Anna McNaughton
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annalmcn.bsky.social
Anna McNaughton
@annalmcn.bsky.social
220 followers 540 following 6 posts
Virologist & epidemiologist based at the University of Bristol 🧬🔬🦠🌍
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Reposted by Anna McNaughton
sheencr.bsky.social
Not good at all
Ethiopia confirms outbreak of deadly Marburg virus
Africa CDC says at least nine cases have been detected of Ebola-like illness, which kills up to 80% of those infected
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
kakape.bsky.social
The deadly fever in Ethiopia has been identified as Marburg disease.
It’s the first time a Marburg outbreak has been identified in Ethiopia.
#IDsky 🧪

www.afro.who.int/countries/et...
Ethiopia confirms first outbreak of Marburg virus disease
Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health has confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in the South Ethiopia Region, the first of its kind in the country, following laboratory testing of samples from a clus...
www.afro.who.int
November 14, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
gabrielaughey.bsky.social
Always shocking to see these kinds of data collected together. "[publishers made]US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024" - That's $12 billion diverted away from actual research or materially supporting the community - these are disgusting numbers.
hansonmark.bsky.social Mark A. Hanson @hansonmark.bsky.social · 12d
We wrote the Strain on scientific publishing to highlight the problems of time & trust. With a fantastic group of co-authors, we present The Drain of Scientific Publishing:

a 🧵 1/n

Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
Oligopoly: direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
A table showing profit margins of major publishers. A snippet of text related to this table is below. 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. A figure detailing the drain on researcher time. 1. The four-fold drain 1.2 Time The number of papers published each year is growing faster than the scientific workforce, with the number of papers per researcher almost doubling between 1996 and 2022 (Figure 1A). This reflects the fact that publishers’ commercial desire to publish (sell) more material has aligned well with the competitive prestige culture in which publications help secure jobs, grants, promotions, and awards. To the extent that this growth is driven by a pressure for profit, rather than scholarly imperatives, it distorts the way researchers spend their time. The publishing system depends on unpaid reviewer labour, estimated to be over 130 million unpaid hours annually in 2020 alone (9). Researchers have complained about the demands of peer-review for decades, but the scale of the problem is now worse, with editors reporting widespread difficulties recruiting reviewers. The growth in publications involves not only the authors’ time, but that of academic editors and reviewers who are dealing with so many review demands. Even more seriously, the imperative to produce ever more articles reshapes the nature of scientific inquiry. Evidence across multiple fields shows that more papers result in ‘ossification’, not new ideas (10). It may seem paradoxical that more papers can slow progress until one considers how it affects researchers’ time. While rewards remain tied to volume, prestige, and impact of publications, researchers will be nudged away from riskier, local, interdisciplinary, and long-term work. The result is a treadmill of constant activity with limited progress whereas core scholarly practices – such as reading, reflecting and engaging with others’ contributions – is de-prioritized. What looks like productivity often masks intellectual exhaustion built on a demoralizing, narrowing scientific vision. A table of profit margins across industries. The section of text related to this table is below: 1. The four-fold drain 1.1 Money Currently, academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it. The dominant four are Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, which collectively generated over US$7.1 billion in revenue from journal publishing in 2024 alone, and over US$12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024 (Table 1A). Their profit margins have always been over 30% in the last five years, and for the largest publisher (Elsevier) always over 37%. Against many comparators, across many sectors, scientific publishing is one of the most consistently profitable industries (Table S1). These financial arrangements make a substantial difference to science budgets. In 2024, 46% of Elsevier revenues and 53% of Taylor & Francis revenues were generated in North America, meaning that North American researchers were charged over US$2.27 billion by just two for-profit publishers. The Canadian research councils and the US National Science Foundation were allocated US$9.3 billion in that year. The costs of inaction are plain: wasted public funds, lost researcher time, compromised scientific integrity and eroded public trust. Today, the system rewards commercial publishers first, and science second. Without bold action from the funders we risk continuing to pour resources into a system that prioritizes profit over the advancement of scientific knowledge.
November 11, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
theguardian.com
UNAids is set to close in 2026 – four years early. Are experts right to be alarmed?
UNAids is set to close in 2026 – four years early. Are experts right to be alarmed?
The move to shut the agency comes as aid budgets are being slashed, leading to fears that global progress on HIV may be reversed
www.theguardian.com
October 20, 2025 at 4:42 AM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
kevinault.bsky.social
“The notion that hepatitis B is only confined to transmission for prostitutes, drug users, etc., is such an ignorant and uninformed way of approaching infectious disease” - Dr. Jason Goldman of @acpimphysicians.bsky.social.

