To add to @larrybrilliant's caution against dismissing the possibility of respiratory transmission of MPXV, #mpox is caused by an orthopoxvirus, closely related to #variola, the cause of #smallpox. Both are respiratory viruses. Smallpox was highly airborne 🧵mdpi.com/1999-4915/12/1…
In fact, variola could transmit across great distances through the air. Even Clade IIb MPXV has been detected in ambient air in the clinic setting link.springer.com/article/10.100…
The large epidemic in #DRC comprises mostly children, with 60-70% of cases in kids. This is non-sexual transmission, likely close contact and respiratory. .ecdc.europa.eu/en/news-events…
Ppl have focused on sexual transmission of clade I in Kamituga, because this is where the Ib mutation arose, but there are much larger epidemics in kids in DRC. This suggests close contact or respiratory transmission. theconversation.com/who-has-declar…
There are a number of systematic reviews which outline evidence of respiratory transmission of MPXV. Listen to @larrybrilliant and be wary about anyone who is dogmatic that MPXV cannot be spread by the respiratory route. thelancet.com/journals/lanmi…
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Information warfare has been part of medicine and science forever. The heliocentric theory of the universe; smoking being harmful to health; h. pylori and stomach ulcers; the Sverdlovsk anthrax leak; climate change; vioxx, the list goes on. unsw.press/books/dark-win…
A lab leak of weaponised anthrax from a biolab in #Sverdlovsk was denied by the Soviets, who blamed animals in the markets. US experts agreed and published high impact papers "proving" it was natural. 12 years later, after the fall of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin confessed it was a lab leak. Truth came via a confession, not science.
In the case of the Rajneesh bioterrorism attack in the US, even a confession was not believed. CDC and local public health authorities said it was natural. Shouted down Jim Weaver, a politician who suspected the truth. It was the accidental discovery of a biowarfare lab a year later by the FBI, not science, that uncovered the truth.
Our new paper on #influenza #vaccine for 50-64 year olds to prevent sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). We have long known that flu can trigger heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events. ~20% of 1st presentations of heart attack is SCA. 🧵sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
Survival from heart attack has dramatically increased since I was a med student in the 1980s, due to advances in rapid revascularisation of coronary arteries. Survival from SCA, not as much, as many occur in the community.
Ambulance time usually longer than 6 minutes, the time to brain death. We already know that flu vaccine prevents cardiac death from the IAMI trial led by @FrobertOle ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.11…
This paper is a tour de force in understanding recent changes in highly pathogenic #AvianInfluenza and why the risk of a human pandemic is higher than ever- here is my simple explainer 1/7: 🧵 nature.com/articles/s4158…
phylogeographical analysis confirms there have seen major ecological changes in HPAI since 2016, and esp since 2021. Since HPAI began infecting domestic birds in 1996, we have seen a pattern of epidemic waves that subside between waves, and with mass culling of birds. 2/7
Now we see increasing and unprecedented spread of H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b globally, from what used to be the historic epicentre of HPAI, Asia, to Europe, North America and Africa. Instead of epidemics that subside, there has been a sustained increase in H5N1, 3/7
The government’s take on long Covid - the problem is, the medical community needs to go back a few steps and accept that 1. COVID is not a cold, but an illness that can result in serious chronic illness due to multi-organ effects. 🧵thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/health/20… via @SatPaper
The term was coined by patients, but fatigue may be due to heart failure, respiratory damage, immunological effects or a range of other genuine pathologies. The virus may persist in the body ilong after the infection. This may cause immunopathology nature.com/articles/s4158…
The effect on multiple organ systems may be quite substantial and the risk of many serious effects including diabetes, sudden death, PE, heart attacks etc remains elevated for at least 12m as shown by @zalalynature.com/articles/s4146…
Some key quotes from this brilliant piece: "Hegemony refers 2 the dominance maintained by those in power to ensure that their preferred worldview is seen as natural, inevitable and beneficial to all, largely by manufacturing the consent of the people." 1/6 croakey.org/rethinking-cov…
COVID Hegemony (is) normalisation of widespread infection achieved by .. coercive persuasion, to gain our consent and even approval. Divorced from realities of widespread transmission, the media, politicians & experts push 4 “return to normal”, “live with COVID”. 2/6
"Our governments and mainstream media have persuaded Australians to accept increasing morbidity, mortality, & erosion of our public health systems using four key strategies. First, by promoting myths which downplay its severity – “it’s mild”, “the pandemic is over” 3/6
Finally RAT neg on day 12 of #SARSCoV2 infection despite having antivirals. Daily testing allowed me to protect others in the household. Five day iso with daily testing unaffordable to most will not help the economy. We need widespread equitable access to testing and treatment.
I wore N95 in common areas, used HEPA filtered air purifiers, open windows and isolated for 12 days. Did have rebound too - from RAT neg at day 5 to RAT pos again on day 7. But maintained the 7 day iso & kept testing to make sure I was not putting others at risk.
We r not all young, strong & able bodied in my home, incl 1 person in a wheelchair. All I will say is the impact of 1 infection on my family was extremely disruptive. Prevention is always better.