Dr Elvira Garcia, Public Health, MD, MPH, CPHM

Preventable Diseases, Preventable Tragedies: Why Vaccines Are Essential Vaccines save lives but only if people use them!

Its @britsocimm.bsky.social Vaccine Engagement Day today which seems an apt time to reflect on the successes of vaccines, the unprecedented drop in vaccine uptake + rise in hesitancy that threatens the health of us and our loved ones in my latest substack 🧪🧵 #Immunosky @lydiabeckeriii.bsky.social

📢 #AvianInfluenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) declared in England & Scotland.

Due to rising H5N1 cases, all bird keepers must follow strict biosecurity laws. Please use the links below for more information:

🔗 England: t.co/VEoMcu2Kre
🔗 Scotland: t.co/xVMsRU40FZ

❗Do not touch sick/dead birds.

Significant respiratory virus activity in the EU/EEA, with #influenza & #RSV epidemics ongoing.

Vaccination campaigns against respiratory pathogens continue in many EU/EEA countries, and people who are eligible for vaccination are encouraged to get vaccinated.

More info: erviss.org
#IDsky #EpiSky

#EpiSky #IDsky - do you know that every Friday we publish the #CDTR - ECDC's bulletin on active #PublicHealth threats?

Today's issue focuses on:
➡️ #Mpox
➡️ #ShigellaSonnei
➡️ #Chikungunya
➡️ #SARSCoV2
➡️ #Ebola
➡️ #YellowFever
➡️ #AvianInfluenza
➡️ #MERSCoV
➡️ #Respiratory viruses

Read more bit.ly/3WPtLGU

image from the linked article, showing the timeline of the 1+2 cases (starting on 13 Jan)

Five years ago (Friday 24 January 2020), three cases of infection by the new coronavirus are detected in France: two in Paris, and one, unrelated, in Bordeaux. They are the first cases reported in Europe. ▫️1/

🖼️ www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2...

I remember this ProMed alert. First time I heard about this outbreak of severe pneumonia in Wuhan

Update from WHO on undiagnosed illness in #DRCongo now called:

“Acute respiratory infections complicated by malaria”

Tests ongoing but indicate “combination of common and seasonal viral respiratory infections and falciparum malaria, compounded by acute malnutrition”

www.who.int/emergencies/...

Immunization is a game-changer! It ensures babies not only celebrate their first birthdays but also thrive into healthy adulthood.

In 2024: - 17 countries introduced the malaria vaccine - The WHO HPV vaccine single-dose schedule enabled more girls to be protected against cervical cancer - A new meningitis vaccine offered a powerful shield against the five major strains of the meningococcal bacteria in a single shot

Global immunization efforts have saved an estimated 154 million lives – that is 6 lives every minute – since the founding of the Expanded Programme on Immunization, 50 years ago.
bit.ly/4gpxQJK

How close is a new bird flu (H5N1) pandemic? Probably not around the corner but getting uncomfortably closer.

You've probaly seen various headlines this year about bird flu and the potential for a new pandemic.

So I've written a new substack as a simple explainer on what a flu pandemic actually is, why bird flu and what's been going on over the last 3 years.

open.substack.com/pub/christin...

Did you know proper handwashing can reduce disease spread by up to 40%? Soap doesn’t just clean — it breaks down germs like viruses and bacteria. Simple, yet so powerful. Epidemiology shows the smallest actions can have the biggest impacts. Are you washing right?
#Epidemiology #HealthTips

This is a reminder of the importance of precautions when keeping backyard poultry especially during an outbreak of bird flu. Keep your birds safe by:
✅ Limiting interaction with wild birds.
✅ Cleaning equipment regularly.
✅ Monitoring flock health closely.
Notify authorities if your birds are sick

Lope de Vega wrote 500 plays

Lope de Vega (1562–1635)? He is very famous in Spain – a playwright, novelist and poet who is often considered to be the Spanish equivalent of Shakespeare. 3,000 sonnets, 500 plays, 9 epic poems and 3 novels

Mpox: Fifth England case confirmed in Leeds The new case has been detected in Leeds after the infected person travelled from Uganda.

