Heather Ferguson

FT comments section this morning - saying what everyone else is thinking, right?

Chile becomes the first country in the Americas to be verified by WHO for the elimination of leprosy WHO, together with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), congratulates Chile for becoming the first country in the Americas – and the second globally – to be officially verified as having elimi...

Congratulations to #Chile on this achievement of #Leprosy elimination. Only the second country after Jordan to obtain #WHO certification, and first in the Americas.

Inspiring progress towards the 2030 #NTD Roadmap goals.

#BeatNTDs

share.google/OOigU7ZM2MxR...

The savings we're getting here by annihilating decades of American science will pay for whole minutes of the operation to create decades of death, immiseration, and chaos in Iran.

Paul Conroy’s Last Photo Essay: Cuba’s Moment of Reckoning Veteran war photographer and correspondent Paul Conroy died of natural causes a day after returning from Cuba with this report of another city under siege. He never stopped bearing witness

Really saddened to hear of the death of the legendary Paul Conroy at just 61 - one of the bravest, best and kindest of people and an astonishingly good photographer to boot.

Here is his last work for Byline Times.

www.bylinesupplement.com/p/paul-conro...

🚀 Huge news for people living with #sleepingsickness!

Acoziborole, a one-day, single-dose oral treatment developed with Sanofi, has received a positive opinion from @ema.europa.eu for the treatment of the most common form of sleeping sickness.

👉 bit.ly/46ZFpEi

What a result!! Huge congratulations to the amazing Hannah Spencer - everyone in Gorton and Denton has just made history. This result shows @greenparty.org.uk can win anywhere, that the politics of hope can win over the politics of hate & there is no longer any such thing as a Labour safe seat 💚

Historic win for #HannahSpencer & the @greenparty.org.uk in Gorton & Denton by election.

Looks like a message of hope instead of division in our communities has cut through this time

Scotland fans secure Fifa approval to wear sporrans at World Cup Thousands of supporters are expected to travel to the US for Scotland's first appearance in the tournament since 1998.

Whew - that's a relief...

BBC News - Scotland fans secure Fifa approval to wear sporrans at World Cup
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Bodo/Glimt: 'Historical moment' as Norwegian side reach last 16 against all odds Bodo/Glimt knock out last year's finalists Inter Milan in one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history and now the team from the Arctic Circle is dreaming of how far they can go after reachin...

We're all supporting #Bodo/Glimt now, right?

"I really hope we show if we can do it, then everyone can do it. For me that's the most beautiful thing."

BBC News - Bodo/Glimt: 'Historical moment' as Norwegian side reach last 16 against all odds - BBC Sport
www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

#Sudan: MSF treated 167 patients injured in drone strikes over two weeks.

Among them was a nine-year-old boy with a large shrapnel wound to his eye, facial fractures and amputated fingers.

www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/sudan-msf-tr...

Make the AI bros explain, in every interview, every medium, every time, how many deaths is their ability to not write their own emails worth.

After leaving WHO, Trump officials propose more expensive replacement to duplicate it HHS proposes spending $2 billion a year to re-create systems the U.S. accessed through the WHO at a fraction of the cost, according to officials briefed on the matter.

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...

The mosquito: the world's deadliest animal Buzzing to take a bite...

The mosquito: the world's deadliest animal 🦟

UofG's @drheatherferg.bsky.social featured on the Naked Scientists podcast to discuss #mosquitoes, their biology and behaviour, role in disease transmission & innovative strategies for #vector control.

Listen 🎧👇

Two great 4y positions up for grabs with us and Ross working on his BBSRC MosquitoNI project, with collaborators in GB. Deadlines in a week (research fellow) and 2 weeks (RA). Lots of vector ecology and modelling but also looking at what viruses can we find in our 🦟!

Our new paper is now out on "Temperature-sensitive incubation, transmissibility and risk of Aedes albopictus-borne chikungunya virus in Europe". Chikungunya has a lower thermal threshold for transmission than previously thought, carrying a higher risk of outbreaks across Europe.

lnkd.in/g79PzgqJ

France cuts funding for Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria by more than half France cut its contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 58 percent on Thursday, confirming a major reduction in funding that health organisations warn will cost lives...

Had missed this (58%!👀)
Why are donor countries racing to the bottom?😞
"France cut its contribution to the #GlobalFund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 58 percent on Thursday, confirming a major reduction in funding that health organisations warn will cost lives"
www.rfi.fr/en/france/20...

Walkout Urged: UN Human Rights Bodies to Host Two Iranian Regime Figures Back-to-Back - UN Watch By Hillel C. Neuer, Executive Director, UN Watch February 14, 2026 | Geneva In back-to-back outrages that expose the depths of hypocrisy at the United

Walkout Urged: UN Human Rights Bodies to Host Two Iranian Regime Figures Back-to-Back - UN Watch share.google/WaFpYrVNaBH8...

