Boston University Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases

Calling all BU students pursuing research on infectious diseases, pandemic preparedness, or global health security! We're giving out two $5k grants for summer research projects related to CEID's mission. Apply by March 15th: www.bu.edu/ceid/2026/02...

Outside systems, such as CEID's @beaconbio.bsky.social program as well as regional consortiums between state public health departments are working to fill this void of information.

A drop in CDC health alerts leaves doctors 'flying blind' Doctors and public health officials are concerned about the drop in health alerts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since President Trump returned for a second term.

The drop in the CDC's health alerts last year is concerning, @bhadeliamd.bsky.social tells @npr.org, because this type of reporting allows hospitals to be better prepared with the right types of medications & supplies, and adequate staffing.
spr.ly/63327hMUVd

mountains in Milano Cortina, Italy

The Milano Cortina Olympics officially start today! While the Olympics are a time for celebration, as with all large-scale gatherings, the risk of communicable disease grows. This is why we're expanding our coverage of mass global events, starting with the these games.
spr.ly/63320hK9nr

Experts issue warning as pervasive disease becomes subject of medical controversy: 'They get really rich off of exploiting vulnerable people' Celebrities have a massive impact on social media. Even well-meaning posts about Lyme disease can be seriously misleading.

Hotter weather & longer summers mean longer periods of risk from Lyme disease-carrying ticks each year. These shifting conditions have enabled deer ticks to move into new areas, including cities explains CEID faculty Dr. Cassandra Pierre. @bumedicine.bsky.social
spr.ly/63321hJauW

Two COVID-19 cases detected among Australian Winter Olympics support staff in Italy, with containment measures implemented ahead of Milano Cortina 2026
https://beaconbio.org/en/report/?reportid=b82ef2fe-8c8f-473c-9b3d-1892130a2047&eventid=095c55cd-6493-42fc-9d67-534e296295e1&utm_source=bluesky

Building on commitments to maintain public health infrastructure and channels of information, including collaborating with CEID to use information from @beaconbio.bsky.social, @idph.bsky.social announces joining @who.int's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network.
spr.ly/63323hJgMX

Acute gastrointestinal illness suspected to be norovirus among Finland’s Olympic women’s ice hockey players in Milan
https://beaconbio.org/en/report/?reportid=7ac4422d-7683-4669-86b6-094f4f6297c8&eventid=f9f68f67-bc0a-4ed9-ad5c-69358b96cb5c&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social

The Milan Winter Olympics officially kick off tomorrow, bringing together ~3k athletes from 90 countries, plus ~1M spectators & 1000s of staff & media. At the link below, we provide historic data on disease spread at Olympic games and continue monitoring this years games for related outbreak events.

Great conversation between CEID faculty @josephharrisbu.bsky.social & NYT Best-Selling author @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social, discussing what efforts are needed to eradicate tuberculosis, and how close are we to realistically achieving that goal.

Reframing TB Care: A Perspective on Multimorbidity-Centered Care for People with TB | MDPI Tuberculosis (TB) rarely occurs in isolation; most people with TB experience multiple coexisting conditions, including HIV, diabetes, undernutrition, depression, and substance use disorders, which worsen disease severity and compromise treatment outcomes.

TB often occurs alongside other existing conditions, worsening disease severity & compromising treatment outcomes. Dr. Pranay Sinha (@bumedicine.bsky.social) proposes a phased framework for multimorbidity-centered TB care, including coordination with existing health services.
spr.ly/63328hGWxo

San Francisco Department of Public Health issues health advisory on high school tuberculosis outbreak involving three active and 50 latent cases
https://beaconbio.org/en/report/?reportid=4c4db8a2-7d96-495f-96f2-d062d3ecfddd&eventid=54058967-1ee5-4e9d-82bc-054fa8beac62&utm_source=bluesky

The WHO Regional Office for Europe reports that the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan lost their measles elimination status
https://beaconbio.org/en/report/?reportid=65d8c4f1-e15b-4d3c-8681-f6d10b58c292&utm_source=bluesky

BEACON Track biological threats, share vital information, and collaborate on solutions for community protection and preparedness.

There is a lot about this in media (and some misinformation). See our analysis on #Nipahvirus cases in India:

"West Bengal, India; no onward transmission of Nipah virus disease reported; regional and global risk assessed as low"

via @beaconbio.bsky.social - beaconbio.org/en/report/?r...

‘The urgency of it was pretty terrifying’: the Australian charities grappling with Trump’s foreign aid freeze a year on Education, food and health programs have been cut, resulting in preventable deaths, aid groups say

Australia sees assisting other Pacific nations as imperative to addressing global issues of climate change & disease control. Cuts to USAID, which @brookeenichols.bsky.social estimates has caused 750k deaths globally, limit Australian charities' abilities to help.
spr.ly/63328hDJVe

On the latest episode of the @ghpoliticspodcast.bsky.social, CEID faculty Dr. @josephharrisbu.bsky.social talks with @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social, the best-selling author of "Everything is Tuberculosis," about the social injustices of this largely poverty-driven disease.
spr.ly/63322h8rxC

cover of Everything Is Tuberculosis

"We've known how to deal with TB curatively since the 1950s, & here we are, still losing over a million people every year to it. That just says so much about the world in which we find ourselves," says @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social.
spr.ly/63322h8rxC

