Ep 3 | Dr. Nahid Bhadelia - From the Frontlines to the White House: Outbreak Response & Preparedness YouTube video by NAAMA NextGen

CEID Director @bhadeliamd.bsky.social joins NAAMA NextGen's podcast, discussing her frontline experiences in infectious disease response and current concerns she has about health equity in pandemics.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoLk...

And I also can't get over how similar illustrated Nahid's hand gestures are to my own! 😱

Katy and I first spoke in 2021 and I can't believe how much the world has already turned inside out and upside down since then. Grab your copy ASAP!!

I am so honored to be a small part of Katy Doughty's amazing new illustrated book, "How to Survive the End of the World: A Graphic Exploration of How to (Maybe) Avoid Extinction" a.co/d/02x5y21L

Deeply researched, incredibly thought provoking and beautifully illustrated.

The City Losing Its Children to H.I.V. (Published 2021)

This article by @helenouyang.bsky.social sat with me for weeks about the Larkana outbreak after I read in a few years ago. www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/m...

NEW and concerning: Larkana district was also the epicenter of a large HIV outbreak with 70% pediatric cases in 2019-2020 traced to nosocomial transmission.

The current situation around a possible mpox cluster appears to be evolving and diagnostics are lagging.

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

Lombardy, Italy: First imported human case of influenza A(H9N2) infection detected in the European Union via @beaconbio.bsky.social - beaconbio.org/en/report/?r...

Reports like this is are why @beacon_bio is a labor of love for all of us. Incredible work here by Dr Cristina David, BEACON’s Deputy Editor for vet diseases on report written in collaboration w Dr. Arnon Shimshony including some of his heart breaking photos from a prior FMD outbreak.

https://pixels.com/featured/1-rift-valley-fever-virus-particles-kateryna-konscience-photo-library.html

Rift Valley Fever in Fatick, Senegal concludes with 39 cases and three deaths reported during the 2025 national outbreak
beaconbio.org/en/report/

MENINGITIS SYMPTOMS: fever a very bad headache (this alone is not a reason to get medical help) being sick stiff neck dislike of bright lights rash (DO NOT wait for a rash to appear before seeking medical advice) confusion, delirium severe sleepiness, losing consciousness SEPTICAEMIA SYMPTOMS: fever and shivering severe pains and aches in limbs and joints cold hands and feet pale or blotchy skin very rapid or difficulty breathing diarrhoea, stomach cramps red or purple “blood spots” or blotchy rash on skin that does not fade under pressure – do the GLASS TEST. On dark skin, check other places such as the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, inside the mouth (roof), and the whites of the eyes confusion, delirium severe sleepiness, losing consciousness If you become worried about yourself, your child, or a friend, particularly if symptoms are getting worse, seek medical help urgently. EARLY TREATMENT CAN BE LIFE-SAVING.

Cases of invasive meningococcal disease have been confirmed in Kent. Sadly, 2 people are known to have died. It's important to know the signs of symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia. Get more info from NHS.
🔗 nhs.uk/conditions/meningitis

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

Suspected Ebola virus disease case in Beni, North Kivu, DRC: Official notification by the DRC Ministry of Health on 9 March 2026

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

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

Request for information (RFI): Suspected Ebola virus disease case under investigation in Beni, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. via @beaconbio.bsky.social - beaconbio.org/en/report/?r...

In people age 50+, the Covid booster halved hospitalization and deaths.
Waning of benefit after 3-6 months
For the mRNA BA.1 booster vs no shot after initial vaccination
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

‘Particularly capricious’: Doctor weighs in on undermining of mRNA technology The FDA’s decision not to review Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine application “seems to be a way to discourage bringing these types of technologies to the market,” said Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, an Infectious Diseases Physician. This is the latest in a series of actions by the Trump administration that has undermined mRNA research.

The FDA’s decision not to review Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine application “seems to be a way to discourage bringing these types of technologies to the market,” says @bhadeliamd.bsky.social. #Velshi

Please join me @velshimsnow.bsky.social 10a-1p w/
@deanobeidallah.bsky.social
@mollyjongfast.bsky.social
@chrystia-freeland.bsky.social
Fred Hochberg
@mitch-landrieu.bsky.social
Jason Stanley
@bhadeliamd.bsky.social
#velshi
1/2

Exclusive: Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation Staff members have been instructed to scrub this topic and ‘biodefense’ from the agency’s website.

“Just because we say we’re going to stop caring about these issues doesn’t make the issues go away — it just makes us less prepared,” said @bhadeliamd.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Exclusive: Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation Staff members have been instructed to scrub this topic and ‘biodefense’ from the agency’s website.

“Staff members at the United States’s premier infectious-disease research institute have been instructed to remove the words “biodefense” and “pandemic preparedness” from the institute’s web pages, according to e-mails Nature has obtained.”

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Trump says climate change doesn’t endanger public health – evidence shows it does, from extreme heat to mosquito-borne illnesses Climate change is making people sicker and more vulnerable to disease. Erasing the federal endangerment finding increases the risk.

The Trump administration rescinded the "endangerment finding" today, declaring that climate change doesn't harm health. They are wrong. Some evidence from me, @howardfrumkin.bsky.social, @jonathanpatz.bsky.social, and Vijay Limaye from @theconversation.com

theconversation.com/trump-says-c...

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...

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

😱

Want to signup for email digest of BEACON reports from only your region? You can get them weekly or daily now just like our global digest.

Following 2026 Winter Olympics? Check out this new data stream on @beaconbio.bsky.social. @buceid.bsky.social experts constructed a profile of this global gathering, providing insights into events, the participants, the host country & any Olympics related outbreaks. beaconbio.org/en/event/?ev...

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...

Bangladesh: Bat-borne pteropine orthoreovirus – first human cases of severe encephalitis, respiratory illness, and deaths, with contaminated palm sap as the suspected source
beaconbio.org/en/report/

JID: A BEACON for novel disease threats: Leveraging AI for informal event-based outbreak surveillance

Nahid Bhadelia et al bit.ly/4joYsNd @bhadeliamd.bsky.social

More than anything else, we have gained the trust of clinicians, public health workers & all of you! For 2026, my wish is that we keep hearing from you! Your input, your tips, your use of our reports in your work, makes all the hard work worth it! It is what makes BEACON a true global public good.

Leveraging LLMs and incredibly talented, committed teams of humans across multiple teams as well as subject matter experts and outbreak analysts who bring their analyses and decades of experience to every post we publish.

In early 2026, we hope to publish a longer program manuscript that describes the structure and methodology behind BEACON, our evolution over even this short time, as well as our monitoring & evaluation plans.

A BEACON for novel disease threats: Leveraging AI for informal event-based outbreak surveillance The experience of a new free disease surveillance platform shows that the integration of large language models with human expertise into event-based inform

Out today in @jidjournal.bsky.social, we share our experiences on @beaconbio.bsky.social, based at @buceid.bsky.social w partners @bucds.bsky.social @bostonchildrens.bsky.social w users in 170 countries & reports so far on over 600 outbreaks across 200 countries. academic.oup.com/jid/article/...

Best of The Brink 2025: 10 Inspiring Inventions and Impactful Ideas from Boston University Researchers From an exosuit that eases back pain to an algorithm that boosts hearing aid performance, how BU research made a difference this year

For a 4th year, our work is at the top 10 @bostonu.bsky.social research stories (tinyurl.com/3eebxjju). This year for @beaconbio.bsky.social led by @bhadeliamd.bsky.social, run by @buceid.bsky.social, in collaboration with @buhaririinstitute.bsky.social and a @bostonchildrens.bsky.social team.