🎓☀️ Blue skies, a choir in full voice and proud smiles everywhere! That was graduation day at ITM yesterday, as our masters students crossed the stage and became the next generation of health leaders. You are now part of our global alumni network. Keep in touch and we always love a visit back! 🥳

“De resultaten van die pilootstudies zijn veelbelovend”, weet entomoloog Wim Van Bortel. “Maar of en hoe dat breder uitgerold kan worden, valt nog af te wachten.” www.demorgen.be/nieuws/googl... @demorgen.be

“Preparedness cannot begin when an outbreak is declared. It must be built and sustained in advance.” 🚨 The Ebola outbreak in the DRC, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, must serve as a wake-up call to the world, says ITM Professor of Virology Kevin Ariën in Nature. Read more: tinyurl.com/3pjfj29n

☀️🔬 Science is most powerful when it's shared and our Open House was proof of that. Almost 3,000 people came to see it up close. 🔍 Visitors explored our research stands, toured our labs and dove into more than a century of ITM history. Thank you! 💛

Vlaamse infectioloog Laurens Liesenborghs en zijn team zijn aangekomen in het epicentrum van de ebola-uitbraak in Oost-Congo. De epidemie zit inmiddels "diepgeworteld in de regio", zegt hij. Samen met zijn collega's probeert hij de verspreiding tegen te gaan door volop aan een medicijn te werken.

Virus Ebola : la difficile voie vers la mise au point d’un vaccin contre la souche Bundibugyo

[SENSIBILISERING] : Mooie ontmoeting aan @itmantwerp.bsky.social AZV ging in gesprek met studenten publieke gezondheidszorg over de uitdagingen op het terrein, capaciteitsversterking en samenwerking met lokale gezondheidssystemen. Dank voor jullie energie, vragen en engagement 💙

[SENSIBILISATION] : MSV a échangé avec les étudiant·es en santé publique autour des défis du terrain, du renforcement des compétences et de la collaboration avec les systèmes de santé locaux. Merci @itmantwerp.bsky.social pour l’énergie, les questions et l’engagement 💙 #GlobalHealth #healthforall

www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/featured-art... @itmantwerp.bsky.social

Can a code of professional ethics influence the supply of #substandard and #falsified #medicines? Our work from #Ethiopia suggests that embedding #ethics as an enforceablerather than symbolic component of a systems may help the #response to SF medicines www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Chemseks in opmars. Onze seksuoloog Tom Platteau vertelt in 'De wereld van Sofie' op @radio1vrt.bsky.social dat het niet gaat om 2 glaasjes wijn of een joint om in de stemming te komen. @vrtnws.be www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/20...

⏰ Deadline extended. The 66th ITM Colloquium — Health in Motion: Infectious Diseases on the Move — has extended its abstract deadline. Co-organised with AHRI, this year's colloquium explores what happens when pathogens, people and policies are all on the move. 🔗 www.colloq2026.be #CallForAbstracts

🌎 The Hantavirus outbreak has shown how indispensable the @who.int is. ITM Emerging Infectious Disease Researcher Laurens Lienenborghs wrote an opinion piece for @demorgen.be in which he highlights the importance of the WHO during health crises. 🦠 Read the full article (Dutch) lnkd.in/eZCVM5fb

Wat als het virus bij de rat genetisch overeenkomt met het virus bij de patiënt? ➡️"In eerste instantie kan je de mensen in die gebieden dan beter informeren, zodat ze het contact met die diersoort verminderen." - Joachim Mariën, assistent-professor virusecologie.

🦠 🚨A cruise ship outbreak has put the hantavirus in the spotlight. How worried should we be?

Onze professor opkomende infectieziekten Laurens Liesenborghs over het hantavirus in @demorgen.be 👇

The hybrid symposium "Conversations for Change: Shaping the Future of Essential Medicines" (Antwerp 12 June, 10 am CEST) will look at gaps & opportunities for research & advocacy in #Essential #Medicines. #LancetCommissionEMs with @itmantwerp.bsky.social Register here: www.itg.be/en/events/co... !