One year since the Trump administration slashed USAID funding, Dr @brookeenichols.bsky.social's @impactcounter.bsky.social estimates these cuts have caused over 750,000 deaths — over 500,000 of them children —due to diseases including TB, HIV, & malaria, among others.
spr.ly/63327h6PUd

NYC Health + Hospitals Launches Special Pathogens Biopreparedness Map to Monitor and Prepare for Outbreaks - NYC Health + Hospitals NYC Health + Hospitals today announced the launch of its Special Pathogens Biopreparedness Map, a new interactive, open-source tool that visualizes global

CEID is delighted that our @beaconbio.bsky.social platform is contributing near real-time global surveillance data to the Special Pathogens Biopreparedness Map recently launched by @nychealthsystem.bsky.social, a critical new resource for clinicians.
spr.ly/63329h6pmR

Event promotion for Boston University's 'Charting Our Future'. Text: 'In the heart of the city, in the service of the world. President Gilliam will host her first Annual Presidential Address.' Save the Date: January 28, 2026.

🗓️ Don't forget to mark your calendars, Terriers! President Gilliam will host her first Annual Presidential Address on January 28, 2026.

Learn about BU’s vision in a changing world.

Livestream will be available here ➡️ spr.ly/63328C0RlI

A country loses elimination status if there is continuous transmission of the same measles virus lineage for 12 months or more in the presence of adequate surveillance. The persistence of 2025 outbreaks into early 2026 continues to push the country closer to reestablishing endemic transmission.

The Alarming Resurgence of Measles in the United States In hospitals, measles is not a memory, it is an airborne alarm bell.

The US may be weeks from losing its measles elimination status. But what does that mean exactly?
Writing for @nyasciences.bsky.social, CEID affiliate @syramadad.bsky.social explains this isn't just a symbolic designation, it's a technical time-bound measurement.
www.nyas.org/ideas-insigh...

Measles is resurging across the country. Here are the New England towns most vulnerable to an outbreak. - The Boston Globe Boston researchers have found a new way to pinpoint pockets of low vaccination rates.

Curious about how your zip code compares in measles risk? Check the interactive map designed by CEID affiliate faculty Dr. John Brownstein (@bostonchildrens.bsky.social).
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/23/m...

CEID's Dr. David Hamer (@busph.bsky.social) adds that measles is highly contagious, requiring 93-95% vaccination rates in a community to maintain herd immunity.

Measles is resurging across the country. Here are the New England towns most vulnerable to an outbreak. - The Boston Globe Boston researchers have found a new way to pinpoint pockets of low vaccination rates.

Although MA still has a high overall rate of MMR vaccination, CEID Director @bhadeliamd.bsky.social (@bumedicine.bsky.social) tells @bostonglobe.com the concern is when there are pockets of lower coverage, as seen in areas of western Mass.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/23/m...

“Super Flu” Is Here: Protect Yourself with a Flu Shot at BU This Week Immunization clinics for students are January 22 and 23

CEID director @bhadeliamd.bsky.social reminds students that no one lives in a vacuum, especially when on a large college campus. Protect yourself & others by getting your flu & covid shots today! 💉
www.bu.edu/articles/202...

“Super Flu” Is Here: Protect Yourself with a Flu Shot at BU This Week Immunization clinics for students are January 22 and 23

🐾 @bostonu.bsky.social students, today is the last day of the student health services immunization clinic, free for students on the student health insurance plan.
www.bu.edu/articles/202...

Rift Valley Fever in West Africa: A One Health Perspective On January 20th, 2026 Boston University's Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases and University of California Davis's VISTA program co-hosted a webinar examining the range of factors in the latest multinational outbreak of Rift Valley Fever. The conversation included experts from the US & Senegal. Speakers: - Dr. Nicole Lurie, Executive Director of Preparedness and Response at CEPI, and CEPI’s US Director - Dr. Brian Bird, Director of the UC Davis One Health Institute Laboratory and Professor of Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases - Dr. Mathorio Fall, Head of the Animal Health Protection Division at the Directorate of Veterinary Services in the Ministry of Livestock in Senegal - Dr. Moussa Moïse Diagne, Research Scientist at the Institut Pasteur de Dakar - Dr. Britta Lassmann, Co-Director and Editor-in-Chief of BEACON at Boston University's Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases - Dr. Angel Desai, Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases, UC Davis

A big thank you to our colleagues from Senegal, @onehealthinstitute.bsky.social, & @cepi.net who joined us Tuesday to share their expertise in the multifaceted One Health approach that is needed to address a disease like West Africa's latest Rift Valley Fever outbreak.
spr.ly/63325C7HTl

“Super Flu” Is Here: Protect Yourself with a Flu Shot at BU This Week Immunization clinics for students are January 22 and 23

Ahead of @bostonu.bsky.social's upcoming immunization clinic on Jan. 22 & 23rd, @bhadeliamd.bsky.social reminds BU Today that even if flu shots don't fully prevent infection, they do prevent much more severe disease & the additional burden that puts on emergency rooms.
spr.ly/63326CAD4a

The study authors note that, to reach this capacity, these benefits cannot be attained by expansion only in countries that already possess strong capacity. Working in solidarity to improve capacity in additional countries is a key investment in global health security.