iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

🚨 The NIH is moving to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in infectious-disease research projects to the DOD under a secret 10-year pact. Here’s what’s happening inside “Operation Prevailing Edge” 🧵👇 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

Revealed: inside the US military's plan to tap huge sums from the NIH

An agreement paves the way for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of projects to be transferred from the NIH’s institute for infectious diseases to the Department of Defense.

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Ebola may have been spreading for months in the DRC before anyone recognized it. A new reconstruction suggests the outbreak was already widespread in the gold-mining town of Mongbwalu by January. It wasn’t officially declared until 15 May. Why did no-one raise the alarm? My story for @science.org 🧪

science.org

EXCLUSIVE: Congo’s Ebola epidemic started at least 4 months before it was detected

A remote mining town gripped by fear saw hundreds of suspected cases before the government declared an outbreak, report says

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Trump Administration to Send Americans Exposed to Ebola to Kenya www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/u...

nytimes.com

Trump Administration to Send Americans Exposed to Ebola to Kenya

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Health Experts ‘Stunned’ by Trump Officials’ Strict Quarantine Measures www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/u...

nytimes.com

Health Experts ‘Stunned’ by Trump Officials’ Strict Quarantine Measures

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

This is excellent (And, yes, it’s remarkable how many people are writing OpEds/Substacks giving hantavirus advice even though they literally have zero training or expertise in hanatavirus & no public health training/expertise & have never played any role at all in managing a hantavirus outbreak 🤦‍♂️)

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

The WHO Director-General has just declared Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This is the first time a PHEIC has been declared without an Emergency Committee first. Very surprising procedurally but makes sense for public health given size, spread & WHA

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Gregory Koblentz @gregkoblentz.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Syria has announced the arrest of former Major General Wajih Ali al-Abdullah, who served as director of the military affairs office for Assad from 2005-2018. This office was part of the Syrian CW chain of command. levant24.com/news/2026/05...

levant24.com

Syria Intensifies Ongoing Arrests of Assad-Era Officials

Syrian authorities continue to intensify the campaign to arrest former military and intelligence officials tied to the former Assad regime, announcing

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

"Most importantly, I have to say, we recommend a strict quarantine for all asymptomatic passengers for six weeks, which means until June 21 or June 22 depending on when they left the ship", says @ecdc.europa.eu director Pamela Rendi-Wagner at presser on #hantavirus outbreak.

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

“If talks stall again or collapse entirely it will have consequences beyond global health… Avoiding a reckoning with that history [of vaccine injustice] suggests that the global north learned little from the Covid years, and has no serious plan for the future.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

theguardian.com

The Guardian view on the WHO pandemic treaty: the west’s fantasy negotiations have put the world at risk | Editorial

Editorial: After five years of deliberation the global south has forced the question that defined the Covid crisis: who will get the vaccines?

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

NIH & CDC Director’s response to hantavirus: Um, ah, um, dunno, will need to look that up UK Health Security Agency Response: Specialist army team & medics parachute onto Tristan da Cunha to deliver crucial medical support since a British national on the island was suspected of being infected 1/2

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Reminder folks - hantavirus human-to-human transmission is less common but can and does happen circumstantially. Transmission between partners? Not surprising. Exposure from rodent sources in shared living environments? Frustrating but not surprising. (1/2)

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Excited (and deeply honored) to moderate this panel today at #ESCMIDGlobal2026 on the intersection of AMR and conflict - a polycrisis that demands our attention well before infections occur - from innovation to IPC, One Health, and stewardship, we’ll be touching on it all.

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Global Wildlife Trade Fuels Spread of Disease From Animals to People www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/s...

nytimes.com

Global Wildlife Trade Fuels Spread of Disease From Animals to People

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Shoutout to my amazing UMSOM Epi colleagues for their work in CIDJournal - antimicrobial stewardship-guided interpretation of lab tests can safely cut unnecessary antibiotic use in hospitalized patients by over 4 days - a major win for combating AMR. academic.oup.com/cid/advance-...

academic.oup.com

Using Probability of Community-Acquired Pneumonia to Tailor Antimicrobials Among Inpatients: A Pragmatic, Randomized Trial

In this pragmatic, randomized trial including 107 adults with suspected respiratory infection, an intervention guiding clinicians to interpret low procalci

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

I fell in love with this film - quirky, visually stunning, elegantly written, and carrying a profound and unflinching truth about the female experience. #thebridemovie

media.tenor.com

a woman with black paint on her face is sitting in a car

ALT: a woman with black paint on her face is sitting in a car

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Vinay Prasad has been an a noxious influence on public health and drug regulation. Good riddance. UCSF should not take him back. He should wander in the wilderness forever. www.cnn.com/2026/03/06/h...

cnn.com

FDA’s controversial vaccine chief will exit agency next month | CNN

The US Food and Drug Administration’s head of vaccines and biologic medicines will leave the agency at the end of April, a spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Friday.

