a cautionary tale of how eating undercooked/infected pork caused a tapeworm infection that led to parasites in the brain and major health consequences.

Off to London today to record an episode of ‘A Question of Science’ podcast hosted by Prof Brian Cox and with some amazing scientists. We will be chatting all things microbiome.

Pete Hesgeth removed a vaccine mandate for military recruits who are at high risk of infection as they live in close quarters- now following a large outbreak tragically 4 young people have died. Vaccine is now being reinstated but this was a needless risk that was taken.

Excellent and important resource tirelessly created that exposes just how vulnerable some of our scientific public bodies/advisory bodies are from political interference. Worrying stuff should a future Trump-esque regime come to power

Drowning prevention starts with you. Here are some water safety rules. ⬇️

RFKjr is proposing to change the ACIP charter to make it easier for people without vaccine expertise to be members (ie most of the people he originally picked), and more focus on potential vax harms not benefits and get advice from groups with anti-vax views

Big brother is watching you as Trump administration dictates that federal funded health programs must agree to Trump priorities such as “parental authority” in education and a move from drug addiction prevention. Next it will be vaccines almost certainly as states can set own rules currently

More evidence being exposed that RFKjr trip to Samoa was about vaccines which is not what he said at senate. Messages reveal he wanted to get health data to compare unvaccinated and vaccinated kids in his efforts to try and get evidence to support his claims vaccines are harmful.

Heatwaves are more than just a climate crisis... they’re a health crisis, too. Across continents, warming temperatures can strain the heart, worsen kidney disease and aggravate respiratory illness. Here’s why the heatwaves have become a global health emergency: bit.ly/3QAtYOy via The Conversation

Years of underfunding left an NHS straining with poor infrastructure that certainly wasn’t designed with the major heat waves we are c experiencing year upon year. So much needs to be done to support infrastructure in pic buildings to keep people safe

important thread!

There is a proliferation of SUVs - not only are they more dangerous for pedestrians in crash but they emit more particle pollution from their fuel & their heavy weight means more dangerous brake & tyre particulate waste plus prevalence of pavement parking forcing pedestrians onto the rd…

“The Trump era has exposed the ambitions of authoritarian leadership & .. exposed the weaknesses of the institutions meant to contain those ambitions…resistance to creeping authoritarianism depends on institutional courage” Powerful words from @chrischirp.bsky.social

Trump is making rules posting huge political interference in research funding in US for example giving political appointees the right to veto funds at any point. Science research should not be dictated by political whim. You can submit your comments to protest here

Interesting research that shows that although TikTok promotes sunscreen there is a lot of engagement with sunscreen misinformation, With people like RFK Jr enabling access to sunbeds for under 18s and notable names promoting sunbathing without sunscreen this is a worrying trend.

🧵1/ In our new paper, @chrischirp.bsky.social & I argue that while institutions can resist authoritarian pressure, some enable it. Looking at the current US regime, we examine why universities, law firms, and corporations often chose accommodation over resistance.

Marking time has finally finished!!! Now back to writing grants n papers

You Don't Know What You're M ss ng is out. It's about how the information we use to understand the world contains gaps and how those gaps are important. If you've enjoyed reading my stuff on this site, do me a favour and get yourself a copy:

A woman who was in contact with a person with hantavirus is not being allowed to complete a quarantine at home despite medical experts saying it’s safe to do so- why? Because RFKJr has overridden expert advice to force her to be kept in a medical institution 🧵#HealthPolicy

Musk tells Trump about alleged white discrimination & attacks in S Africa which is denied. Nonetheless, Trump demands measures by SAfrica which they can’t do cos no evidence etc & so Trump cuts funding to protect against AIDs and treat HIV. Inhumane targeting of 8 million citizens

That sinking feeling when cat is showing he has a fur ball but you know he will wait until he gorges himself on his dinner and then vomit it up with said tea.

Last phase of marking and a woodpecker has been a welcome garden visitor for me to admire between scripts

Delighted our study investigating how different components of particulate matter pollution affect lung cells is now out. We evaluated the impact of PM components incl transition metals, dust, soot & diesel exhaust components such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons 🧵🧪

“.. A trainee in his sixth week of basic training died after falling ill on Friday and being taken to Brooke Army Medical Center, the Air Force said in a news release.” @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/u...

