Here’s the pupil & teacher illness absence charts side-by-side ⬇️

🔎 In 2024/25, pupil illness absence was still nearly 30% higher than pre-pandemic norms.

🔎 In 2023/24, teacher illness absence was nearly 40% higher than pre-pandemic norms (2024/25 data won’t be published until this June).

"Really important thread 🧵 HT: @catinthehat.bsky.social

There were so many BIG wins in the Covid Inquiry M3 report.

So many of the things CATA & other core participants fought for were completely vindicated:

🚨aerosol transmission
🚨ventilation
🚨AGPs dead in the water

…BUT some big omissions too…"

And here’s a scientific article which describes practices for safe handling of Neisseria meningitidis in labs:

“Transmission of Neisseria meningitidis MAINLY occurs by formation of AEROSOLS generated in the nasopharynx.”

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Surely UKHSA should at least be considering the possibility of AEROSOL transmission?

Many official public health websites (the UK Green Book, NICE, ECDC, and, until a day ago when it was suddenly deleted, the WHO) all mention aerosol as a mode of transmission for meningococcal bacteria…

And I would be very happy if you read this thread ⬇️

bsky.app/profile/cati...

Please read this thread ⬇️

The meningococcal bacteria *is* transmitted via aerosols but thankfully not viable in the air for very long (typically only a few minutes).

But at close range, airborne/aerosol mitigations (eg. FFP masks) should be used to protect.

threadreaderapp.com/thread/20357...

Screenshot of a social media post by Cat in the Hat (@_CatintheHat) discussing mask guidance. Below is a Kidney Care UK article titled “Should face masks be worn?” with highlighted text stating: “The UKHSA do not advise wearing face masks as they have no role in controlling meningococcal disease outbreaks.” It also quotes that masks can “create the wrong message” and “spread panic,” and concludes that “for the public there is no need to wear a mask,” noting meningococcal disease spreads differently from COVID-19.

By Cat in the Hat @catinthehat.bsky.social

"Health officials are even actively telling people NOT to wear a mask to protect themselves because they can “create the wrong message” and “spread panic”.

"If there is even a chance of AEROSOL transmission, this could be extremely dangerous advice."

This whole thread. It’s criminal that the UK, in the middle of a meningitis outbreak that has killed 2 students, put many in hospital and still a danger, is repeating the same droplet dogma mistake they did with Covid, which has been admitted in a long-drawn out Covid Inquiry was a colossal mistake👇

It looks like they're repeating the same mistakes as with covid. "Oh no it's not spread by aerosols. Just wash your hands. No need for masks."
Why do they do this? People will die.

Nightclub owner at centre of meningitis outbreak says “something isn’t making sense”.

“There's been a lot of talk about how hard it is to transmit…

…but actually, it was transmitted a LOT more easily, by the looks of it, than they're suggesting.”

www.lbc.co.uk/article/meni...

🧵

During the Covid inquiry, one of the independent expert witnesses was asked:

“Is there any scenario or situation where someone could produce a droplet without also generating significant amounts of aerosols?”

Professor Clive Beggs clearly replied:

“NO”.

The Covid Inquiry Module 3 report has ordered that:

“In future, guidance should assume that ALL plausible routes of transmission are possible until sufficient evidence proves otherwise.”

There are no excuses anymore.

The govt MUST NOT make the same mistakes again.

We MUST learn from the past.

The Covid Inquiry Module 3 report published just this week made it clear that it is no longer appropriate to rely on the outdated dichotomy between aerosols & droplets.

Where there is droplet transmission, there is also a high probability of aerosol transmission.

During the Covid inquiry, one of the independent expert witnesses was asked:

“Is there any scenario or situation where someone could produce a droplet without also generating significant amounts of aerosols?”

Professor Clive Beggs clearly replied:

“NO”.

A key finding from the Covid Inquiry report published this week:

“Guidance on preventing the spread of infection was flawed. It assumed the virus was spread by CONTACT transmission, failing properly to consider the extent to which it was also spread by AIRBORNE transmission.”

Instead of telling people *not* to wear masks, public health officials should be educating people about the right types of masks to protect against AEROSOL transmission.

😷 Surgical masks do not protect against aerosols.

😷 Only FFP2/3 masks provide adequate protection.

whn.global/a-call-for-t...

Health officials are even actively telling people NOT to wear a mask to protect themselves because they can “create the wrong message” and “spread panic”.

If there is even a chance of AEROSOL transmission, this could be extremely dangerous advice.

kidneycareuk.org/news-from-ki...

…so it seems strange that the authorities are pushing so hard on the narrative that it only spreads by very close & intimate contact eg. living together, kissing, sharing drinks.

