Jason Kindrachuk
Vice President - National Microbiology Laboratory Branch, PHAC; Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair in emerging viruses, U.Manitoba. Expert in the emerging zoonotic viruses with a focus on WHO priority pathogens. All views expressed are my own
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukDuring the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, I taught three, online courses for journalists on basics of epidemiology Course recordings and slides are still available as a free resource on my teaching website www.teachepi.org/courses/epid...
- Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk🦠My latest: RFK's new CDC appointee shrugs off the potential loss of the U.S.’ measles-elimination status and deflects blame to other countries. “It’s just the cost of doing business with our borders being somewhat porous.” @kffhealthnews.org kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukWe're already well into the new year, but it's not too late to kick the year off with a good read
- Our January issue is now online: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... Our journal is #OpenAccess, so you are free to explore all of our content. But these hashtags offer a flavour: #influenza #H5N1 #AMR #Bordetella #pertussis #Yaws #Treponema #MDA #Hpylori #SARS-CoV-2 #IDSky #ClinMicro #OA
- Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk"Because of a decision made decades before by frightened parents, these babies may grow up to suffer the misery of cancer — and, always, the risk of passing the curse of illness to future generations." www.statnews.com/2026/01/15/h...
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukDon't be fooled! This is NOT a venomous snake. It just looks like one. You're looking at a Giant Dead Leaf Mantis (Deroplatys desiccata), native to Malaysia, Philippines & Borneo. These little guys are masters of disguise. This is their "scary sharp-toothed predator" trick, but they have MORE!
- Really excited to see this come together across collaborators and led by an amazing postdoc - Dr. Hannah Wallace - and summer student Gabi Rzeszutek. Zoonotic and avian pathogen detections (including H5) in Manitoba from environmental sampling: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
- Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk“There has been erosion of trust in science & public health & medicine,” vaccine & infectious disease expert @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social said in response to the Trump administration’s cuts to vaccine and medical research. “It’s a terrible tragedy,” said Dr. Francis Collins, former NIH director.
- Such a humbling honour to be a part of this amazing study. Thanks to those who led this critical work, to all of the team, and to the participants and communities who continue to help us identify and understand these ongoing public health impacts of #mpox
- 🧪 🦠 #Mpox virus “acquired during pregnancy should be regarded as a congenital pathogen” particularly in the first trimester MBOTE-SK project followed 89 pregnant women in DR Congo @labgenpath.bsky.social @ispm.unibe.ch @itmantwerp.bsky.social 🧵 1/2 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
- Sharing this here at the request of Dr. Florian Krammer: semmelweisinstitute.ac.at/training-car...
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukSo, @angierasmussen.bsky.social and @kindrachukjason.bsky.social and other #ViroSky folks, Virology Africa 2026 is going to be INSIDE the Kruger National Park in South Africa in September 2026!! It will be awesome 😁
- Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk🧪 #mpox #DRC MBOTE-SK project major contributions to understand and respond to new Clade Ib mpox virus Glad to be part @globalhealthedctp3.bsky.social @labgenpath.bsky.social @itmantwerp.bsky.social @kindrachukjason.bsky.social @ispm.unibe.ch www.global-health-edctp3.europa.eu/news-and-eve...
- reat to see this collaborative effort out bridging our colleagues from Sierra Leone, DRC, Belgium, US, and Canada. Kudos to my MSc student Michaella Jaba and all of our team www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukI think about this a lot! Medical professionals and their societies are sounding the highest level of alarm about the dangers of rejecting science and favoring conspiracy theories and it is hardly breaking through. That's how far down the rabbit hole the US is. This fight is hard.
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukAmazing achievement of global solidarity #SmallpoxEradication Now, we just have #mpox 🙊 New outbreaks, new lineages #orthopox 🦠 #VaccinesWork but 💉 needs to be delivered to #DRC #Africa now @boghuma.bsky.social @kindrachukjason.bsky.social @onisillos.bsky.social
- A pleasure to be included on this as part of the WHO TAG-VE along with many esteemed colleagues: A systematic nomenclature for mpox viruses causing outbreaks with sustained human-to-human transmission www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- A very exciting professional update below that I can now share: www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukThe quote below is from Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, who recently resigned from CDC after co-leading the ACIP COVID work group. The new ACIP jettisoned work group experts in favor of anti-vax activists. 👉Canada's NACI is now the best source for evidence-based vax recommendations in North America
- Huge congratulations to everyone on the team with great vision leadership for this work from Drs. Laurens Liesenborghs and Placide Mbala, and the MBOTE consortium. And an ongoing debt of gratitude to all study participants from our work www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukA lightning-fast, in-depth look into who RFK Jr selected for the vaccine advisory committee. One of whom was an expert witness against Merck's vaccine, despite RFK's stated reason of reducing conflicts of interest, per @reuters.com. Well done @heidiledford.bsky.social and @rfieldmouse.bsky.social
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukAn explosive surge of mpox infections in Sierra Leone has pummelled its health-care system, raising fears it will spark a larger outbreak in densely populated West Africa. “The situation is so dire,” says Jia Kangbai, a researcher in Sierra Leone. With @kindrachukjason.bsky.social, for @nature.com.
- Update #1: Rolling clinical and epi updates for #mpox data from #SierraLeone. Watch for updated versions as additional data becomes available. Heartfelt thanks to our local colleagues in-country led by Dr. Jia Kangbai www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukVery smart, high ROI initiative from the Spencer Foundation. Providing bridge funding for canceled NSF grants: 1) directs funds to projects already screened by a top-noch review process. 2) avoids imposing proposal prep costs on researchers. 3) ameliorates the disruption from GOP sabotage.
