Virology Blog

By David Tuller, DrPH Much has already been written about Alan Levinovitz’ 7,600-word love poem to the potential healing powers of so-called “mind-body” interventions for Long Covid. Wired published the article last Monday under the title “The Painful Truth About Long Covid.” As the word “painful” suggests, the epic is also infused with darker notes. … Trial By Error: The Truth According to Wired…

by Gertrud U. Rey On May 17, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern in response to an Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The situation is escalating rapidly, with over 300 confirmed cases and 48 deaths as of today, highlighting the severity … Ebola 2026 Read More »

By David Tuller, DrPH Last year’s release of the results from the DecodeME, a UK-based genome wide association study of more than 15,000 DNA samples, generated significant excitement. Action for ME, which spearheaded DecodeME, recently announced that it had received funding for a multi-phase follow-up project called Sequence ME & Long Covid. The UK government … Trial By Error: Interview with Chri…

By David Tuller, DrPH When I write about functional neurological disorder (FND) or functional neurological symptoms, I sometimes get feedback from Zachary Grin, a physical therapist in New York. As an FND specialist, he disagrees with pretty much everything I write about the topic.  At first, I tried to engage with Zachary in a good-natured … Trial By Error: My Exchange with an FND Physical Thera…

By David Tuller, DrPH This morning I sent the following letter to CNS Spectrums, a neuroscience journal published by Cambridge University Press. Subject line: “Correction needed for etiological statement in ‘Functional neurological symptoms occur commonly in healthy adults: implications for the pathophysiology of FND.'” Depending on the response, or lack of one, I might also … Trial By Error: My …

*Kim H, a FND patient with whom I have frequently exchanged views, has left a comment below. I urge others to read it. I disagree with her interpretation, but I certainly think she has a right to express her perspective. However, I stand by my post. ********** By David Tuller, DrPH For years*, experts in … Trial By Error: So FND Is Not Only a Brain “Software” Issue After All… Read More »

A number of posts on social media have suggested that Andes hantavirus, which most recently caused an outbreak on the MV Hondius, is sexually transmitted. These claims are based on a 2023 paper (Presence and Persistence of Andes Virus RNA in Human Semen). Let’s take a look at the data and see what conclusions can … Is Andes hantavirus sexually transmitted? Read More »

By David Tuller, DrPH I don’t generally write much myself on May 12th, which is an international day of awareness for ME. I’m aware of ME most of the time and write about it constantly, so I don’t feel a particular need to say anything special today. I usually consider it a day for patients … Trial By Error: More on Long COVID panel at Psychiatrists’ Gathering Read More »

by Gertrud U. Rey Contrary to popular belief, most vaccines don’t actually prevent infection with a pathogen, instead, they prevent the disease that follows infection. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine stands out as a notable exception in this regard. A recent study indicates that antibodies produced in response to the HPV vaccine can neutralize the … The Perfect Vaccine Read More »

By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. ********** “Frail and Furious” on May 12th Each year on May 12th, an international day of ME awareness, #MillionsMissing protests are held in cities across the world and draw significant media attention. This … Trial By Error: News Bits–“Frail & Furious” for #Millions Missing; U…

By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. I posted two days ago that a Lancet journal, eClinicalMedicine, had just published a letter of mine, as well as an unsatisfactory corrigendum to the study I had criticized. That study, “Effects of … Trial By Error: Claims on Exercise for Long COVID Were “Overly Assertive,” Agree…

By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. *UPDATE: The journal has now published, in addition to the corrigendium, a response from the authors in which they acknowledge my concerns. Last year, eClinicalMedicine, a journal in the Lancet stable, published an … Trial By Error: Lancet Journal Publishes My Letter Challenging…

By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. ********** When it comes to exercise and Long COVID, investigators have routinely claimed success for their interventions–and many news articles have followed their lead in covering the issue. Most reporters don’t have the … Trial By Error: Article in New Scientist Questions Val…

By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. ********** BBC Radio 4 highlights criticism of interview with neurologist and author Suzanne O’Sullivan In March, neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan spoke on a BBC Radio 4 podcast called Radical, hosted by journalist Amol Rajan. … Trial By Error: Pushback Against Psychologizing on B…

By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. ********** Once again, I get into Damon’s tub “Tub Talks with Damon” is a series hosted by Damon Jacobs, a sex-positive therapist and advocate for gay men’s and queer people’s health. And yes, … Trial By Error: Two Interviews–My Latest Appearance on “Tub Talks with Damon”; Julie…

By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. How many bad papers can Trudie Chalder, King’s College London’s factually and mathematically challenged professor of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), churn out? The woman’s name seems attached to an inexhaustible supply of scientific … Trial By Error: How Many Awful Papers Can …

By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. ********** Julie Rehmeyer explores a friend’s death in New York Times’ Modern Love column It is hard to imagine having to cope with the aftermath of someone dying of suicide in your home. … Trial By Error: Some Things I’ve Read Recently… Read More »

by Gertrud U. Rey Vaccination with the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson adenovirus‑based COVID-19 vaccines has been linked to a very rare but serious adverse event known as vaccine‑induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Based on this small but significant risk, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revoked the emergency use authorization for the Johnson & … A Case of Misdirected Immu…

By David Tuller, DrPH *This is a crowdfunding month at UC Berkeley. If you’d like to support my work, the link is here. In a medical context, what does “recovery” mean? A pretty standard understanding is this one offered by The Free Dictionary: “a return to a normal or healthy condition.” If experts suggest a … Trial By Error: Are Claims of “Recovery” from Psycho-Behavioral Interventions a Form o…

By David Tuller, DrPH President Trump’s words and actions are routinely mind-boggling but never surprising, given past experience. The same is true of papers co-authored by Trudie Chalder, King’s College London’s mathematically and factually challenged professor of cognitive behavior therapy. In a recent article, she holds true to form. In “Recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome: a reflexive them…