Brian Dawes
@brian-dawes.bsky.social
Infectious Disease physician, virologist, epidemiologist @Stanford. Studying emerging viruses, global health, One Health.
Reposted by Brian Dawes
Reposted by Brian Dawes
CDC employees standing up and walking out in light of the mass shootings, firings, and *waves hands in the air* everything else.
#USAnotRFK
Lets gooooo
#USAnotRFK
Lets gooooo
August 28, 2025 at 7:00 PM
CDC employees standing up and walking out in light of the mass shootings, firings, and *waves hands in the air* everything else.
#USAnotRFK
Lets gooooo
#USAnotRFK
Lets gooooo
Reposted by Brian Dawes
Do NOT allow them to rewrite history with disinformation. #COVID vaccines worked remarkably well and allowed us to come out of a global pandemic. A picture is worth a thousand words.
August 28, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Do NOT allow them to rewrite history with disinformation. #COVID vaccines worked remarkably well and allowed us to come out of a global pandemic. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Reposted by Brian Dawes
Enough is enough. The health of the country is in danger. Read our resignation letters: insidemedicine.substack.com/p/breaking-n...
Breaking News: Read three top CDC officials' resignation emails.
The end of an era.
insidemedicine.substack.com
August 28, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Enough is enough. The health of the country is in danger. Read our resignation letters: insidemedicine.substack.com/p/breaking-n...
Reposted by Brian Dawes
This is really cool but also a cautionary tale about zooanthroponotic transmission at the interface between human and animals. Without surveillance, viruses can hop back and forth and evolve in unpredictable ways
This is quite late but our lab has a preprint out about a SARS-CoV-2 situation we had in mink in Lithuania back in 2021. It's a doozy with re-emergence of extinct lineages, a country-wide test of all mink farms in Lithuania & some interesting dynamics in mink. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/5🧵
July 18, 2025 at 7:18 PM
This is really cool but also a cautionary tale about zooanthroponotic transmission at the interface between human and animals. Without surveillance, viruses can hop back and forth and evolve in unpredictable ways
Reposted by Brian Dawes
Dengue, Zika, chikungunya & yellow fever are on the rise, putting 5.6B+ people at risk.
Once limited to tropical & subtropical climates, Aedes mosquitoes are spreading to new regions, increasing the risk of outbreaks.
New WHO guidelines covering all four mosquito-borne diseases 🔗 bit.ly/3Tu6BnJ
Once limited to tropical & subtropical climates, Aedes mosquitoes are spreading to new regions, increasing the risk of outbreaks.
New WHO guidelines covering all four mosquito-borne diseases 🔗 bit.ly/3Tu6BnJ
July 10, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Dengue, Zika, chikungunya & yellow fever are on the rise, putting 5.6B+ people at risk.
Once limited to tropical & subtropical climates, Aedes mosquitoes are spreading to new regions, increasing the risk of outbreaks.
New WHO guidelines covering all four mosquito-borne diseases 🔗 bit.ly/3Tu6BnJ
Once limited to tropical & subtropical climates, Aedes mosquitoes are spreading to new regions, increasing the risk of outbreaks.
New WHO guidelines covering all four mosquito-borne diseases 🔗 bit.ly/3Tu6BnJ
Reposted by Brian Dawes
Seroprevalence of Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya Viruses in Humans and Co-located Macaques in Thailand and Cambodia
✅ Just Accepted
#IDSky
✅ Just Accepted
#IDSky
Seroprevalence of Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya Viruses in Humans and Co-located Macaques in Thailand and Cambodia
Arboviruses—short for "arthropod-borne viruses"—are transmitted to humans and animals by infected arthropods.
doi.org
May 25, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Seroprevalence of Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya Viruses in Humans and Co-located Macaques in Thailand and Cambodia
✅ Just Accepted
#IDSky
✅ Just Accepted
#IDSky
Reposted by Brian Dawes
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
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/...
