Sign in

Bill Hanage

@billhanage.bsky.social
6.2K followers 41 following 277 posts

Refugee from Twix. Arsenal fan and Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Opinions my own.

PostsRepliesMedia
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
And in your good news feed… www.nytimes.com/2026/09/02/w...
nytimes.com
Critically Endangered Parrots Enjoy Baby Boom After Mating Frenzy
There are now 325 kakapos in New Zealand, the largest population of the giant, flightless parrot species in decades, conservationists said.
0121
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Before we get het up about this, a few observations… www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/s...
nytimes.com
This A.I. Just Created Viruses Not Found in Nature
Scientists trained artificial intelligence on libraries of DNA and then asked the model to create recipes for viral genomes. Sixteen of them were viable, yielding new viruses.
52612
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
And here it is again :)
020
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
And here is my answer
030
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
For some reason @theathletic.com has Bournemouth top of the league before any games have been played which seems…. odd when positions are supposed to be determined by alphabetical order under such circumstances. Is there a silent, and invisible ’A’?
230
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Jeremy Faust, MD @jeremyfaust.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Credit where credit is due. Reuters recently reported that Dr. Marty Makary + Dr. Jay Bhattacharya stood up for vaccines inside RFK Jr.'s HHS. Whatever else they've gotten wrong, we must recognize when they get something right. My full thoughts here: insidemedicine.substack.com/p/these-guys...
insidemedicine.substack.com
These guys did a good thing on vaccines recently. It's important that we acknowledge it.
Dr. Marty Makary and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya stood up for vaccines inside Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s HHS. Whatever else they've gotten wrong, we must recognize when they get something right.
115111
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Dr. Céline Gounder @celinegounder.com · 18/07/2026
Testosterone is real medicine for men who can't make enough. For a man with a normal level, it's risk and no proven benefit: clots, infertility, breast tissue. The only question that matters: are you actually deficient? Read free: celinegounder.com
0339
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
👇🏼💯
3222
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
As ever with outbreaks, the news is ahead of this. However here is my Cyclosporiasis summary Q and A hsph.harvard.edu/news/cyclosp...
hsph.harvard.edu
Cyclosporiasis outbreak: What to know | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Cyclosporiasis, a parasitic gastrointestinal illness, is spreading across the U.S., sickening thousands and hospitalizing hundreds.
1145
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
I love how Compte Tête-de-Poubelle sounds like a minor character in a Dumas novel.
1944590
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Dr. Céline Gounder @celinegounder.com · 07/07/2026
Dr. Debra Houry met Secretary Kennedy once, for about a minute. She was never allowed to brief him. So she documented everything: 250 pages, now with Congress. My breakdown: www.celinegounder.com/p/houry-cdc-e… Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtHk87yVOoM
image
13212
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
I think it was Tony Adams who once said you learn more from your defeats you do from your victories, and if that’s true the USMNT just learned a lot
1121
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
As Richard Feynman almost said, “Algae cannot be fooled”
392
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Yup, Bhattacharya’s travel lockdown—broad travel restrictions & movement controls—can “discourage reporting, drive cases underground, hinder response efforts, disrupt supply chains & make outbreaks harder to contain” Jay’s travel lockdown isn’t based on science. I guess it’s a vibes-based lockdown?
0199
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
The current #Ebola outbreak in DRC has the potential to be even larger than those in 2018 and 2014. Why have we seen larger outbreaks in recent years? There are multiple reasons including conflict, population movement and urbanization. But the trend shows we must learn how to respond better
182
Reposted by Bill Hanage
IDDjobs @iddjobs.org · 09/06/2026
PhD position (London, UK) Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Health Economic Modelling with Rebecca Baggaley, Johan Thygesen at University College London More details: iddjobs.org/jobs/2551
067
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
The largest ebola outbreaks to date started in 2014 and 2018. Sadly given this trend, the continuing limited testing capacity and everything we know about the virus, I would be very surprised if this does not end up worse.
072
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
People like @jeremykonyndyk.bsky.social know what they are talking about www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Why This Ebola Outbreak Could End Up Being the Worst One in History
The situation in eastern Congo and Uganda combines some of the most dangerous aspects of the 2014 and 2018 Ebola outbreaks.
