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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀

@mackayim.bsky.social
13K followers 3.1K following 12K posts

forever virologist but not a working one. past researcher. PCR guy. past lab manager. husband. dad. reader. writer. fixer. bad typist. learner. australian. #MasksWork virologydownunder.com

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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 2h
Yep, that's the timeframe I'm looking at. The last one I bought for Xmas in Aus was $40 or $50 We'll be gone before Monday!
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 3h
Last full day in Quebec. Tomorrow we work our way back to Vancouver then off to Australia the next day (losing two days in that trip).
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 3h
Canada pays $18 for a whole uncooked turkey??
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
🤖 SBS News bot (unofficial) @sbs-news-bot.bsky.social · 7h
Russia's mysterious plague lab death may have exposed a global health blindspot
sbs.com.au
Russia's mysterious plague lab death may have exposed a global health blindspot
Global health experts have warned of severe biosecurity challenges following the death of a lab worker in Russia.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 7h
They have been very accommodating to non-French speakers, even in a tiny cafe on a quiet island yesterday.
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 8h
EU capitals are quietly preparing for how to respond to a major hybrid attack that leaves several citizens dead, according to five diplomats and officials. That outcome looks increasingly likely, they warn. 🔗 vist.ly/5mevw
politico.eu
EU quietly braces for nightmare scenario of multiple-casualty hybrid attack
Diplomats are discussing emergency teams, EU funding and crisis communications, while some capitals warn Brussels risks duplicating NATO.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 12h
Not at all, all good.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 12h
*bang - French
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 14h
Montreal was our first francophone population. It's like crossing a line-band, French!
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 14h
We don't know if there even was a test tube. We don't know what she died of. Yersinia cases occur in the wild. Antibiotics work. And it's lying Russia.
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
Chris Hickie mud fud @cphickie.bsky.social · 16h
CDC October 2026
Orange jacket guy meme (2 panel). 

Top panel guy turning away from thousands in US sickened by measles, 7 dead.