Reposted by Brian Dawes
The spread of Mpox in Sierra Leone is unlike anything we have ever seen - and we have been keeping an eye on this bug in the region for >15 years.
Given geographical spread, 50/50 men vs women, this is no "sexual network".
This could be the next one.
clt.npha.gov.sl/outbreak.aspx
Given geographical spread, 50/50 men vs women, this is no "sexual network".
This could be the next one.
clt.npha.gov.sl/outbreak.aspx
May 22, 2025 at 9:56 PM
The spread of Mpox in Sierra Leone is unlike anything we have ever seen - and we have been keeping an eye on this bug in the region for >15 years.
Given geographical spread, 50/50 men vs women, this is no "sexual network".
This could be the next one.
clt.npha.gov.sl/outbreak.aspx
Given geographical spread, 50/50 men vs women, this is no "sexual network".
This could be the next one.
clt.npha.gov.sl/outbreak.aspx
Reposted by Brian Dawes
“This is what I was expecting — an executive order banning gain-of-function research but defined in such a way that it bans all virology research,” says @ggronvall.bsky.social.
Yup.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Yup.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Trump freezes ‘gain of function’ pathogen research ― threatening all US virology, critics say
An executive order suspends the use of federal funds for certain experiments on pathogens with pandemic potential. Critics say low-risk science could be affected too.
www.nature.com
May 8, 2025 at 10:20 AM
“This is what I was expecting — an executive order banning gain-of-function research but defined in such a way that it bans all virology research,” says @ggronvall.bsky.social.
Yup.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Yup.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Brian Dawes
🧵1/N New study published in @jama.com on re-emergence of vaccine-eliminated infectious diseases under declining vaccination in the US. We model long-term risk and conditions for return to endemicity for measles, rubella, polio, & diphtheria. Collab w/ @Mathewkiang.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
April 24, 2025 at 3:40 PM
🧵1/N New study published in @jama.com on re-emergence of vaccine-eliminated infectious diseases under declining vaccination in the US. We model long-term risk and conditions for return to endemicity for measles, rubella, polio, & diphtheria. Collab w/ @Mathewkiang.com jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Reposted by Brian Dawes
Credit where it’s due, Jeff Taubenberger is a great choice for the head of NIAID. He’s been at NIAID for years & is a terrific scientist who has done pivotal work on influenza virus, most notably reconstructing 1918.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Researcher of 1918 flu virus takes over NIAID
Jeffery Taubenberger becomes acting director of NIH’s second largest institute
www.science.org
April 25, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Credit where it’s due, Jeff Taubenberger is a great choice for the head of NIAID. He’s been at NIAID for years & is a terrific scientist who has done pivotal work on influenza virus, most notably reconstructing 1918.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Brian Dawes
Oropouche seropositivity much higher than thought, up 30% in some populations. Reasons for increased recent spread multifactorial, climate events important predictors. Huge collaborative project led by Jan Felix Drexler.
Now online @thelancetinfdis.bsky.social
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Now online @thelancetinfdis.bsky.social
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
The spatiotemporal ecology of Oropouche virus across Latin America: a multidisciplinary, laboratory-based, modelling study
Our data suggest that climatic factors are major drivers of OROV spread and were potentially
exacerbated during 2024 by extreme weather events. OROV glycoprotein reassortants,
but not individual OROV ...
www.thelancet.com
April 15, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Oropouche seropositivity much higher than thought, up 30% in some populations. Reasons for increased recent spread multifactorial, climate events important predictors. Huge collaborative project led by Jan Felix Drexler.