0122
Reposted by Bill Hanage
dr. qousqous tsziar 🇨🇦 @qousqous.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
www.msf.org/donate
msf.org
Donate to Médecins Sans Frontières | MSF
Your donations pay for millions of consultations, surgeries, treatments and vaccinations every year. Learn more about your donations at work
052
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Read this to understand why the current Ebola outbreak in a conflict zone with scarce resources, is likely to end up as the largest and most deadly in history www.nytimes.com/2026/05/30/w...
nytimes.com
Inside the Ebola Epicenter, the Virus Rages With Little to Stop It
23512
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
For all that I can recognize there is truth in this, some of us were around for more than the past few decades www.ft.com/content/2491...
020
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
This is a thread that will be worth your while if you have the faintest interest in DnB!
140
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Thanks West Ham Now your turn Everton
030
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Dear West Ham, please remember you have to score. Dear Everton, please remember you have to score twice.
030
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
The headline in this is “May have been exposed to Ebola” Apparently to be exposed you only need to have been in the same country.
172
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Melody Schreiber @melodyschreiber.com · 22/05/2026
Have you had any difficulty accessing miscarriage care after the Dobbs decision? I'd love to talk with you for a story I'm writing. (Please share!)
14349
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Said far far better than i ever could. Bravo arseblog.com/2026/05/ive-...
arseblog.com
I've paid my dues
I am happy for my friends and family. Needless to say, Arsenal is a very strong thread that binds us. The club has been in my family for over 100 years- grandparents, parents, siblings, nieces and nep...
020
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Tuesday evening I was having dinner in Copenhagen while attending #ISPPD14. I didn’t imagine citeh would drop points. Then my phone started buzzing. An old friend video called and shared his TV screen. At the final whistle I wept, and then sang “North London Forever” to a quite confused restaurant
250
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Abrupt aid cuts by all G7 nations will come back to haunt us We abandon global solidarity at our own peril www.statnews.com/2026/05/19/u...
statnews.com
Trump’s cuts to foreign aid are undermining the Ebola response, insiders say
Trump's cuts to foreign aid likely hampered the detection of the Ebola outbreak and the response to it.
03012
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Tfw your phone runs out of battery just after your team wins the premier league…..
250
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Delighted to have played a small part in this piece of work out in @nejm.org www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.... Prompt dosage with an antiviral (ensitrelvir in this case) can effectively prevent Covid in exposed household contacts, which is great news
nejm.org
Ensitrelvir for Covid-19 Postexposure Prophylaxis in Household Contacts | NEJM
Ensitrelvir, an oral inhibitor of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 3C-like protease, is approved in Japan for the treatment of mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 ...
02411
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
This is much worse than anything that’s happened with hantavirus so far. Even if the potential for more than regional spread is very limited to nil, if you are in that region it is very very bad news www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/...
monitor.co.ug
Uganda confirms Ebola case after Congolese man dies in Kampala
The patient presented with respiratory distress, fever, epigastric pain, nausea and difficulty passing urine
12810
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
For all the pandemic deniers out there: "COVID-19 pandemic inflicted a setback of historic proportions. An estimated 22.1 million excess deaths occurred between 2020 and 2023, with nearly a decade of gains in life expectancy & healthy life expectancy wiped out by 2021" iris.who.int/server/api/c...
414085
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Dr. Sarah Parcak @indyfromspace.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
*David Attenborough voice* "A group of male Waymos, which we call a DeathWish, circle around on a track in an attempt to attract the females. Note that some are flashing their lights to show their sexual prowess."
17417101
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
THIS 👇🏼 (from voices.nejm.org/doi/full/10....) It makes little difference to the probability this outbreak will be contained (I am confident it will be). It makes every difference to public understanding of it
0105
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
If you hear that something is *possible* remember that’s not the same as *drives transmission dynamics* This is important when thinking about pre-symptomatic transmission. It’s how much happens that’s important. I’m more concerned about things like this www.the-sun.com/news/1635258...
the-sun.com
Brit in month-long rat virus quarantine in Italy despite testing NEGATIVE
A BRIT tourist has been detained at an Italian bar and forced to quarantine for a month – despite testing negative for the deadly rat virus. The holidaymaker, reportedly in his 60s, boarded a…
041
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Bringing some of my thoughts together. And explaining why hantavirus is emphatically not COVID news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
news.harvard.edu
Hantavirus likely to be fully contained but may take time — Harvard Gazette
The disease is much deadlier than COVID, but much harder to spread.