Trump administration quietly shifts $352m in federal funds for White House ballroom www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Truly impressive. Amazing what vaccines are already doing, and think about all the cancers that can be prevented in future by another generation of vaccines if we continue to fund this research appropriately.. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

We are not far away from the grim milestone of 1,000 confirmed cases across DRC and Uganda (current total: 856). Africa CDC official told me last week we are only seeing the "tip of the iceberg": www.bmj.com/content/393/...

Horrifying to read how the ebola outbreak is worsening in large part due to aid cuts and a drastic lack of water infrastructure. Aid cuts impede efforts to to track virus spread as well as care and water infrastructure issues endangers control efforts. There is no vax for this strain

He may have spent billions of tax payers money renovating the reflecting pool but mother nature cares not

RFKJr is upset cos a paper that used VAERS self reported adverse events+ dodgy analysis to show a non-existent adverse signal he used to argue some of his anti-vax moves has been retracted by the journal.

Disturbing but unsurprising see RFKJr wants to further deregulate so called complementary medicines (barely regulated now) eg, in US autistic kids being injected with unproven and potentially risky stem cell ‘treatments’ at great cost to the parents yet autism research cut is apalling

I and @independentsage.bsky.social advocated kids vax vs SARS2 since day 1. Even when transiently available to u12s, they were sold as a damp squib by those in authority. As vax coverage dwindles, the lack of foresight gets harder to reconcile. #LongCovidKids is a major neglected issue 💔

Sad news that David Hockney has passed. Lucky enough to have gone to Saltaire Salt’sMill several times to appreciate his art. Also highly recommend his immersive art installation which has been in Manchester and London

Welcome news that there will be a vax campaign this autumn for final year college students and 1st year university students for Meningitis B. Only a one off though. Possibly due to cost constraints?

Excited to share our systematic review of the clinical features of metastatic Crohns disease (MCD). Many patients with Crohns - a type of IBD develop symptoms outside of the gut- most commonly the skin. 🧪🧵#IBD

My friends and I were reflecting that Madonna’s new video gives a whole new meaning to saying- I will just use my pointer- when giving a presentation.

The #WorldCup is here. Let’s hold Trump accountable for the chaos, crimes and harms he’s causing to players, fans, referees, journalists and others. @jakeatkinson.bsky.social explains our new #FootballAgainstFascism World Cup Chaos Tracker ⬇️

Musk reposted and amplified Tommy Robinson’s call on X for protest and there were riots and destruction in Belfast that night. Whilst peaceful protest is a right, this is not that- it’s rioting and bullying to the extreme from hate whipped up by the likes Farage, Musk, Robinson et al

The modern day equivalent of Lord Haw Haw broadcasting from afar. What's different this time though is the British government broadcasts on the same frequency.

It’s funny how notable Americans (you know who I mean) are quick to critique the UK and even incite action over isolated incidents of tragic violence in UK yet strangely quiet when there is a mass attack event in the USA.

Excited that my short perspective on how public engagement has shaped my research is now out in @cp-immunity.bsky.social - I hope u enjoy, lots of inspiration to be had from all the stories #ScienceEngagement @exposomeimmunology.bsky.social @fbmh-uom.bsky.social @lydiabeckeriii.bsky.social

Raw milk is a health hazard.

New data out assessing vax uptake for RSV, shingles and flu vaccines in England from 2025 shows that although uptake has increased in some groups since 2024, its still well below what you might want with notable low uptake according to geography and ethnicity. 🧵

Rotavirus can be incredibly serious in infants and vaccines can reduce hospitalisation by 80%- but ACIP guidelines on age were a barrier to many infants getting this vax which now harder to get as RFKJr/Trump are trying to remove from vax schedule.

🧵 1/ Is Britain’s health establishment ready for a populist government? In our new @bmj_latest paper, @chrischirp.bsky.social & I argue that recent election results signal a real possibility, and the risks to public health could be profound if we don't prepare.

Last chance to book tickets for this public day celebrating 200 years of mathematics at UCL! There'll be loads of interesting talks and exhibitions on what we are doing in our research :-) www.ucl.ac.uk/mathematical...

Top health official had close ties with Palantir partner at time of NHS contract ft.trib.al/v2LRiPS

This headline comes as no surprise to many people, me included, who have battled health disinformation like antivax rhetoric but only now does it seem politicians are paying attention cos they have realised its political too and how important social media is as info source for many people

Read and share the editorial. The editors were removed from a conference by the POLICE for distributing an editorial critiquing Trump’s attacks on science and science funding

Hear! hear! Nigel Farage only cares for himself and has shamelessly politicised a tragedy