iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Isabella Eckerle

Krutika Kuppalli, MD FIDSA @krutikakuppalli.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Important to remember that those who disembarked from the cruise ship are in the incubation period for #AndesVirus. While additional cases are concerning, they are not unexpected and underscore the need for close monitoring, rapid evaluation, and prompt isolation of anyone who develops symptoms.

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Bottom line: Investment in research and tools on rare and exotic viruses is smart - preparedness starts in peace time, not when the outbreak is there!

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

It is quite unfortunate that we do not have vaccines or monoclonal antibodies that we can offer - with the long incubation time, they could be an interesting option. Also, we could learn a lot about this virus through this outbreak. I also think we have all the public health tools to manage this.

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I am not worried that this will become a huge epidemic or even pandemic. But more cases, at least linked to the ship, aer possible and detected right now. For the remaining passengers, I would rather be on the no-risk side, as it affects few individuals but consequences are high if clusters continue

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

The nasty part: High case-fatality rate and long incubation time, also remaining knowledge gaps transmission and virus shedding. I would not want to be in position to take decisions here - for the exposed individual, the consequences are high, for the general population not

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Andes hantavirus is known since decades, also that it can transmit from humans to humans. A ship is even a more special environment. The sequences showed us that the viruses are very close to strains already known from the region. It can be detected by the diagnostic assays we have already

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

My take away is: This is a very, very unfortunate combination of unfortunate events that nobody could have foreseen. But that is exactly what happens again and again with rare viruses: The unexpected is the rule, not the exception. The good news in the bad news: This is not a new virus

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

On top, a real need for expert assessment, fears & a need for explanation in the general population. It reminded me more of the early days of 2020, when there was really an interest to learn more about the outbreak and the pathogens and less hate and anti-science (but then I'm not on X anymore!)

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I was submerged in work on the current hantavirus outbreak in the recent week and reminded myself how important social media can be during outbreaks! The team at our Centre did quite some work, diagnosing a case in Switzerland, identifying the Andes strain by RT-PCR & full genome released by friday

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Reposted by Isabella Eckerle

Pathoplexus @pathoplexus.org · 11/05/2026

Since launching support for the Andes virus species of hantavirus two days ago, we have already received submissions from four countries' sequencing teams. This is a testament to the rapid response of researchers, sharing real-time data. Read more in our news post: pathoplexus.org/news/2026-05...

pathoplexus.org

Pathoplexus | Andes virus: supporting response to the current hantavirus outbreak

Pathoplexus is a new, open-source database dedicated to the efficient sharing of human viral pathogen genomic data, fostering global collaboration and public health response.

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Thanks so much dear Krutika! It was a great team effort from our Centre getting this sequence and making it publicly available! Kudos the team in Geneva and Zurich!

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

And my group at the Centre for Emerging Viral Diseases is also hiring: We are looking for a postdoc for our work on mucosal immunity and respiratory viruses! jobs.unige.ch/www/wd_porta...

jobs.unige.ch

Post-doctorant-e (6723)

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Professor position & Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital of Geneva! Exciting opportunity for an ID specialist & research opportunities in virology, bacteriology, immunology, public/global health, vaccinology, international Geneva... jobs.unige.ch/www/wd_porta...

jobs.unige.ch

Professeur-e PO/PAS médecin-chef-fe du Service des maladies infectieuses (6694)

Full or Associate Professor, Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

Professor position in Global Health at the University of Geneva, Institute of Global Health! This is really an exciting opportunity with lots of possibilities for collaborations, e.g. with our Centre, in the field of infectious diseases, international Geneva, WHO... jobs.unige.ch/www/wd_porta...

jobs.unige.ch

Professeur-e ordinaire, professeur-e associé-e à l’Institut de santé globale (6726)

et affilié au Département de santé et médecine communautaires / Full professor or Associate professor at the Institute of Global Health and affiliated to the Department of Community Health and Medicin...

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Reposted by Isabella Eckerle

GfV - Gesellschaft für Virologie @gesvirologie.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Prof. Gisa Gerold @geroldlab.bsky.social Prof. Melanie Brinkmann @brinkmann-melanie.bsky.social Prof. Nicole Fischer Prof. Florian Klein Prof. Ulrike Protzer @ulrike-protzer.bsky.social Wer mehr über unsere Fachgesellschaft erfahren möchte: g-f-v.org

g-f-v.org

Gesellschaft für Virologie | Gesellschaft für Virologie

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Reposted by Isabella Eckerle