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

There's a common misconception that zoonotic viruses require significant adaptation to jump from animals to cause human epidemics. Not so 👇. Further, we see clear signs of 1977 flu experiencing cell passage, prior to epidemic. SARS-CoV-2? Business as usual. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Dynamics of natural selection preceding human viral epidemics and pandemics

Using a phylogenetic framework to characterize natural selection, we investigate the hypothesis that zoonotic viruses require adaptation prior to zoon…

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

“The researchers found that orders of the painkiller initially dipped by 16% before leveling off at a 10% decrease in the twelve weeks after U.S. health officials cautioned against use of the drug. There was no statistically significant drop in the medication’s use among non-pregnant women.”

statnews.com

Across ERs, Tylenol orders for pregnant people dropped after health officials linked drug to autism

Immediately after U.S. health officials linked Tylenol to autism, the drug's use in pregnant women visiting ERs dropped, new study shows.

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

To any Arizona LDS folks…. two missionary dudes flying back from DCA right now - beyond loud, gross political jokes, one just said “yeah I’m positive about that. Like HIV positive” as a joke. Come collect your boys. 🤮

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Truly, I cannot express how short-sighted this is. You can do both - these are not mutually exclusive lanes of effort.

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

100% this @jessicamalaty.bsky.social I legit just saw a spike of flu in Australia (outside of flu season) & am seeing it around in Thailand now….so when I see influencers telling people “it doesn’t make much sense to get a flu shot now ”, I’m disappointed by their myopic approach to public health.

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Derek Beres @derekberes.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

So many medical professionals are using their platforms to speak out against ICE’s atrocities, because they know violence is a public health issue, and also because they’re good, caring people. 1/2

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

This is utterly disappointing and bs rhetoric - Africa CDC is an amazing health agency doing vital, collaborative work to ensure health access and equity. Something we should all strive towards.

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Melody Schreiber @melodyschreiber.com · 14/01/2026

NEW: The Trump admin unexpectedly canceled almost $2 billion in funding for substance use and mental health. Organizations today are forced to lay off staff and scale back lifesaving services, like opioid reversal medications for first responders. My latest: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

theguardian.com

‘People will die’: Trump administration cancels up to $1.9bn for substance use and mental health

Funding to end immediately for up to 2,800 grantees of US agency that serves thousands seeking help and in recovery

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

Confused about why the US decided to make Denmark first about the childhood vaccine schedule? What is "shared clinical decision-making"? Why is a random sports medicine doc in charge of this? Me, @jessicamalaty.bsky.social, & @saskiapopescu.bsky.social get into it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBnV...

youtube.com

Make America Denmark Today! With Angie Rasmussen, Jessica Malaty Rivera, and Saskia Popescu

YouTube video by Angela Rasmussen

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

“The Pitt has an emphatic moral clarity that feels awkward only because we haven’t seen it for so long. It refuses to both-sides issues that it considers straightforward. Should you vaccinate your children against measles? Yes, The Pitt says”

theatlantic.com

‘The Pitt’ Is a Brilliant Portrait of American Failure

The HBO Max show has a moral clarity that’s hard to find of late on television.

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Children will die with RFK Jr.'s new vaccine recommendations. We're NOT doing the "experts disagree" game. The US vaccine schedule was painstakingly constructed through a deep & thorough process by experts with unquestionable expertise. This is policy by fiat. It is pre-meditated murder. 1/

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

“Science has always required creativity—people asking and pursuing questions in ways that have never been attempted before, in the hope that some of that work might produce something new.” Dr. @katherinejwu.com

theatlantic.com

The Trump Administration’s Most Paralyzing Blow to Science

Cuts to research may have spoiled the country’s appetite for bold exploration.

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

Council on Foreign Relations @cfr.org · 22/12/2025

Every year, the Preventive Priorities Survey asks experts to rank thirty conflict scenarios in terms of likelihood and potential impact. This year’s results paint a picture of a more violent and dangerous world in 2026:

cfr.org

Five Takeaways From CFR's 2026 Conflict Risk Assessment

Every year, the Preventive Priorities Survey asks experts to rank thirty conflict scenarios in terms of likelihood and potential impact. This year's results paint a picture of a more violent and dang...

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Reposted by Saskia Popescu

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 18/12/2025

The U.S. will very likely lose its measles-elimination status next month, and Americans will have to confront how difficult this virus can be to control, @katherinejwu.com reports:

bit.ly

Measles’ Most Deceptive Trait

Most cases are mild, obscuring the disease’s worst outcomes.

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Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

CDC awards $1.6 million for new hepatitis B vaccine study in Guinea-Bissau. Although the award recipients aren't named, the grant seems tailored to Danish researchers whose work is championed by anti-vaxxers but challenged by mainstream scientists. www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...

cidrap.umn.edu

CDC awards $1.6 million for hepatitis B vaccine study, likely to controversial Danish researchers

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Abe Goldfarb @abegoldfarb.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

when someone tells me not to use em dashes because AI uses em dashes

Scene from OFFICE SPACE with Michael Bolton replying to Samir Nagheenanajar:

“No way. Why should I change?
He's the one who sucks.”

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Saskia Popescu @saskiapopescu.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Trump Administration Will No Longer Commemorate World AIDS Day www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/h...

nytimes.com

Trump Administration Will No Longer Commemorate World AIDS Day

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