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukThe Wadsworth Center is expanding it's research focus on #virology /vector-borne diseases! www.asmcareerconnections.org/job/research-scientist-5-g-31/78488664/ This is a unicorn assistant prof equivalent position with 12-month hard money salary and no teaching commitments (!) Reposts appreciated 🙏
- Great piece from @kakape.bsky.social on #mpox in #SierraLeone that features a great array of experts and colleagues. A pleasure to speak alongside these wonderful individuals
- An explosive outbreak of mpox in Sierra Leone is raising fears of wider spread. The country of 9 million has seen more than 3000 cases already. “We could see very rapid geographic expansion […] if we don’t really try and get things under control quickly,” says @kindrachukjason.bsky.social 🧪 #IDsky
- Rolling clinical and epi updates for #mpox data from #SierraLeone. Watch for updated versions as additional data becomes available. Heartfelt thanks to our local colleagues in-country led by Dr. Jia Kangbai t.co/D9QosVP1Bq
- Many thanks to @annerimoin.bsky.social @isaacbogoch.bsky.social @labgenpath.bsky.social and all other authors and partners
- Return trip x2 from #SierraLeone in the last month. #mpox is an awful disease…and preventable - vaccines desperately needed as this outbreak expands. Thanks to our amazing team for helping get supples and PPE delivered. Our work continues…
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukA not very happy Friday. CERI had 6 NIH grants canceled, which will impact operations, surveillance and response to epidemics. We are working to try to minimize disturbance but not easy with 6 grants terminated at the same moment. A crisis is unfolding in SA www.news24.com/southafrica/...
- Fantastic news that the WHA has officially adopted the #PandemicAccord! 👏👏👏
- It's official: the #PandemicAccord is officially adopted by the World Health Assembly! My warmest congratulations to @who.int Member States for their commitment to keeping their people and the world safer. What a moment in global health history. Together!
- Return trip to #SierraLeone with additional supplies for #mpox outbreak response efforts. Thanks to Dr. Jia Kangbai for you and your team’s efforts on the ground Thanks to the funders of these critical #mpox activities in Central and West Africa: CIHR & IDRC
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukNIH Director Jay Bhattacharya's rush to absolve himself is particularly interesting to me as someone who paid attention to his public statements since 2020. He holds Collins & Fauci personally responsible for every aspect of the Covid response (& origins), regardless of their actual involvement.
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukNEW: An NIH policy coming in the next week will target — and at least temporarily stop — funding outside the US, threatening thousands of projects and collaborations on topics like infectious diseases and cancer. Some NIH staff have already been told to hold all subaward funds for foreign labs.
- great pleasure to meet with our local colleagues and partners in Sierra Leone this week with Drs. Jia Kangbai and Souradet Shaw for mpox response on behalf of our international network. Additional supplies and PPE, activity coordination, staff support, etc forthcoming
- Thank you to all of our Sierra Leonean colleagues and responders for their tireless efforts
- Now counting to figure out how to pool funds and resources across institutions and groups in spite of funding constraints
- Time to get to work…
- First leg underway to Sierra Leone. Tough situation but looking forward to meeting with colleagues, deliver supplies and reagents, and getting out to field sites manoreporters.com/news/health/...
- Great to see this work now posted from MSc candidate Candice Lemaille. Very heartfelt thanks to our INRB and UCLA colleagues for all of their efforts on the ground as well as to all of our partners and co-authors www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Great to see this analysis of ocular complications from a cohort of mpox patients from 2007-2011. Always a privilege to work with such a fantastic team of world experts www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
- The only positive out of this whole shambolic pseudoscience demonstration is that RFK Jr is showing his lack of cards to the world. Thanks to all who have been highlighting this for years @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social @caulfieldtim.bsky.social @jonathanstea.bsky.social @drjengunter.bsky.social etc
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukBreaking News: The Trump administration intends to block $510 million in federal contracts and grants for Brown University.
- All of this👇👇👇
- Get your health advice and vaccine information from trusted healthcare professionals and trusted alternative sources: 1. www.who.int 2. www.gov.uk/government/o... 3. www.canada.ca/en/public-he... 4. www.ecdc.europa.eu/en www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukThis is insane. Arguably the greatest achievement of the first Trump administration was Operation Warp Speed. And mRNA technology has tremendous potential. Recall recent news that mRNA vaccines show promise against pancreatic cancer in early trials www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...
- Thanks to Ambassador @bobbyrae48.bsky.social for continuing to sift through the constant rhetoric and provide in-depth insight into the why of current events👇
- Reposted by Jason KindrachukThis kind of antivax nonsense is expected but so disheartening to read. How many parents are going to believe that if their kid is healthy, they won't suffer any of the terrible consequences a measles infection can bring-- blindness, deafness, and oh yeah, death. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/h...
- Reposted by Jason Kindrachuk“NIH has also requested lists of projects involving…mRNA vaccines, which some vaccine skeptics think are unsafe because they believe, without evidence, that the vaccines could modify DNA or cause various health issues.” this may derail one of the biggest advances in oncology — cancer vaccines
- Now with more reliable spelling: Great work from Dr. @craigspencer.bsky.social here in this piece from @theatlantic.com 👇
- "I know how lethal Donald Trump’s assault on America’s outbreak preparedness could be. We are sure to regret it," warns @craigspencer.bsky.social @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
- Want to acknowledge that I am forever indebted to the amazing and continually inspirational women I work with and learn from every day. Across crises and continents, you all put global health above everything else