GfV - Gesellschaft für Virologie @gesvirologie.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Beirat (auch hier allen ganz herzlichen Glückwunsch!): PD Hanna-Mari Baldauf @baldauflab.bsky.social Prof. Martin Beer Prof. Klaus Überall @klausueberla.bsky.social Prof. Friedemann Weber @friedemann.bsky.social Prof. Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social 2/3

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GfV - Gesellschaft für Virologie @gesvirologie.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Die GfV hat gewählt– neuer Vorstand und Beirat ab März '26! Vorstand: Präsidentin: @ciesek.bsky.social 1. Vizepräsident: @cdrosten.bsky.social 2. Vizepräsident: Prof. Jörg Timm Schriftführerin: Prof. Eva Herker Schatzmeister: Prof. Thomas Pietschmann Herzlichen Glückwunsch 💐! 1/3

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

I think the number of downloads is not a good measure, because often I just quickly check something in the tree, I look for a certain mutation, a certain time and variant circulation, or take a screenshot of a tree for a talk. This was, and still is such an important resource!!

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Important read on challenges of continued SARS-CoV-2 surveillance provided by tools like Nextstrain, using GISAID data. Just one comment as someone who is using Nextstrain for my research, for keeping up to date and for scientific talks: nextstrain.org/blog/2025-11...

nextstrain.org

Nextstrain: Interruption to GISAID-based SARS-CoV-2 sequence analyses

Nextstrain blog post from 2025-11-06; author(s): Trevor Bedford, Richard Neher and the Nextstrain team

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

I don't think so, we would see these in the genomic data. So far, they all seem to be independent zoonotic spillovers (luckily).

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Reposted by Isabella Eckerle

Dr Emma Hodcroft @firefoxx66.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

I want to spell this out in case the implications aren't clear: This means all public tools/webapps of GISAID data (all the ones you've been used to seeing thru the pandemic, as far as we can tell) are prohibited. The file allowed this. Cut that - cut off all tools the public & others were using.

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

On the plus side, management of viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks have become much more efficient and rapid in recent years.

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Not great news to see Marburg spreading across the borders of the previously endemic areas. I was so happy to see that Ebola outbreak in the DRC over and now this...I hope the country will be able to get it under control soon.

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Reposted by Isabella Eckerle

Michelle Wille @duckswabber.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Review of literature tidentified 10 reports of 18 cases of asymptomatic infection of humans with H5N1, including 2 cases with molecular and serologic confirmation and 16 cases with molecular confirmation alone. prospective surveillance studies required. 👉 jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

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Reposted by Isabella Eckerle

DER SPIEGEL @spiegel.de · 04/11/2025

Klimakrise: Erde steuert auf 2,8 Grad Erwärmung zu, Daten des Uno-Umweltprogramms: Der weltweite Klimaschutz reicht den Vereinten Nationen zufolge nicht aus, um die Erderwärmung entscheidend zu bremsen, trotz kleiner Fortschritte. Uno-Generalsekretär António Guterres warnt vor einem »Klimakollaps«.

spiegel.de

Klimakrise: Erde steuert auf 2,8 Grad Erwärmung zu, Daten des Uno-Umweltprogramms

Der weltweite Klimaschutz reicht den Vereinten Nationen zufolge nicht aus, um die Erderwärmung entscheidend zu bremsen, trotz kleiner Fortschritte. Uno-Generalsekretär António Guterres warnt vor einem »Klimakollaps«.

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Interesting mention of LinkedIn. I used to find it very boring but now it seems to become more interesting for scientists and I use it more than before. As there are no anonymous accounts and exchange is really work-related, it is much more serious than other social media.

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Did the same very recently. It was difficult to let go a large number of followers & the outreach possibilities that came with it (especially towards journalists), but then also a relief. It has become meaningless for scientific exchange and I did not want to see any of that bs on X anymore.

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

That would have been big news a few years ago, unfortunately the great science that gives important understanding in coronaviruses is now back to the small circle of scientists. Anyway: A fully functional furin cleavage site in a bat betacorarnavirus! Congrats to the authors!

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Reposted by Isabella Eckerle

Kosuke Takada @kosuke-takada.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

We’ve identified a highly divergent betacoronavirus from South American bat that encodes a functional furin cleavage site. Another fascinating reminder of how diverse coronavirus evolution is in wildlife reservoirs. #Virology #VirusEvolution #Bats #Coronavirus www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

biorxiv.org

A divergent betacoronavirus with a functional furin cleavage site in South American bats

Bats are natural reservoirs for a wide range of RNA viruses. Members of the genus Betacoronavirus, including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome...