In their efforts to ‘reassure’, they’re failing to educate people about how to protect themselves.

And here’s a scientific article which describes practices for safe handling of Neisseria meningitidis in labs:

“Transmission of Neisseria meningitidis MAINLY occurs by formation of AEROSOLS generated in the nasopharynx.”

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Surely UKHSA should at least be considering the possibility of AEROSOL transmission?

Many official public health websites (the UK Green Book, NICE, ECDC, and, until a day ago when it was suddenly deleted, the WHO) all mention aerosol as a mode of transmission for meningococcal bacteria…

You can listen to part of Louise Jones-Roberts’ interview on @lbc.co.uk radio below ⬇️

In this clip, she talks about her confusion over UKHSA’s explanation of how meningitis spreads.

She says “things don’t quite add up” because it was transmitted a lot more easily than suggested…

Nightclub owner at centre of meningitis outbreak says “something isn’t making sense”.

“There's been a lot of talk about how hard it is to transmit…

…but actually, it was transmitted a LOT more easily, by the looks of it, than they're suggesting.”

www.lbc.co.uk/article/meni...

🧵

Letter by Prof. Tom Evans, chair of the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) to the UK Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Van Tamm on 13 March 2020 recommending that Covid-19 should NOT be classified as a high consequence infectious disease (HCID). The letter is juxtaposed with an extract from 6 February 2021 article by the BBC science editor David Shukman about the consequences of that decision. The subheader says 'A "pragmatic" decision. Highlighted text reads: 'A member of ACDP, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the decision was indeed "pragmatic", not because of pressure from government but because everyone knew the stockpile of PPE was limited'. Images from an X thread by Cat In The Hat @Catinthehat, 13 March 2026.

On this day, 13 March 2020, six years ago, the UK government made a "pragmatic" decision to downgrade Covid from High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID) due to the shortage of FFP3 masks. This left NHS workers unprotected from Covid since.

Thanks to @catinthehat.bsky.social for the reminder & 👇

Before infection, our members chose how to use each heartbeat.

Now #LongCovid limits what each beat can be used for.

Turn your phone landscape for the best viewing experience.

#LCAD26 #LongCOVIDAwarenessDay #LongCovidHeartbeats #EveryHeartbeatCounts

"In honour of #LongCOVIDAwarenessDay, I’d like to present some important data from the latest GP-Patient survey. This is a HUGE survey with a sample size of ~700K people in England (5x bigger than ONS’s Covid survey). In this thread, I’ll walk you through some key findings…" Followed by a partial screenshot of a chart visualizing the results of Question #40: "Q40. Would you describe yourself as having Long COVID? Source: GP-Patient Survey National Results, July 2025"

🎯🎯🎯🧵by @catinthehat.bsky.social on XTwitter, presenting

"... some important data from the latest [NHS] GP-Patient survey.
This is a HUGE survey with a sample size of ~700K people in England (5x bigger than ONS’s Covid survey)..."

23-tweet 🧵
threadreaderapp.com/thread/20333...

CATA expose UK government bodies' aerosol transmission cover up CATA's press release exposes failure of government bodies to provide full disclosure of evidence to the Covid Inquiry with evidence that the IPC Cell altered minutes in favour of droplet precautions

Aerosol transmission
‘COVID-19 Airborne Transmission Alliance set up to create a collective voice for scientists, professionals & academics highlighting that the NHS refused (and continues to refuse) to accept that COVID-19 is transmitted through an airborne route.’
open.substack.com/pub/counterd...

❗The #CovidInquiry Module 3 report (healthcare, a catalogue of failures and evidence suppression) is out today, shortly.
X is suppressing MedTwitter posts,and has put @catinthehat.bsky.social in twitter jail. Please give Cat's account some love (follow, like, share) if you follow #Covid #LongCovid 💙

COVID INQUIRY: MODULE 3 REPORT “Fundamental flaws in the UK’s approach to IPC [infection prevention & control] guidance, for example in relation to the use of PPE, put patients and healthcare workers at risk.” — Baroness Hallett, Chair of the Covid Inquiry Read more here… ⬇️

🚨🧵by @catinthehat.bsky.social over on XTwitter:

COVID INQUIRY: MODULE 3 REPORT

“Fundamental flaws in the UK’s approach to IPC [infection prevention & control] guidance, for example in relation to the use of PPE, put patients and healthcare workers at risk.”

🧵
threadreaderapp.com/thread/20346...

WHO just removed the word "AEROSOL" from the modes of transmission of Meningococcal Meningitis from its website.
1/x

@catinthehat.bsky.social