Bingo... #MedSky + #IDSky

www.medscape.com/s/viewarticl...
CDC Panel Sidesteps Key Exposure Risk in Hep B Vax Debate
The Trump administration is continuing its push to revise federal guidelines to delay the hepatitis B vaccine newborn dose for most children.
www.medscape.com
October 6, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
hpruebs.bsky.social
Our new study shows HIV infections look set to significantly increase in sub-Saharan Africa, as a result of funding for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) being halted under the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Published in Lancet #HIV

hpruebs.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-stu...
October 2, 2025 at 10:04 AM
annalmcn.bsky.social
New paper from colleagues @bristoluni.bsky.social @hpruebs.bsky.social estimating the increase in #HIV infections across sub-Sahahran #Africa as a result of #PEPFAR cuts - showing key populations hardest hit
#LancetHIV #PrEP
authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...
ScienceDirect.com | Science, health and medical journals, full text articles and books.
authors.elsevier.com
October 2, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
drianweissman.bsky.social
A new Ebola outbreak in Congo kills dozens as health officials warn of lack of funds. WHO says 57 cases and 35 deaths have been reported since outbreak was announced this month.
www.statnews.com/2025/09/25/e...
A new Ebola outbreak in Congo kills dozens as health officials warn of lack of funds
As a deadly new Ebola outbreak kills dozens in southern Congo, health officials are warning that they lack the funds and resources to mount an effective response.
www.statnews.com
September 25, 2025 at 11:48 PM
annalmcn.bsky.social
The lack of oversight from regulatory bodies on diagnostic tests was shocking during #COVID19 - and put many lives at risk.
Those in charge at the time should be held accountable.
privateeyenews.bsky.social Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · Sep 21
Catch Eye hack Richard Brooks tonight on ITV1 in The Covid Contracts: Follow the Money.

The documentary tells the story of how some companies with little or no track record in supplying PPE or medical tests were given massive contracts - and made a killing from Covid.

🕙 10:15pm on ITV1 / ITVX
September 21, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
pippa-matt.bsky.social
Funding crisis for #HBV in #WHO #Africa region…
A survey shows
⚠️0%⚠️
have sufficient funding to enact priority interventions for agreed international targets for #elimination.

Presented by Dr Akudo Ikpeazu
#COLDA2025 #SOLDA #NoHep #PublicHealth #hepatitis
@who.int
🧪
September 18, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
easlnews.bsky.social
The authors in today’s #readoftheweek📚 ran a survey on HDV infection in Africa and found that awareness of HDV prevalence & access to diagnostic tests is limited and suboptimal, though there is substantial regional variability.

Read on JHEP Reports: www.jhep-reports.eu/article/S258...

#LiverSky
Hepatitis D epidemiology and access to diagnostic testing among healthcare providers in Africa: A multi-country survey
Reliable data on the prevalence of chronic HDV infection in Africa are limited. To address this, a multi-country survey was conducted across Africa to assess healthcare providers’ knowledge of HDV pre...
www.jhep-reports.eu
September 18, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
kakape.bsky.social
Sequence data from the new Ebola outbreak in DRC suggests it is indeed a new spillover.

And just incredible to see the virus sequenced and the data publicly shared less than 24 hours after confirmation of the outbreak.
#IDsky 🧪

virological.org/t/the-16th-e...
The 16th Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Bulape Health Zone, Kasai, Democratic Republic of the Congo: A new spillover event from an unknown reservoir host
Background The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently facing concurrent outbreaks including mpox, cholera and malaria (1-4). The Ministry of Public Health, DRC has declared the 16th Ebola...
virological.org
September 5, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
billhanage.bsky.social
New ebola outbreak in DRC. According to this 4 health care workers among the 16 already dead.

