses with a focus on WHO priority pathogens. All views expressed are my own
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk
edrybicki.bsky.social
So, @angierasmussen.bsky.social and @kindrachukjason.bsky.social and other #ViroSky folks, Virology Africa 2026 is going to be INSIDE the Kruger National Park in South Africa in September 2026!! It will be awesome 😁
November 12, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk
nicolamlow.bsky.social
🧪 #mpox #DRC
MBOTE-SK project major contributions to understand and respond to new Clade Ib mpox virus

Glad to be part
@globalhealthedctp3.bsky.social
@labgenpath.bsky.social
@itmantwerp.bsky.social
@kindrachukjason.bsky.social
@ispm.unibe.ch

www.global-health-edctp3.europa.eu/news-and-eve...
When speed meets experience: emergency funding builds on past mpox research
When speed meets experience: emergency funding builds on past Mpox research
www.global-health-edctp3.europa.eu
October 29, 2025 at 8:59 AM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
reat to see this collaborative effort out bridging our colleagues from Sierra Leone, DRC, Belgium, US, and Canada. Kudos to my MSc student Michaella Jaba and all of our team

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
Surface sampling for mpox virus in multiple healthcare settings in Sierra Leone, June 2025
Background: As mpox virus (MPXV) has continued to expand geographically, critical knowledge gaps in environmental persistence in resource-limited healthcare settings remain. Despite evidence of fomite...
www.medrxiv.org
September 19, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk
boghuma.bsky.social
I think about this a lot!
Medical professionals and their societies are sounding the highest level of alarm about the dangers of rejecting science and favoring conspiracy theories and it is hardly breaking through.
That's how far down the rabbit hole the US is.
This fight is hard.
kakape.bsky.social Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · Sep 4
The fact that you can have all of these organizations calling for Kennedy's resignation (or the NYTimes op-ed by 9 former CDC directors) and it having so little discernible impact is a sign of how far the US has moved from valuing scientific advice and expertise and how big a challenge it faces...
Second part of a list of organizations that signed the statement: Infectious Diseases Society of America  HIV Medicine Association ID Care International Association of Providers of AIDS Care  NTM Info & Research  Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society   Peggy Lillis Foundation Seattle Children’s Research Institute Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) Stop TB USA  Treatment Action Group    First part of a list of organizations that signed the statement: Infectious Diseases Society of America  American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology American Academy of HIV Medicine  American Association of Immunologists American Public Health Association American Society for Microbiology American Society for Virology Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)  AVAC   Camenzind Solutions LLC  Fast-Track Cities Institute 
September 5, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk
nicolamlow.bsky.social
Amazing achievement of global solidarity #SmallpoxEradication

Now, we just have #mpox 🙊

New outbreaks, new lineages #orthopox 🦠

#VaccinesWork but 💉 needs to be delivered to #DRC #Africa now

@boghuma.bsky.social @kindrachukjason.bsky.social @onisillos.bsky.social
who.int WHO @who.int · Aug 28
#ThrowbackThursday: In 1980 the 🌍🌎🌏 was declared #smallpox free, thanks to mass vaccination efforts.

Smallpox was an acute contagious disease caused by the variola virus. It was one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity. #VaccinesWork
World Health: The Magazine of the World Health Organization. May 1980. smallpox is dead!
August 28, 2025 at 12:18 PM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
A pleasure to be included on this as part of the WHO TAG-VE along with many esteemed colleagues:

A systematic nomenclature for mpox viruses causing outbreaks with sustained human-to-human transmission

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A systematic nomenclature for mpox viruses causing outbreaks with sustained human-to-human transmission - Nature Medicine
We propose a new nomenclature for mpox virus lineages with sustained human-to-human transmission to improve tracking, communication and public health response.
www.nature.com
July 30, 2025 at 3:20 AM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
A very exciting professional update below that I can now share:

