On September 20, 2022, the Uganda declared an outbreak of Sudan ebolavirus in the Mubende District. It was the country’s first Sudan ebolavirus outbreak in a decade, and its fifth of this kind of Ebola. In total during this outbreak, there were 164 cases (142 confirmed and 22 probable), 55 confirmed deaths and 87 recovered patients. Due to the Ugandan Government’s successful containment of the outbreak including with support from the World Health Organization and other public health partners, there were no documented cases of international transmission of the Sudan Ebolavirus. The outbreak was declared over on January 11, 2023, nearly 17 weeks after its detection.

Syra Madad writes that it's impossible to know what impact the COVID-19 virus will have next, but with signs of increased flu activity ahead of the holiday season, coupled with the increasing burden of RSV, healthcare systems should be bracing for more impact to come. She urges everyone to do their part and help reduce the spread of RSV, get vaccinated against seasonal flu and stay up-to-date with their Covid-19 vaccination.

Syra Madad issued a statement on two Biden Administration biodefense plans: National Biodefense Strategy and Implementation Planand the National Security Memorandum on Countering Biological Threats, Enhancing Pandemic Preparedness, and Achieving Global Health Security.

Polio is a highly contagious virus that spreads through person-to-person contact (most commonly through contact with an infected person's poop). While most people who get infected do not experience any symptoms, about 1 in 4 people develop flu-like symptoms and a much smaller fraction of people (less than one in 100) develop more serious symptoms including paresthesia (feelings of pin and needles in legs), meningitis (infection of the covering of the spinal cord and/or brain) and paralysis. Among those paralyzed, 5% to 10% die when the virus affects their breathing muscles.

Monkeypox is a viral disease that is transmitted person to person through direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs or bodily fluids including respiratory secretions. Research is ongoing on the potential for sexual transmission through semen or vaginal fluids. Indirect transmission can occur through touching contaminated objects, like towels, bedsheets or sex toys. Most people with monkeypox recover on their own without requiring treatment, beyond supportive care or hospitalization. Due the similarity between monkeypox and smallpox, and because this virus has been found in humans for decades, FDA approved monkeypox tests, treatments (TPOXX), and vaccines exist, but their use has so far been very limited.

With community transmission of monkeypox taking a foothold in the U.S., public health agencies must do more to stamp out the virus, effectively communicate the increasing risk to the MSM community, and better inform the public.

Ask yourself, what would you say to someone if they told you in just over two years, a virus too small to see with the naked eye but brutal enough to kill a population the size of Delaware would sweep through the nation?

As leaders in one of the largest healthcare systems in the United States, we would say: this would be a travesty of epic proportions.

Throughout this spring, Belfer Fellow Dr. Syra Madad developed and hosted a Women in STEM event series to highlight women leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The aim of the series was to recognize the many accomplishments and contributions by women in STEM fields while educating and empowering young women, providing valuable advice, and sharing pearls of wisdom. This six-event series featured guest speakers that included America's Top Young Scientist Gitanjali Rao, former White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, leading figure in the U.S. space program Lori Garver and Spacecraft Operations Engineer Nagin Cox, Tiktok-renowned epidemiologist Dr. Katrine Wallace, and many more.

As more states remove mask mandates and schools decide to lift masking policies, it can be a confusing time for children. There may be feelings of fear and anxiety. Whether its elementary, middle school or high school aged kids, now is the time to begin talking about the transition, regardless of whether your child will continue to wear a mask or decide not to.

Belfer Center Fellow Syra Madad, an internationally  recognized leader and epidemiologist in public health and special pathogens preparedness and response, has been named to the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB). The NSABB is a federal advisory committee that addresses issues related to biosecurity and dual use research at the request of the U.S. government. The board has 25 voting members selected for their expertise in areas that range from biosecurity, molecular biology, and animal and plant health to infectious diseases, biodefense, law enforcement, scientific publishing, and other related fields.