Bottom panel: guy expressing interest in one person dead in Russia where the cause might be plague
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
Krutika Kuppalli, MD FIDSA @krutikakuppalli.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Excited to launch my new column "ID consult" in @statnews.com First up: Making sense of reports of possible plague in Russia. Amid the speculation, we must ask questions, demand transparency, and let evidence guide the response. tinyurl.com/RussiaPlague
tinyurl.com
Infectious disease expert: The mysterious pneumonia in Russia deserves attention, not panic
Chill out about reports about plague in Siberia, writes infectious disease doctor Krutika Kuppalli.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Yeah.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
🤣
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
There *is* nothing to see here.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Is that a suppository version?
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Bonsoir from #Quebec.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
As prepared as it is for measles?
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
And if they get out to vote
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
NBC News @nbcnews.com · 06/10/2026
With short-form video now dominant on social media, researchers are racing to understand how the highly engaging, algorithm-driven format may be reshaping the brain.
nbcnews.to
Is brain rot real? Researchers warn of emerging risks tied to short-form video
Research on the long-term impacts of short-form video consumption is still lacking, but recent studies show concerning associations with cognition and mental health.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
What utter crap
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
*This* is what we should be seeing more concern about. Not a maybe case of Yersinia.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The next data I'd like to see is how many of this group *go on* to smoke cigarettes.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I guess I can just easily imagine 24-hour delays being very possible for many, many reasons, all of them based on human response and protocol variability. And then layer locational aspects onto that.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Depends on what those protocols are. If the scientist said it all happened within a safety cabinet, or didn't cooperate, them to wait for symptoms...impossible to guess what these processes are there. Also, they lie so there's extreme difficulty believing anything they say, either way.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
There has to be a response to these attacks. Russia continues escalating and Europe is *not* defending, let alone preventing. America is siding with Russia. Australia is growing closer to America. Ugh.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
As an aside to the is it, isn't it a case of Yersinia story from Russia. Talking heads asking "why wasn't she given antibiotics within 24 hours?!" as if that same delay wouldn't happen anywhere in the world until the right lab results were ordered and interpreted. That could take 24h by itself!
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Coooool cool cool cool
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Largest...so far
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 06/10/2026
⚡️ Drones strike merchant vessels in Black Sea off Bulgaria and Ukraine, killing at least one. A Russian drone struck a merchant vessel flying the Marshall Islands flag in the Black Sea. Separately, two merchant ships were hit by drones around 112 kilometers off Bulgaria's coast on Oct. 6.
kyivindependent.com
Drones strike merchant vessels in Black Sea off Bulgaria and Ukraine, killing at least one
A Russian drone struck a merchant vessel flying the Marshall Islands flag in the Black Sea. Separately, two merchant ships were hit by drones around 112 kilometers (70 miles) off Bulgaria's coast on O...
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Must be true then. Maybe the WHO could send a fact-finding mission in a month or two.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Both cults (corrected typo) and their goals can be true at once.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I'm sure this is fine because I was told vaping was much safer than smoking.🤪
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
Mike Coston @fla-medic.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
AFluDiary Blog `Follow-up on The Russian `Lab Leak' Story' afludiary.blogspot.com/2026/10/foll... #Plague
afludiary.blogspot.com
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Yes, the White House sometimes serves as a branch Kremlin press office, which would be humiliating for anyone who had the slightest hint of patriotism or for that matter personal dignity.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Will those work under water? Asking for a country that keeps opening coal mines and that has jurisdictions who delay renewable power projects in favour of drilling for oil.
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
Culture Crave 🍿 @culturecrave.co · 05/10/2026
Americans are more likely to have placed a bet in the past year than to have read a book (via NPR)
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
Voronoi @voronoiapp.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Have you ever wondered how wealth stacks up among different generations in America? Get a close look at U.S. wealth by each generation in 2026 💰 Visual Capitalist breaks it down for you here: www.voronoiapp.com/category/Ranked-…
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Watching the #Quebec election coverage. Anthony Green calm and analysis is needed! 😂
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Sorry to disagree, and perhaps it's because we're from out of town, but it's definitely not limited to Newfoundland, unless we've been surrounded by them for 3 weeks now.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Retracting those apologies.🙂 After 3 weeks I've detected this among many people.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Is wastewater reporting instantaneous?
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Just a friendly reminder that plague is prevalent, including in the western United States (see, prairie dogs), with multiple cases annually. It is also highly treatable and, yes, lab acquired infections (incl. fatal cases) have happened over the years, including e.g., UChicago.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It's a good one
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
A pathogen peak in wasterwtaer is one thing. A pathology peak in hospitals is another. Please ensure both align and that a bigger-than-previous peak in wastewater is matched by the same in hospitals *before* your words spread fear among anxious others.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
#56.3/1a 🍁 Canada is under constant construction or repair.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
He is Republican. As long as the party lets him enact his racist, dangerous, harmful, facist, mysogynist policies, they are a unit. They are dragging on themselves. It may be a cult, but it's one that won't denounce it's glorious leader, so to all appearances, it is unified. #VoteThemAllOut
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 05/10/2026
It is just one more sign of a world reverting to Great Power politics, where millions of people are left hostage to a system that should have died with the last century.
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Reposted by Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀
Kyiv Post @kyivpost.com · 05/10/2026
“We’re staying” — European embassies in Kyiv reject Russia’s warning to leave, standing by Ukraine despite threats of further strikes. Moscow’s intimidation campaign has not driven foreign diplomats from the capital. www.kyivpost.com/post/86130
kyivpost.com
Moscow Threatens, Europe Stays: Embassies Refuse to Quit Kyiv
European missions are publicly reaffirming their presence in Kyiv after Moscow urged foreign diplomats to leave and warned of further strikes.
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Ian M. Mackay, PhD (he/him) 🦠🤧🧬📑🦟🧀 @mackayim.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
www.goodreads.com/quotes/11133... theconversation.com/of-mice-and-... Sometimes I comment only to those who know what I mean. 🤷
goodreads.com
A quote from A Shot to Save the World
Mice lie, monkeys mislead, and ferrets are weasels. —a popular aphorism among scientists
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