Onze jurist @gorikooms.bsky.social over Trumps 'zorgdeals' met 27 Afrikaanse landen: hulp en medicijnen in ruil voor mineralen en medische data. "Dit is onderhandelen met het mes op de keel."

🐀 Rats, mosquitoes, and microbes. March had it all. Plus: what really shapes quality of life for people living with HIV, and why our leishmaniasis vaccine search needs a fresh approach. 💉 Explore this month's research highlights. 👉 www.itg.be/en/health-st...

🌍 What happens when pathogens, people and policies are all on the move? That's the question at the heart of the 66th ITM Colloquium in Addis Ababa. Co-organised with the Armauer Hansen Research Institute, we're calling for abstracts. Submit and bring your findings to Addis.🔗 www.colloq2026.be

🌍 Tuberculosis (TB) is still one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world. And yet, it's curable.  Read the article from De Morgen with infectious disease specialist Bouke De Jong on minimum patient contribution for medicines increasing, including TB treatment. tinyurl.com/y9ue73m9

👩‍🔬🧑‍🔬🔬 Today we celebrate the lab technicians who make our science possible. More than 14 percent of our colleagues work as lab technicians. They are the people who ensure our science is accurate, reliable, and reproducible. So let's clap for the people in the lab.👏

#NTDs are uncommon but may be present in #Europe, as mobility & #climate change expand vectors habitat: poor #access to #medicines may leave vulnerable patients untreated & increase risk of local transmission @lancetrh-europe.bsky.social @itmantwerp.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Pathogen #genomic research implies risks due to human genetic bycatch. As researchers & #ethics reviewers at @itmantwerp.bsky.social, we propose a four-step #mitigation plan to #protect individuals & #communities, & #trust in research @orentzfadia.bwww.science www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

🧪 Small month, big science. From boosting dengue detection in Peru, to uncovering why chikungunya lingers for some, to rethinking TB care and dog vaccination strategies! 🐕Curious already? Explore the full set of last month's research highlights. 👉 www.itg.be/en/health-st...

BCCM/ITM offers semi-automated, high-throughput & standardized broth microdilution testing for TB drug-susceptibility: - Endorsed ref. method by WHO, EUCAST & CLSI - Quantitative results - Validated for multiple drugs - Screening against ≠ MTBc lineages [email protected] @itmantwerp.bsky.social

New preprint out! We made a #Plasmodium knowlesi A1-H.1 #transcriptome time course for asexual blood stages🩸. tinyurl.com/mwd9b8vx 👩‍💻Webtool to compare temporal expression to P. vivax: tinyurl.com/bdz2ndsj @itmantwerp.bsky.social @eknuepfer.bsky.social @cortesmalaria.bsky.social

Tooting our own horn (again)🫁: www.itg.be/en/health-st... #TBsky #TB @itmantwerp.bsky.social @djaganath.bsky.social #EndTB#IDxPost#IDSky

One year on from the dismantling of USAID. Last year, we warned how global health funding cuts would endanger lives and weaken health systems. Today, that warning feels more urgent than ever. @rravinetto.bsky.social @gorikooms.bsky.social 👉 www.itg.be/en/health-st...

✨The 1st Fresh Off the Journal of the year is here, plus a look back at December’s latest papers. Nine new studies covering malaria, emerging viruses, diagnostics, respectful maternity care, antibiotic resistance, and access to essential medicines in crisis settings. 👉 www.itg.be/en/health-st...

Today is #WorldNTDDay. The Escape the Neglect mini-doc by @devex.com shows how sleeping sickness went from a death sentence to near elimination in one generation. A story of science, partnership & persistence. 🎥 www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6ye...

"While, on average, our study does not reveal any major stigmatization of patients, it does highlight an important problem: communication, especially when women have a low level of education. Essential work remains to be done to improve communication." -Estelle Pasquier, @srhgroup-itm.bsky.social

"Klinische studies moeten beoordelen hoe medicijnen werken in een specifieke populatie en binnen een specifiek gezondheidssysteem”, zegt @rravinetto.bsky.social. "Anders wordt te weinig rekening gehouden met hoe Afrikaanse patiënten reageren op medicijnen.”