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
New leader coming to infectious disease lab in Winnipeg | CBC News
A new leader is coming to the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, after its head stepped down just months after taking over leadership of the embattled laboratory that was previously at the ...
www.cbc.ca
July 18, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk
belongia.bsky.social
The quote below is from Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, who recently resigned from CDC after co-leading the ACIP COVID work group. The new ACIP jettisoned work group experts in favor of anti-vax activists.
👉Canada's NACI is now the best source for evidence-based vax recommendations in North America
carlzimmer.com Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · Jun 26
“As a physician and scientist who has devoted my entire career to vaccines and preventing and treating infections, this meeting has been devastating to watch.” ACIP votes to stop recommending some vaccines, even though they're safe and effective. nyti.ms/3ZT1pxg
RFK Jr.’s New Advisers Rescind Recommendations for Some Flu Vaccines
Panelists pulled back some endorsements for certain vaccines containing a preservative that critics have falsely linked to autism.
nyti.ms
June 26, 2025 at 5:57 PM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
Huge congratulations to everyone on the team with great vision leadership for this work from Drs. Laurens Liesenborghs and Placide Mbala, and the MBOTE consortium. And an ongoing debt of gratitude to all study participants from our work

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Three Cases of Vertical Transmission of Clade Ib Mpox Virus | NEJM
This report describes three cases of clade Ib MPXV infection in pregnant women (one in each trimester of gestation) with molecular and histopathological evidence of transplacental transmission.
www.nejm.org
June 19, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk
maxkozlov.bsky.social
A lightning-fast, in-depth look into who RFK Jr selected for the vaccine advisory committee. One of whom was an expert witness against Merck's vaccine, despite RFK's stated reason of reducing conflicts of interest, per @reuters.com.

Well done @heidiledford.bsky.social and @rfieldmouse.bsky.social
June 12, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk
maxkozlov.bsky.social
An explosive surge of mpox infections in Sierra Leone has pummelled its health-care system, raising fears it will spark a larger outbreak in densely populated West Africa.

“The situation is so dire,” says Jia Kangbai, a researcher in Sierra Leone. With @kindrachukjason.bsky.social, for @nature.com.
Skyrocketing mpox outbreak in Sierra Leone raises fears of wider spread
Boom in infections in the West African nation is driven by the same viral strain that caused a global outbreak in 2022.
www.nature.com
June 9, 2025 at 1:46 PM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
Update #1: Rolling clinical and epi updates for #mpox data from #SierraLeone. Watch for updated versions as additional data becomes available. Heartfelt thanks to our local colleagues in-country led by Dr. Jia Kangbai

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
Clinical and epidemiological characteristics among probable and confirmed patients with mpox in Sierra Leone reported from January to May 2025
We analysed available mpox cases reports in Sierra Leone from January to May 2025 following a historic increase in mpox cases across multiple urban and rural regions in the country. Here, we assessed ...
www.medrxiv.org
June 9, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk
carlbergstrom.com
Very smart, high ROI initiative from the Spencer Foundation.

Providing bridge funding for canceled NSF grants:

1) directs funds to projects already screened by a top-noch review process.
2) avoids imposing proposal prep costs on researchers.
3) ameliorates the disruption from GOP sabotage.
Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program
In the face of recent abrupt shifts in federal funding for education research, including large-scale terminations of National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant awards, we have developed a rap...
www.spencer.org
June 6, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk
sianowen.bsky.social
The Wadsworth Center is expanding it's research focus on #virology /vector-borne diseases!
www.asmcareerconnections.org/job/research-scientist-5-g-31/78488664/
This is a unicorn assistant prof equivalent position with 12-month hard money salary and no teaching commitments (!)
Reposts appreciated 🙏
June 3, 2025 at 9:35 PM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
Great piece from @kakape.bsky.social on #mpox in #SierraLeone that features a great array of experts and colleagues. A pleasure to speak alongside these wonderful individuals
kakape.bsky.social Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · Jun 2
An explosive outbreak of mpox in Sierra Leone is raising fears of wider spread. The country of 9 million has seen more than 3000 cases already.
“We could see very rapid geographic expansion […] if we don’t really try and get things under control quickly,” says @kindrachukjason.bsky.social
🧪 #IDsky
Explosive mpox outbreak in Sierra Leone overwhelms health systems
Rapid transmission through sexual networks raises fears of wider spread in the region
www.science.org
June 2, 2025 at 11:52 PM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
Rolling clinical and epi updates for #mpox data from #SierraLeone. Watch for updated versions as additional data becomes available. Heartfelt thanks to our local colleagues in-country led by Dr. Jia Kangbai

