@zsofia.bsky.social

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.” sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

The spread of "We have to prevent panic at all costs" as a memetic contagion is remarkable. We're at the point where we routinely have worse outcomes- including mass deaths, due to a nebulous fear of panic, which is just accepted as the worst possible outcome. "Better people die than be scared". Greater deaths are a reason to avoid fear, you don't choose greater deaths to avoid fear itself. Not every place is a crowded stadium or movie theater. foreignpolicy.com/2020/09/16/tru… What exactly is the "panic" the UK is so afraid of, if they, at a minimum, provisionally advise wearing a respirator at least until complete contract tracing has been done? Crushed in a stampede to Boots? Or do they mean "people might be less likely to go out shopping and dining"? It sounds like they are afraid of spreading judicious caution that might slightly cost the capital class, not panic.

@salutcat Pardon my English. It would be terrific if you could provide tips to people how to make these better, if I may be so bold? Make a W. Make that W into a heart.

(And for anyone who thinks that good filtration comes anything close to masking, a fit-tested N95 has to score 100 or better, and that (pseudo) fit factor of 1.7 we managed to hit with a very respectable 8 ACH is less than a "baggy blue" surgical mask will offer.)

@NukitToBeSure I'll see if I can find one, if not working on one would be a nice little distraction I think for me from everything.

@AutisticWaffles I have a lot of papers archived and searchable but not many infographics...

Uptick in Far-UVC orders from the UK- folks, let's be clear, first you should be stocking up on masks, more masks, and then some masks just in case. I can't make people send me a picture of their masks before I sell Far-UVC to them, but I should😅

@GhostOfSocrates @NukitToBeSure I mean, it does but they icky stuff also is in a super fine aerosolized for from just breathing wherever you go 😅

@AutisticWaffles @NukitToBeSure they thought that the snot/spit caused illness

Well, I got some bad news for you😅 when we lost droplet theory, we largely lost coughing into our hands/elbows as “polite” infection control. It’s still polite, it’s just not doing all that much. Particularly not as it’s often used, “If you are sick, at least cover your mouth when you cough!” when really the only covering that will matter is a good mask. Effectiveness of cough etiquette maneuvers in disrupting the chain of transmission of infectious respiratory diseases pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC38… Simulating the Environmental Spread of SARS-CoV-2 via Cough and the Effect of Personal Mitigations mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/1… Coughing into our elbow/hand “feels” right because we have an entire 60-year-old risk-management heuristic based on bad data that we’ve all been using our whole lives. "Suzy at the office is sick- so I’ll be careful to wash my hands." or "I’m sick- but I’ll cover my mouth when I cough". In China, when we quarantined individual apartments, but all the apartments that shared the same sewer line or kitchen vent pipe got sick because it was aerosols, not droplets. This is one of the problems with losing the droplet model- it’s a load-bearing belief. You lose it, you lose a lot of things built on it- literally. Nearly all modern buildings are built on droplet theory, not aerosol transmission. Scientists and policymakers with a macro view of things reflexively oppose it because, if droplet theory is wrong, it's a cascade failure (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascading…) on a vast scale. So many things have to be reexamined and are likely to be very bad if it was aerosols all along. As outrageous as the ongoing institutional denial is, aerosol transmission as a dominant infection model breaks a lot of things- everywhere, and the people in charge, got there, and stay there by maintaining the status quo, not by being disruptive and advocating for costly adaptation to change.

I've read all the documentation I can find on it, watched educational epic videos, have product and DB management experience I could get certified if I could get sponsored. This is so frustrating, I swear.

How the heck do I get a job as an epic analyst. I desperately want to work at a specific hospital that uses epic but I can't get hired as an analyst if I'm not epic certified but hospitals that use it have to sponsor you for certification.

Anyone remember that 3d print file for the TPU surgical mask brace that was tested and passed fit testing? It was a company that manufactured and sold them that made the file available for free for COVID iirc

@DocPriyamMD Less than 10 hours from Dr dismissing my headache to my husband finding me on the floor unable to stay conscious or purposely move my body. Fainted every time I attempted to move my head and couldn't form words. Meningitis was literally the worst pain/fever dream experience ever

The "Headache" that kills in 24 hours.🧵 As a doctor, this is the one diagnosis that genuinely scares me. Bacterial Meningitis doesn't give you days to "wait and see." It gives you hours. By the time you realize it's not just a flu, it’s often too late. 👉Stop scrolling and memorize these 3 clinical red flags: 1. The Fused Neck: This isn't a "stiff muscle" from sleeping wrong. If you have a fever and literally cannot touch your chin to your chest - that is Nuchal Rigidity. It’s an emergency. Period. 2. The "Glass Test" Rash: If you see tiny purple pin-pricks on the skin, press a clear glass firmly against them. If the spots don't fade/disappear under the glass, your blood is leaking. That’s Septicemia. Run to the ER. 3. Agonizing Photophobia: It’s not just "bright lights are annoying." It’s a physical, painful wince at a smartphone screen or a bedside lamp. 👉How to actually stay safe? 1. Mask up in crowds: It’s a respiratory drop infection. If there’s an outbreak in your school/hostel, a mask is your best friend. 2. Stop sharing everything: Vapes, spoons, water bottles, cigarettes. If their saliva is on it, the bacteria is on it. 3. Hygiene: Wash your hands like your life depends on it. 4. Vaccines: Check your records for MenACWY/MenB when you have a minute. It’s the ultimate insurance policy.

There are a few ways to remove aerosols. Ventilation & air filtration are good ways. However, the favoured way by Public Health appears to be just to delete them. Compare what this page said when crawled in Dec 2025 to what it says today. 7th Dec 2025 pictured. 1/🧵

@StillMask Yay!

Had a very bad interaction with a dishonest electrician. Installed a security camera in front of our house, just in case. And recently noticed that the neighbor who always let his dog 💩 in our yard, no longer does that. Hooray for small wins.

@CaitTzar Sorry- non-paywalled link: archive.ph/pZLkC

Good study that provides laboratory confirmation of what some of us have known for a long time: a subset of patients with anxiety, depression, panic disorder and ADHD-like syndromes have underlying immunologic, autoimmune and neuroinflammatory causes. Once you address these causes, these pscyhiatric and neurologic problems improve significantly. We documented this in a study on neuropsychiatric manifestations in mast cell activation syndrome. sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

I don't think enough people understand that you can carry meningitis bacteria in your nose and throat and *not get ill*. It's only when the bacteria invade the body, entering the bloodstream or reaching the brain and spinal cord, that it gets very serious very quickly. So what makes people more vulnerable to invasive meningococcal disease? There are several recognised risk factors, but one is impaired immune function, including low lymphocyte levels such as reduced CD4 T cells. And we all know by now what can cause those reduced CD4 levels don't we? Yes. Covid infection. This is all *established science*. It's not new. All this blather in the papers about vapes and kissing. That's misdirection. The blather about lockdowns reducing cases? That's misdirection too. This disease is about *vulnerability*. Even a *temporary* drop in lymphocytes can make you vulnerable. I'm fed up with all the people diverting attention away from that.

A lot of "mental health issues" disappear when bills are paid, rent is secure, and the fridge is full. Peace is expensive. And pretending money doesn't affect mental health is privilege.

@NukitToBeSure China underground pharma supply chain has saved so many FIP kitties 🥰

It's wild to the extent that US media treats China like a magical black box that things just emerge from, and their "real" story begins in the West. Like I get the grey market peptide/GLP-1 obsession, but zero curiosity about the underground/pirate pharma supply chain behind it and the level of skill and coordination that requires?