Now online @thelancetinfdis.bsky.social
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Now online @thelancetinfdis.bsky.social
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Reposted by Brian Dawes
Another zoonotic (alpha) coronavirus. Closely related to the rodent virus AcCoV-JC34 that contains a putative furin cleavage site. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Novel human coronavirus in an infant patient with pneumonia, Republic of Korea
Coronaviruses (CoVs) pose a significant threat to public health, causing a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations and outcomes. Beyond precipitating global outbreaks, Human CoVs (HCoVs) are frequ...
www.tandfonline.com
April 2, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Another zoonotic (alpha) coronavirus. Closely related to the rodent virus AcCoV-JC34 that contains a putative furin cleavage site. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Brian Dawes
Hantavirus claims 3 more lives in Mammoth Lakes, Mono County, California. The rare, rodent-borne illness has gained attention after the death of Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman, in New Mexico.
alt987fm.iheart.com/featured/la-...
alt987fm.iheart.com/featured/la-...
Hantavirus Claims Three Lives in Mammoth Lakes, California | ALT 98.7 | LA Local News
Three people in Mammoth Lakes, California, have died from hantavirus, a rare virus spread by deer mice. The illness also claimed the life of Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman's wife. Fewer than 100 cases ha...
alt987fm.iheart.com
April 5, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Hantavirus claims 3 more lives in Mammoth Lakes, Mono County, California. The rare, rodent-borne illness has gained attention after the death of Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman, in New Mexico.
alt987fm.iheart.com/featured/la-...
alt987fm.iheart.com/featured/la-...
Reposted by Brian Dawes
"A project to track and contain menacing animal viruses across seven countries, from avian influenza in poultry to Lassa virus in rodents, ended with a single email."
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Trump cuts damage global efforts to track diseases, prevent outbreaks
Disease surveillance programs worldwide are suddenly in limbo
www.science.org
March 26, 2025 at 12:33 PM
"A project to track and contain menacing animal viruses across seven countries, from avian influenza in poultry to Lassa virus in rodents, ended with a single email."
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Brian Dawes
Gavi has helped vaccinate over 1.1 billion children, saving 17 million lives. Every $1 the U.S. invests returns $54 in health & economic gains. These vaccines stop outbreaks before they reach our shores. Without them, Kansas is just as vulnerable as Kinshasa.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Trump administration to end funding for child vaccines in developing countries, New York Times reports
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration plans to end American financial support for Gavi, an organization that helps buy vaccines for children in developing countries and scale back efforts to combat malaria, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
www.reuters.com
March 27, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Gavi has helped vaccinate over 1.1 billion children, saving 17 million lives. Every $1 the U.S. invests returns $54 in health & economic gains. These vaccines stop outbreaks before they reach our shores. Without them, Kansas is just as vulnerable as Kinshasa.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Reposted by Brian Dawes
A pie graph worth keeping in mind as the NIH budget plummets jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... for 356 new FDA drugs approved
March 23, 2025 at 4:17 PM
A pie graph worth keeping in mind as the NIH budget plummets jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... for 356 new FDA drugs approved
Reposted by Brian Dawes
Elon Musk says that no one has died because he slashed humanitarian aid. I went to South Sudan to check if that's true. It's not. Meet Peter, Achol and Evan, ages 10, 8 and 5. The reckless actions of the world's richest men are killing the world's poorest kids www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Opinion | Musk Said No One Has Died Since Aid Was Cut. That Isn’t True. (Gift Article)
A journey through the front lines of global poverty shows that when the world’s richest men slash aid for the world’s poorest children, the result is sickness, starvation and death.
www.nytimes.com
March 15, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Elon Musk says that no one has died because he slashed humanitarian aid. I went to South Sudan to check if that's true. It's not. Meet Peter, Achol and Evan, ages 10, 8 and 5. The reckless actions of the world's richest men are killing the world's poorest kids www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Brian Dawes
I'm not going to sugarcoat it.
Today was a bad day for our country – and for the Democratic Party.
Let's talk about it.
open.substack.com/pub/schiffno...
Today was a bad day for our country – and for the Democratic Party.
Let's talk about it.
open.substack.com/pub/schiffno...