15721
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Type VI Sophia System @wheezenfeld.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
News & views piece just dropped from @indragon.bsky.social and @billhanage.bsky.social discussing some of the coolest work I've read all year! Phages shaping cholera epidemiology AND experimental evolution mirroring the real-world evolution is 🔥 (Kim Seed also gives an amazing talk!) rdcu.be/fihkG
295
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Parsing this, I suspect “mildly positive” means a low viral load, coupled with no symptoms. Not clear whether the passenger with symptoms has tested negative. Whichever is the case, it’s not “an abundance of caution” to use the best biocontainment available. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/10/u...
nytimes.com
American Passengers Exposed to Hantavirus Land in U.S.
073
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Jeremy Faust, MD @jeremyfaust.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
While I reserve the right to change my mind, this should *currently* be more alarming to the American public than Andes hantavirus.
012441
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
The present hantavirus outbreak poses a serious risk for a few hundred people in the entire world, at most. I’m glad I know that, because if I did not I would find this far from reassuring
09721
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
1. #CDC issued its 1st alert to health providers & public health depts on the cruise ship #hantavirus outbreak overnight. I got it at 12:45 am ET This should have happened days ago. CDC's communications are tightly controlled by HHS in this administration. This isn't the way CDC normally functions.
5222102
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
I would not be wildly surprised if the current Hantavirus outbreak ends up being smaller than this one. Of course that will depend on how many people are currently infected and dont yet know it. That number is unlikely 0 but also not very large www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
nejm.org
“Super-Spreaders” and Person-to-Person Transmission of Andes Virus in Argentina | NEJM
From November 2018 through February 2019, person-to-person transmission of Andes virus (ANDV) hantavirus pulmonary syndrome occurred in Chubut Province, Argentina, and resulted in 34 confirmed infe...
2185
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Everyone is freaking out about hantavirus, so I read my notes from my MPH and a bunch of articles so you don't have to. Long story short - it's shit for people impacted, but you are very, very unlikely to be impacted. gidmk.substack.com/p/you-probab...
gidmk.substack.com
You Probably Don't Need To Stress About Hantavirus
Some facts about the new outbreak that's worrying the globe
434595
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Sound advice www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Here’s How Freaked Out You Should Be About the Hantavirus Cruise Ship
071
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
This is an excellent point. To put it a slightly different way, our prior knowledge suggests that Andes Hanta outbreaks *depend* on unusual superspreading events. While it’s easy to imagine many opportunities for such events on a cruise ship, it’s much harder once the outbreak has been identified
0232
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Tami Lieberman @contaminatedsci.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Dr. Indra Gonzalez Ojeda gave a great thesis defense this morning, including some wisdom for starting PhD students, or frankly, anyone.
26017
Bill Hanage @billhanage.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Katie Wu from the Atlantic on Hanta and cruise ships, featuring a bit from me and a great closing line www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...
theatlantic.com
A Brutal First for the Cruise Industry
A hantavirus outbreak is serious and unnerving.
12611
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Tami Lieberman @contaminatedsci.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Interested in a *staff computational scientist* position? We are looking for an experienced computational biologist (ideally with microbiology experience) to support published packages while also driving new research. Pay range $73k-$111k w excellent benefits. careers.peopleclick.com/careerscp/cl...
careers.peopleclick.com
Computational Biology Program Scientist
MIT - Computational Biology Program Scientist - Cambridge MA 02139
14574
Reposted by Bill Hanage
Vittoria Colizza @vcolizza.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Great discussion with @billhanage.bsky.social and the audience at #ESCMIDGlobal2026 during our session “Pathogens and people: modelling epidemics for preparedness”. Strong focus on how to improve preparedness in collaboration with public health institutes - lots to take forward.
163