t.co/D9QosVP1Bq
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.30.25328691v1
t.co
June 2, 2025 at 5:19 AM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
Return trip x2 from #SierraLeone in the last month. #mpox is an awful disease…and preventable - vaccines desperately needed as this outbreak expands.
Thanks to our amazing team for helping get supples and PPE delivered. Our work continues…
May 24, 2025 at 5:23 AM
Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk
tuliodna.bsky.social
A not very happy Friday. CERI had 6 NIH grants canceled, which will impact operations, surveillance and response to epidemics. We are working to try to minimize disturbance but not easy with 6 grants terminated at the same moment. A crisis is unfolding in SA www.news24.com/southafrica/...
SA universities face funding crisis as US federal agencies freeze research grants | News24
An investigation into the impact of the US aid freeze on research funding to South African universities has found that 44 programmes worth R2.5 billion were affected.
www.news24.com
May 23, 2025 at 5:29 AM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
Fantastic news that the WHA has officially adopted the #PandemicAccord! 👏👏👏
drtedros.who.int Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @drtedros.who.int · May 20
It's official: the #PandemicAccord is officially adopted by the World Health Assembly!

My warmest congratulations to @who.int Member States for their commitment to keeping their people and the world safer.

What a moment in global health history. Together!
May 20, 2025 at 11:33 AM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
Return trip to #SierraLeone with additional supplies for #mpox outbreak response efforts. Thanks to Dr. Jia Kangbai for you and your team’s efforts on the ground

Thanks to the funders of these critical #mpox activities in Central and West Africa: CIHR & IDRC
May 19, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk
malar0ne.bsky.social
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya's rush to absolve himself is particularly interesting to me as someone who paid attention to his public statements since 2020. He holds Collins & Fauci personally responsible for every aspect of the Covid response (& origins), regardless of their actual involvement.
On morale on the NIH campus: “It’s been a tough period, absolutely, and especially … for me. I arrived the day that the RIF [reduction in force] happened. … I had nothing to do with it. But in the month I’ve been here, I think things have turned around pretty significantly On NIH’s cancellation of more than 800 grants, many on HIV research: “They’re canceled because they’re DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion]-based science … [which does] not actually have anything to do with promoting the health of the American people. I’m not sure why you’re switching to HIV.” “I think the scientific priorities of the NIH ought to focus on improving the health of the American people. Politicized science doesn’t do much to advance the health status of anybody.” “I don’t personally review grant lines and say, ‘I cancel this grant. Don’t cancel that grant.’ That’s not what I do. … There’s a process. It’s not me personally, but I mean, the best I can tell, most of those were canceled before I even got into office.” On some canceled
May 6, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk
maxkozlov.bsky.social
NEW: An NIH policy coming in the next week will target — and at least temporarily stop — funding outside the US, threatening thousands of projects and collaborations on topics like infectious diseases and cancer.

Some NIH staff have already been told to hold all subaward funds for foreign labs.
Exclusive: NIH to suspend funds for research abroad as it overhauls policy
Move by US biomedical agency threatens thousands of projects on infectious diseases, cancer and more.
www.nature.com
April 30, 2025 at 11:28 PM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
great pleasure to meet with our local colleagues and partners in Sierra Leone this week with Drs. Jia Kangbai and Souradet Shaw for mpox response on behalf of our international network. Additional supplies and PPE, activity coordination, staff support, etc forthcoming
April 27, 2025 at 5:18 PM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
Time to get to work…
April 23, 2025 at 10:04 AM
kindrachukjason.bsky.social
First leg underway to Sierra Leone. Tough situation but looking forward to meeting with colleagues, deliver supplies and reagents, and getting out to field sites

manoreporters.com/news/health/...
Mpox: Sierra Leone on edge as cases surge
By Kemo Cham Health authorities in Sierra Leone are calling for increased vigilance as cases of Mpox spiral. The last
manoreporters.com
April 22, 2025 at 1:30 AM