One of the many drawbacks to the early onset of seasonal #influenza is that children are still in school for another couple of weeks. School-aged children act as amplifiers of seasonal influenza once it arrives. It's going to be a rough go for our communities and hospitals over the holidays.

I've always thought that the whole "natural immunity is the best way to protect people" thing was a bit like saying "getting pregnant is the best form of birth control." Anyway, cool to see it's better for the immune system to see vaccine before virus from an effectiveness standpoint too.

A nice reminder that a medical image is a picture that has a subjective interpretation; it is not a diagnosis. www.cmaj.ca/content/197/...

Bottom line from UK modelling preprint: This year's seasonal influenza driven by A/H3N2 K clade will be comparatively early with a peak over mid to late December. A suggestion that children may be more affected than other age groups. An explanation of Japan's experience? zenodo.org/records/1770...

A delightful treatise on cruciferous vegetables. Big fan broccoli and Brussels sprouts. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

Now it's just a structural study of the brain rather than a functional one but still, quite interesting. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Umm..because he's a narcissist? www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...

I recall a debate between two of my ID colleagues @germhuntermd.bsky.social & @drneilstone.bsky.social about choosing to leave Twitter/X. Here's a great read to give Ilan the win. www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

So, when AI doesn't have an answer, it just lies and makes up stuff? The use of the colour orange in the graphic of this article is perhaps telling. theconversation.com/ai-systems-c...

Contributed to this article by @egpayne.bsky.social about the challenges with improving vaccination rates of health care workers against influenza this year. ottawacitizen.com/news/local-n...

Having just participated in a provincial health care tabletop exercise dealing with special pathogens, this real life report is similar to one part of a scenario that was used. www.afro.who.int/news/ethiopi...

We fast-tracked the peer-review on this paper given the potential implications for this year's influenza season. Kudos to our Canadian colleagues for their work.

Well, this case report came as a bit of a shock. www.jaci-inpractice.org/article/S221...

Amen.

"We are the dead. Short days ago, we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow. Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields." - Lt. Col John McCrae, MD

If you're not following the erudite, plain-speaking virologist @angierasmussen.bsky.social, you should be. Here's the link to her latest Substack post. open.substack.com/pub/rasmusse...

@glaucomflecken.bsky.social hitting close to home with this ID doc at the soccer game.... Reflexively, I couldn't help screaming in my head...don't put DEET on the net, only use permethrin on clothing!! #IDSky www.youtube.com/shorts/Q8UGF...

Advanced access report in JAMMI of significant changes in the seasonal influenza A(H3N2) clade likely to dominate in the northern hemisphere season. can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

This cartoon reminds me of going to see my family physician a few years back and being asked personal questions by the front staff in earshot of the waiting room.

If you spend too much of your time on social media sites, I suggest a read of this article might be just what you need. psyche.co/guides/how-t...

Well-written piece here on the dangers of not understanding inflammation that is often exploited by non-medical charlatans looking for their next payout. www.theatlantic.com/health/2025/...

An interesting critique on how post modernism's questioning of universal truth and objective reality has been exploited by various bad actors. calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu...

This is so well-written, it is worth noting the author @chloenazra.bsky.social

This is a must-read for everyone. A quote to get you started: "It is near impossible to elicit shame in an era of shamelessness." www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...

Why does the media keep writing: "Science does not back up the assertion that acetaminophen/paracetamol use is linked to autism."? Here's a clearer statement: "There is NO reputable scientific evidence that acetaminophen/paracetamol use is linked to autism."

A poignant recounting by a colleague. www.cmaj.ca/content/197/...

Happy Gotcha Day to our lovable girlie!

I think we all need to be reminded that when Public Health is very successful, nothing happens. The move to diminish Public Health means bad things are going to happen. www.vox.com/health/45976...

An informative read, which is applicable to Canada's MD recruitment as well. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

Don’t get played by false information. Learn how to spot and stop it before it spreads 👇

We’re on our summer hiatus, but looking forward to getting together with my bandmates soon to look at upcoming gigs this fall & winter.

Why #SocMed is not always a good thing. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

A poignant read. macleans.ca/society/conf...

A short 🧵 on two recent well-written articles on the impact of poorly-thought out policies on economics. The short message of both is that they represent the transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/arc...

I see they've come up with a new euphemism for being a narcissist - "self-belief". I mean, for God's sake, just call it for what it is. www.theguardian.com/film/2025/ju...

This seems like an important thing to talk about. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/....

Another great NEJM blog by @paulsaxmd.bsky.social this time on the nature of outpatient clinic visits with ID. blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-obser...

This song. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzo-...

If she was still with us, our beloved Mum would have been 105 years old on July 13th. Just look at those blue eyes.

Bertrand Russell accepting his Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950 noted the four desires driving human behaviour: acquisitiveness, rivalry, vanity, and love of power. This explains a lot about the leaders driving our current global crises. www.themarginalian.org/2015/09/21/b...

A song that speaks to the feelings facing most Americans even more so than when it was written in 1973. "Many’s the time I’ve been mistaken And many times confused Yes, and often felt forsaken And certainly misused." www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE3k...

Just learned a new term: "communal narcissism". A 🧵 for those interested. Communal narcissism is a form of grandiose narcissism: persons with this trait are extroverted, have an inflated self-view, and believe their abilities and characteristics to be superior, but in the communal domain.

Another excellent blog from @paulsaxmd.bsky.social. It nicely encapsulates my own 30+ years as an academic ID doc.

This is not surprising. www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...

Here's an introspective essay from a psychiatry resident on a subject not often discussed in patient care. Worth a read. www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco...

This is by far the most common vaccine I strongly recommend in ID adult clinical practice. As ID doctors, we see some truly severe cases of zoster, with post-zoster sequelae that may last months or even rarely be permanent. #IDSky doi.org/10.1093/cid/...

Well folks, we've had a pretty good last 4 months here in Southeastern Ontario with very low levels of #COVID19. However, that is now changing. For the last 2 weeks we have seen a persistent & steady rise in SARS-CoV-2 test positivity and now, our first declared #COVID19 outbreak since early April.🧵

Definitely worth a read. 👇

This is one of the better balanced and informative media articles I have ever read on the issue of tick-borne infections. Factual, correct and not over the top with apocalyptic hype. Worth a read. Unfortunately for us in Canada, it's U.S. focused. www.npr.org/2025/06/23/n...