" Dr Rohini Haar... says the cases are “shocking” in their number & severity. “Using live ammunition and large-gauge bullets against so many individuals is … extremely unusual and notable, even globally.”

Same week as #Iran takes role on #UN Human Rights Advisory Council

YouTube video by comstech-oic Impact of the Sudan Conflict on Vector Borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases in Crisis, and Pathways

Great to have ~150 participants join our #COMSTECH-hosted webinar about the impact of the conflict in #Sudan on #malaria & #NTD control. Many thx to our excellent speakers for their talks on #Dengue, #vector control, #leishmania, #mycetoma & others.

Full recording ⏬️

youtu.be/jttvyhsupLY?...

A 4-dose RTS,S malaria vaccine schedule provides higher protection against severe malaria than a 3-dose schedule. The MVPE-CC consortium contributed key evidence reviewed in a joint session of the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE) and Malaria Policy Advisory Group (MPAG) held in Sep...

Important new results providing evidance on the optimal #malaria vaccination schedule for protection against severe disease

#Vaccineswork

www.euvaccine.eu/post/a-4-dos...

I worked at WHO: the USA leaving will not make America healthier On Jan 30, 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the highest alarm it can sound, which is used for moments when the world must act together or risk ca...

🆕 I had the honor of working at WHO during the COVID-19 & mpox PHEICs.

In my comment for Lancet ID, I explain why global coordination is critical & offer an inside view of what the US is walking away from.

Pathogens have no borders. In public health time is vital

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Webinar – Impact of the Sudan conflict on vector-borne and neglected tropical diseases and pathways forward In conjunction with World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day 2026, we are pleased to announce that registration is now open for a webinar dedicated to the impact of the conflict in Sudan on vector-borne ...

Looking forward to our #COMSTECH hosted webinar on the impact of the #conflict in #Sudan on #malaria & #NTDs tomorrow. An excellent panel of outstanding Sudanese researchers & public health leaders will share experiences & priorities for rebuilding
Register ⬇️

www.who.int/news-room/ev...

Want To Become The Next WHO Director-General? Get In Line  - Health Policy Watch As the mandate of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus approaches its expiration in August 2027, the high-stakes manoeuvring for the next WHO Director-General (DG) of the World Health Organization (WHO) has ...

Want To Become The Next WHO Director-General? Get In Line
healthpolicy-watch.news/want-to-beco...

Trump revokes landmark ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health The White House calls it the largest deregulation in US history, but environmentalists say it will prove costly for Americans.

The science showing the link between greenhouse gases, public health and environmental damage is solid. This won't change whether politicians like it or not.

Terrible decision

BBC News - Trump revokes landmark ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Dengue Suppression by Male Wolbachia-Infected Mosquitoes | NEJM Wild-type female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that mate with male A. aegypti mosquitoes that have been infected with the wAlbB strain of Wolbachia pipientis bacteria produce nonviable offspring owing t...

Extremely impressive results from large-scale in Singapore - release of Wolbachia-infected male Aedes reduces Dengue risk by 72%

Dengue Suppression by Male Wolbachia-Infected Mosquitoes | New England Journal of Medicine share.google/Xrtk9L6emyhx...

The mosquito: the world's deadliest animal Buzzing to take a bite...

Thank you to Chris Smith & the The Naked Scientists team for inviting me & other colleagues to take part in this podcast discussing #mosquitoes, their biology and behaviour, role in disease transmission & innovative strategies for #vector control

www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/nak...

Israeli attacks kill 10 Palestinians amid restrictions at Rafah crossing At least 10 people, including a four-year-old girl, killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza overnight.

At least 10 people, including a four-year-old girl, killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza overnight.

Saw a post earlier dunking on "academics who still take money from Bill Gates" and I have to be honest: shit for brains take

‘Biblical Diseases’ Could Resurge in Africa, Health Officials Fear

Cameroon's progress toward eliminating NTDs is at risk. But, if they can be restarted this year, it may be possible to preserve the gains that have been made. ✨

Read more about the impact in this article from @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/h...

Photo of 4 people standing in front of a presentation screen in a meeting room at Public Health Scotland. On the left side, Prof Calum Semple, Chief Scientific Advisor for Scotland, Prof Heather Ferguson, University of Glasgow, and on the right side Prof Dom Mellor and Dr Jim McMenamin, Public Health Scotland. The screen has the title slide from the Mosquito Scotland presentation; reading "Investigating the risk of mosquito vector-borne diseases in Scotland and their response to environmental change"

Pleasure to visit Public Health Scotland & present results from @mosquitoscotland.bsky.social to Prof Calum Semple, Chief Scientific Advisor for Scotland, Prof Jim McMenamin & Prof Dominic Mellor. Great opportunity to discuss future #mosquito-borne disease risk in Scotland
@sbohvm.gla.ac.uk