actualite.cd/2025/09/04/r...
RDC : l’épidémie d’Ebola officiellement déclarée à Bulape au Kasaï, 16 décès déjà enregistrés
Le ministère de la santé a confirmé ce jeudi 4 septembre l’épidémie de la maladie à virus Ebola dans la zone de santé de Bulape, au Kasaï.
actualite.cd
September 4, 2025 at 10:38 PM
annalmcn.bsky.social
Important read for anyone working in addiction research - research institutes need to be more open to supporting individuals with lived experience, and dogma should be challenged
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/se...
From bank robber to scholar: the Knoxville dropout fighting to change how we see addiction
Kirsten Smith was 19 when she first tried heroin; within a few years she was in prison. She says she willingly made those choices and wants society to stop treating addiction as a disease
www.theguardian.com
September 4, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
theguardian.com
Malawi set to run out of TB drugs in a month after US, UK and others cut aid
Malawi set to run out of TB drugs in a month after US, UK and others cut aid
Gains in cutting deaths from tuberculosis at risk as health officials warn clinics forced to ration drugs and testing
www.theguardian.com
August 28, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
matthewhodson.bsky.social
Botswana declares public health emergency, partly due to Trump’s International aid cuts leading to shortages of vital HIV medicines.
HIV treatment not only prevents AIDS, it also prevents transmission.
Without treatment, people will die and more people will acquire HIV.
Botswana declares national public health emergency
The country is facing a shortage of medical equipment and medicines, President Duma Boko says.
www.bbc.com
August 26, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
theguardian.com
Anger, fear and a total rejection of politics: the Palestine Action protest was a snapshot of Britain today | Andy Beckett
Anger, fear and a total rejection of politics: the Palestine Action protest was a snapshot of Britain today | Andy Beckett
Keir Starmer’s government is treating voters with contempt. With the arrest of hundreds of protesters in London, for many, the feeling is mutual, says Guardian columnist Andy Beckett
www.theguardian.com
August 11, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
marklevinenyc.bsky.social
The Legionnaire's Disease cluster in Central Harlem has now grown to 58 cases. 21 hospitalized.

Tragically there has been a 2nd death.

If you live or work in zip codes 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037 or 10039 and you develop flu-like symptoms, contact a health care provider immediately.
August 5, 2025 at 1:49 AM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
proptermalone.bsky.social
this work saved millions of lives in 2021, won the Nobel Prize in 2023, and is cancelled in 2025
jbendery.bsky.social Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · Aug 5
"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the beginning of a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development activities...."

cc: Sen. Bill Cassidy
August 5, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
amymaxmen.bsky.social
Gaza has recorded the most health-care worker deaths (over 1400 deaths), UN deaths (295) & journalist deaths (212) than in any recent conflict zone.

Life expectancy at birth dropped 35 yrs in 2024. From Oct '23-May '25, there were 720 attacks on healthcare targets www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Break the selective silence on the genocide in Gaza
Substantial and well-documented evidence indicates a catastrophic public health emergency in Gaza (appendix pp 1–5), marked by severe food insecurity and alarming levels of malnutrition-related deaths...
www.thelancet.com
August 1, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
hpruebs.bsky.social
📰News!📰 New research shows worldwide scale of HCV among babies & children.
“Given the availability of effective medicine & further progress in this field, it’s vital that testing & diagnosis rates improve so more people can be treated & cured.”
➡️ bit.ly/4oh4zFI #WorldHepatitisDay @nihr.bsky.social
Pregnant woman
July 29, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
ecdc.europa.eu
Today is #WorldHepatitisDay!
Did you know, that >5 million people in the EU/EEA live with chronic hepatitis B or C?

🚫 Most people don’t even know they’re infected!
➡️ Hepatitis B & C cause ~50,000 deaths/year in the EU/EEA – mostly preventable.

bit.ly/ECDCHepDay2025
July 28, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
lancetgastrohep.bsky.social
New Editorial - World Hepatitis Day 2025: elimination at a critical juncture

buff.ly/gcnJooI

#WorldHepatitisDay #LiverSky #MedSky #IDSky #HepSky
July 28, 2025 at 4:04 AM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
aidsmap.bsky.social
News from #IAS2025: Scaling back PEPFAR will leave 700,000 without PrEP and cause 6700 new HIV infections within a year @iasociety.bsky.social
aidsmap.com/news/jul-202...
Scaling back PEPFAR will leave 700,000 without PrEP and cause 6700 new HIV infections within a year
The 13th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2025) in Kigali, Rwanda has been dominated by the impact of the US government funding cuts. Especially urgent are discussions on...
aidsmap.com
July 17, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Reposted by Anna McNaughton
iasociety.bsky.social
"Ceasing #PREPFAR's funding for PrEP in sub-Sharan Africa will remove 700,000 individuals from using PrEP"

- Jack Stone, #IAS2025
July 16, 2025 at 1:20 PM