🧪 🦠 #Mpox virus “acquired during pregnancy should be regarded as a congenital pathogen” particularly in the first trimester MBOTE-SK project followed 89 pregnant women in DR Congo @labgenpath.bsky.social @ispm.unibe.ch @itmantwerp.bsky.social 🧵 1/2 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Our vision of equal chances of a healthy life for all is only possibly when the #right to provide and receive #healthcare is upheld everywhere, even in armed #conflicts. @itmantwerp.bsky.social www.itg.be/en/statement...

Last week, we welcomed Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, and Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, to ITM. 🌍 We exchanged insights on research, education and partnerships with @who.int, and ended the day meeting our African students. 🤝

The project #SECRET, funded by @globalhealthedctp3.bsky.social, aims to strengthen #research #ethics committees in #Uganda & #Ethiopia. This training held at #Busitema University contributes to reinforcing the research ecosystem. #BernardKikaire @itmantwerp.bsky.social www.itg.be/en/health-st...

🌍 Universal health coverage remains out of reach for millions, and the impact is felt daily in communities with the least resources. Francesca reflects on these challenges through her work. Tune in to our podcast Transmission. #UHC2025 #HealthForAll  🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/0wut... 

✨ Fresh Off The Journal – November Edition Here are some of our November’s research highlights. This month is a clear reminder: no one advances global health alone. Our strength lies in collaboration. Explore the full highlights 👉 www.itg.be/en/health-st...    

“The first thing that I noticed was the old suspects: the white saviour bias and the linkage of dark skin tone with poverty. What really struck me was the logos, because I did not prompt for them and they appear,” said Arsenii Alenichev (ITM), studying the production of global health images.

#Conflicts & #Health: our study shows that #availability of #medicines for #NCDs (esp #epilepsy) is low in Northern #Syria. A well-regulated system must be built on local capacities @salehalitmantwerp.bsky.social @belentarrafeta.bsky.social @itmantwerp.bsky.social journals.plos.org/globalpublic...

🧪 #mpox2025 #Kinshasa #MBOTE Epidemics waiting to happen… Isabel Brosius describes context and circumstances of mpox virus Clade Ib emergence in South Kivu - and notes conditions for continuing new outbreaks with changing characteristics @labgenpath.bsky.social @itmantwerp.bsky.social

Methods for modelling composite indices of access to healthcare facilities: a systematic literature review led by @halolemoses.bsky.social How we measure access to healthcare shapes how we fix it. Read more: link.springer.com/article/10.1... @itmantwerp.bsky.social #GISChat #GeoHealth

Our analysis of publications from commercial clinical #trials in breast lung & colon #cancer involving #LMICs, found significative #authorship imbalances, calling for #equity & #fairness in #oncology research @itmantwerp.bsky.social #UPO @salehaljadeeah.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A bacteriophage, also known as a "phage", is a virus that infects and replicates within bacteria. What can they be used for? According to @bcmhouston.bsky.social's Joshi Bishnu, in the fight against certain bacterial infections and AMR. #Colloq25

Jennifer Furin’s wise words will stay with us long after #colloq25: “Tuberculosis needs a human rights approach, not a public health approach.” We need to make sure we’re innovating the right way: in partnership with impacted communities. @harvardmed.bsky.social

So much fun to learn about Outbreaks & Surveillance yesterday from these All-Stars @itmantwerp.bsky.social #TBSky #MPox #AMR #Arbovirus #airfilterforensics

Day 3 #colloq25! Tapfumanei Mashe @who.int focused on AMR in Zimbabwe, which has been exacerbated by inappropriate use of antimicrobials in healthcare & agriculture. The One Health AMR Nat'l Action Plan combats this: fosters innovation, generates knowledge, establishes risk mitigation strategies.

Aarman Sohaili from @maastrichtu.bsky.social introduced a new Rapid Multiplex System at #colloq25 for point-of-care diagnostics of STIs. During their study in Kenya, they generated epidemiological data for the prevalence of these infections among 400 sexually active PrEP users.

💡 Did you know that only 50% of Essential Medicines are available in LMICs? And 2 billion people face financial hardship due to out-of-pocket spending? As Makaita Gombe put it at #colloq25: "to be fruitful, and multiply the impact of innovation, access is not just one thing, it’s everything!"