#BBCNews - Fifth person with mpox confirmed in England
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Huge NEWS coming out of number 10 tonight #WorldAIDSday The UK Government is committing £27M to extend the Emergency Department #HIV opt out testing program. This will definitely Save Lives & help to end HIV transmission by 2030 @bhiva.bsky.social @thtorguk.bsky.social @savinglives.bsky.social

I think many people really underestimate how likely a new pandemic is to occur in the next four years.
Even if you think of a pandemic as a once-in-a-century event, that's a 4% chance over the next four years. And I think in the world we live in a pandemic is far from a once-in-100 years event. 🧪

The WHO Director-General, agreeing with the advice of the IHR Emergency Committee, has determined that the upsurge of #mpox continues to constitute a public health emergency of international concern.

YouTube video by ECDC #ESCAIDE2024 video wrap up - Day 1 | Prevention, cure, both?

Day 1 of #ESCAIDE2024 conference summed up in one place: www.escaide.eu/en/news-even...

Keeping up in the theme of Day 1, our #ESCAIDE correspondent @soniaboender.bsky.social asked Camille Jacqueline about her views on the concept of prevention vs. cure.

Watch it here: youtu.be/EtIfexWFG38?...

This is the most important chart published in America this week.

(By @dylanlscott.bsky.social)

Absolutamente. Creo q es básicamente q veamos riesgo de q "nos" afecte. Precisamente la OMS está hoy reunida para hablar de la viruela símica (mpox) bsky.app/profile/who....

Alcohol, drugs and driving consensus statement Saving Lives: Reducing preventable harm caused by driving under the influence

Did you know, almost one-fifth of road deaths are caused by drink-drivers?
This #RoadSafetyWeek we're calling for action to tackle the harm caused by driving under the influence.
Read our alcohol, drugs & driving consensus statement to find out more 👇
www.bma.org.uk/what-we-do/p...

It’s completely safe to take the HPV vaccine and prevent risks of cervical cancer.

4 Facts about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine:

➡️ It protects against HPV - the virus that causes more than 95% of #CervicalCancer cases

➡️ It has been in use for over 18 years

➡️ It is constantly monitored and safe

➡️ It is highly effective, even after a single dose

bit.ly/3UUw5f8

HPV causes six kinds of cancer in people. You can also get these cancers from other causes, but as this graphic clearly shows, HPV infection is the leading cause of all of them.
The good news? The HPV vaccine, if given before being infected, can stop nearly all of these cancers from developing!

Here's one of my favorite HPV vaccine advocacy graphics. I have seven different variations of it. Feel free to download and use it if. If you can't tell, it's a balance scale with the vaccine on one side and the treatment options on the other.
Cancer prevention always beats cancer treatment.

Measles is preventable with just two doses of the measles vaccine. Vaccines work!

The #measles vaccine has saved an estimated 5 lives every second since 2000.

Prevent measles by getting vaccinated with two doses of the measles vaccine.

#VaccinesWork

bit.ly/48SAtkf

Measles cases rose 20% worldwide in 2023, per new report Measles cases rose 20% worldwide in 2023 compared to the previous year, and vaccination rates still haven't recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

An estimated 107,500 people, mostly children younger than 5 years of age, died due to measles in 2023. Although this is an 8% decrease from the previous year, far too many children are still dying from this preventable disease.

www.statnews.com/2024/11/14/m...

We've put together an #Epidemiology / #EpiSky starter pack with some of our members & friends! Please share!

TESTIMONIALS
'The original data scientists' - @miguelhernan.bsky.social
'The new rock stars' - @nytimes.com
'A science of high importance' - @natureportfolio.bsky.social

go.bsky.app/K6DXCGi