Terrible terrible news.
Terrible terrible news.
@stephanienolen.bsky.social's piece on the destruction of the South African biomedical research effort by the Trump Administration is a must-read. Please circulate. This is a disaster for South Africa AND the world. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/h...
A great day for multilateralism. π Now the work begins to turn promises into reality!
"The worldβs βcreepy-crawliesβ are responsible for some of the most consequential pharmaceutical breakthroughs of the past century... We canβt study animals if there are no animals left to study." Great piece from @conservationdoc.bsky.social on this #EarthDay www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
A lot happens in 5 years! I'm so proud of Team PAN and the opportunity to work with our network of brilliant partners around the world. π From 2020 to 2025, much has changed, but our work together, as a network of advocates, is more important than ever. π
In a time of great division and nationalist ugliness, the historic achievement of consensus on the pandemic agreement is a win for multilateralism. Truly warmed my heart to hear the words of commitment and solidarity from Member State negotiators from around the world. #TogetherWeAchieveMore. π
ποΈToday in Geneva is the final week of #PandemicTreaty negotiations.
πToday's focus is Pathogen Access & Benefit Sharing (art 12), which remains unresolved after three years of discussion.
π€·π½What goes in the main document, and what will be negotiated later in an Annex?
π§΅
For those reflecting on the life and films of Val Kilmer, I encourage you to watch his documentary, Val. www.imdb.com/title/tt1473...
March 20 is International Happiness Day β a day that the United Nations had dedicated to the celebration of joy. We asked photographers around the world to share a picture that can bring bliss.
On a lighter note, some fun insights that researchers gleaned from our time locked down five years ago. via @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
A lot has happened in five years. Today, we are grappling with a world wrought by the COVID era. "We cannot afford to succumb to a culture of fear and we must not lose sight of the practical and the possible... We need collective action now more than ever."
Here is a gift link.
But if you can, PLEASE support good journalism!
A senior editor, fact checker, copy editor and many other eyes looked at this piece. Good journalism takes a LOT of work and resources.
Always always grateful to @beccarosen.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
βCovid may feel as if itβs behind us. But weβre living in the branch of history it created. And its contours are only now coming into view.β
Weekend read as we mark 5οΈβ£ YEARS since the world locked down. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The pacifist in me is so tired of all the literal war mongering and war language used in our political discourse-"shock &awe" "a war on spending". It's exhausting. The pendulum must swing in the other direction. Sadly it will likely take people experiencing conflict to do away war speak. Just STOP.
Seen yesterday on a public bus in Heidelberg, Germany.
NEW: @kff.org poll on the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID and cutting foreign aid. Majority say it will lead to more humanitarian and health crises (less than half say it will alleviate domestic fiscal issues).
NEW @kff.org poll finds that two-thirds of U.S. adults say spending money on improving health in developing countries protects Americans by preventing the spread of diseases. www.kff.org/global-healt...
Slava Ukraini.
Bright spot in a world of bad news. www.ndtv.com/world-news/k...
Between 2/18 and 2/26 Secretary Rubio "made a final decision with respect to each award, on an individualized basis," to terminate 8,644 State and USAID awards.
That's about one award every minute and 20 seconds.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Unlike the earlier 90-day freeze, it would appear that this is permanent. There are non-USAID sources of funding to PEPFAR (e.g. CDC) but those may be gutted too. In addition, there are other non-AIDS related cuts (the Bulwark article mentions one cutting water aid to Congolese refugee camps).
βI was the only person really doing the work that I was doing,β said one fellow whose was validating tests for accuracy & effectiveness during critical health threats. βNow Iβm not there to do it, so I hope somebody can pick that up.β
www.politico.com/newsletters/...
Another great issue of Playbook is out. It's an unsettling time (to say the least!), this is @panaction.bsky.social's effort to make sense of all the news. Take a skim for key priorities and actions in global health security.
About 20 protestors were arrested yesterday. They were pressing Congress to release funding for HIV that saves lives & curbs the epidemic.
βWhat we are demanding of Congress is that they stop behaving like doormats," said @asia-ilse.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
The level of batsh*t crazy news is ridiculously high on any given day these days - we all know, but today it is a mega tsunami. Make it stop. Headline, It Is NOT Going To Be Ok.
Make a huge mistake. Then make a false claim about how you fixed it.
They did it for PEPFAR.
Now Ebola.
I follow this particular topic VERY closely, so here's what really happened and why this isn't true AT ALL...π§΅
Infectious diseases donβt stay put and they donβt take breaks. US-funded systems that work to stop outbreaks of deadly diseases like Ebola canβt be simply be toggled on and off like a light switch. Lapses have consequences. www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
This is beyond tragic - the first measles death since 2015. Entirely preventable.
Actually, a measles outbreak IS an unusual occurrence. Especially in a country like the US, which had eliminated the disease thanks to vaccination until recently.
It's so unusual that most physicians in the U.S. have NEVER seen a case!
www.nbcnews.com/now/video/-i...