A Dark Day for Our Country
I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Today was a bad day for our country – and for the Democratic Party.
open.substack.com
March 14, 2025 at 10:58 PM
I'm not going to sugarcoat it.
Today was a bad day for our country – and for the Democratic Party.
Let's talk about it.
open.substack.com/pub/schiffno...
Today was a bad day for our country – and for the Democratic Party.
Let's talk about it.
open.substack.com/pub/schiffno...
Reposted by Brian Dawes
New bat paper from our lab. Small changes in bats' diet can decrease influenza shedding and alter cytokine expression. doi.org/10.1098/rspb... #bats #influenza #iav photo credit: José Gabriel Martínez-Fonseca
February 19, 2025 at 1:38 PM
New bat paper from our lab. Small changes in bats' diet can decrease influenza shedding and alter cytokine expression. doi.org/10.1098/rspb... #bats #influenza #iav photo credit: José Gabriel Martínez-Fonseca
Reposted by Brian Dawes
Sharing these resources for no particular reason.
1. Here’s how to share sensitive leaks with the press via @freedom.press: freedom.press/digisec/blog...
2. Become a whistleblower via @wbaidlaw.bsky.social: whistlebloweraid.org/become-a-whi...
Stay safe out there.
1. Here’s how to share sensitive leaks with the press via @freedom.press: freedom.press/digisec/blog...
2. Become a whistleblower via @wbaidlaw.bsky.social: whistlebloweraid.org/become-a-whi...
Stay safe out there.
Here’s how to share sensitive leaks with the press
Thinking about securely leaking information to news organizations? This guide will show you how.
freedom.press
January 29, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Sharing these resources for no particular reason.
1. Here’s how to share sensitive leaks with the press via @freedom.press: freedom.press/digisec/blog...
2. Become a whistleblower via @wbaidlaw.bsky.social: whistlebloweraid.org/become-a-whi...
Stay safe out there.
1. Here’s how to share sensitive leaks with the press via @freedom.press: freedom.press/digisec/blog...
2. Become a whistleblower via @wbaidlaw.bsky.social: whistlebloweraid.org/become-a-whi...
Stay safe out there.
A Q&A of our recent work on Rift Valley Fever virus stability in milk. Main take home is this is a potential threat in endemic regions and that (super unsurprisingly) pasteurization remains critically important to public health!
With the risks of raw milk in the spotlight due to #birdflu, new Stanford research finds that another virus affecting animals and people -- Rift Valley fever virus -- can remain active in raw milk samples for roughly as long as someone might want to drink it.
scopeblog.stanford.edu/2025/02/25/m...
scopeblog.stanford.edu/2025/02/25/m...
Understanding raw milk's disease risk -- and pasteurization's importance
New Stanford Medicine research shines light on animal-borne disease risk from drinking raw milk and how it relates to recent bird flu concerns.
scopeblog.stanford.edu
February 26, 2025 at 10:48 PM
A Q&A of our recent work on Rift Valley Fever virus stability in milk. Main take home is this is a potential threat in endemic regions and that (super unsurprisingly) pasteurization remains critically important to public health!
Reposted by Brian Dawes
New publication studies Brazil's 2016-2018 #YellowFever outbreak, the largest in the country's history, identifying risk factors for severe disease, & underscores the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in confronting infectious disease threats. globalhealth.stanford.edu/research/und...
Understanding the Resurgence of Yellow Fever: New Insights from Brazil's Largest Outbreak - Global Health
A new study published in Frontiers in Medicine sheds further light on the risk factors associated with severe yellow fever and in-hospital mortality during this critical period. The LaBeaud Lab at Sta...
globalhealth.stanford.edu
February 24, 2025 at 7:01 PM
New publication studies Brazil's 2016-2018 #YellowFever outbreak, the largest in the country's history, identifying risk factors for severe disease, & underscores the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in confronting infectious disease threats. globalhealth.stanford.edu/research/und...