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Reposted by Isabella Eckerle

Go Green @ecowarriorss.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

EU Parliament pushes for ‘veggie burger’ ban Unbelievable we are in a climate crisis where meat production is a huge driver of carbon emissions and deforestation And instead of promoting meat alternatives - they are trying to ban them www.euractiv.com/news/parliam...

euractiv.com

Parliament pushes for ‘veggie burger’ ban | Euractiv

Lawmakers back stricter labelling for meat alternatives

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Would never ever be possible today and I am quite pessimistic that we will eradicate another human disease in the years (decades?) to come.

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Reposted by Isabella Eckerle

DER SPIEGEL @spiegel.de · 20/08/2025

Wissenschaftler haben eine Fledermausfamilie in Costa Rica per Videokamera beobachtet. Die Tiere wiesen ein reges Sozialverhalten auf, inklusive Begrüßungsritual.

spiegel.de

Costa Rica: Fledermäuse beim Umarmen gesichtet

Wissenschaftler haben eine Fledermausfamilie in Costa Rica per Videokamera beobachtet. Die Tiere wiesen ein reges Sozialverhalten auf, inklusive Begrüßungsritual.

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Also a good reminder that our discussions about measures in schools should not be black or white - it is much more complex! Our findings will not change anything for SARS-CoV-2 anymore - but they will be useful for the next pandemic and the very complex and difficult decisions around schools!

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

We need dynamic viro-epidemiological studies during outbreaks to address the evolving epidemiological landscape shaped by pathogen characteristics and evolution, shifting public health policies, and changes in human behavior.

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

This was due to strong increases in community-acquired infections in successive periods of viral variants, ultimately undermining the potential impact of school-based interventions in reducing infection rates in the school-aged population. Bottom line?

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

We have longitudinally studied SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in schools with child-friendly sampling methods during Alpha, Delta and Omicron circulation. Through integrated modeling of epidemiological and genetic data and scenario simulations, we could show transmission dynamics in schools changed markedly

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

Our Paper "Evolving infectious disease dynamics shape school-based intervention effectiveness" is finally out in Nature Communications. www.nature.com/articles/s41... This work was a great and intensive collaboration and I am incredibly proud of it - what did we do and what did we find?

nature.com

Evolving infectious disease dynamics shape school-based intervention effectiveness - Nature Communications

School-based non-pharmaceutical interventions were widely used for COVID-19 control. Here, the authors use simulations to investigate how the potential effectiveness of these interventions can vary de...

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

Ich bin will keinen Kulturkampf in der Politik - ich will eine faire Gesellschaft, eine funktionieren Bahn, keine Kinderarmut, ein funktionierendes Gesundheitssystem, keine Masern, saubere Luft, gut ausgestattete Schulen, Kinderbetreuung, unbelastete Lebensmittel, Fahrradwege, Klimaschutz....

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Reposted by Isabella Eckerle

Christian Stöcker @christianstoecker.de · 16/07/2025

Was viele nicht zu verstehen scheinen: Hier wurde ein Drehbuch durchgespielt, mit dem Ziel, eine für die AfD und damit für die schwarz-blaubraunen Träume gewisser Kreise bedrohlich wirkende Richterin zu verhindern und ein nur der AfD nützendes Kulturkampfszenario nach US-Vorbild durchzuziehen.

Streit über Kandidatin für Verfassungsgericht

Diese Akteure stehen hinter der Netzkampagne gegen Brosius-Gersdorf
Die vorerst gescheiterte Richterwahl hat die Koalition beschädigt. Vorausgegangen war dem Eklat eine orchestrierte Aktion von Abtreibungsgegnern, rechtspopulistischen Medien und dem Umfeld der AfD. Hatten sie Einfluss auf die Union?

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

Are you an excellent researcher in the field of genomics of infectious diseases of intracellular pathogens (viruses, intracellular parasites or bacteria)? The apply for this chair of excellence at the University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine: jobs.unige.ch/www/wd_porta...

jobs.unige.ch

Professeur-e ordinaire, professeur-e associé-e (6460)

en génomique des maladies infectieuses intracellulaires Chaire dexcellence / Full Professor or Associate Professor in Genomics of Intracellular Infectious Diseases Chair of Excellence

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Congratulations! I wish I could have been there!

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Beautiful light on the beautiful art work in my office this morning. Trying to appreciate the small good things in life in this crazy world right now.

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Simon Cauchemez @scauchemez.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

Just few days left to apply to one of these postdoc positions in my infectious disease modelling Unit at @pasteur.fr in Paris!

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Isabella Eckerle @eckerleisabella.bsky.social · 23/06/2025

I will be more active here from now on! :-)

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