BioMérieux UK & Ireland

25/08/2026

This month in History saw the birth of modern epidemiological surveillance:

August 30, 1889: The Infectious Disease Notification Act received Royal Assent in the United Kingdom. This groundbreaking public health law introduced compulsory notification of infectious diseases. It required heads of households and attending doctors to report outbreaks to local medical officers, giving authorities an early warning system to outbreaks of disease and facilitate rapid intervention. This act allowed authorities to track and quarantine affected households and institutions and mandate disinfection of properties and contaminated belongings.

This legislation was incredibly successful in controlling outbreaks and formed the structural blueprint for modern public health laws worldwide. Today, these are used to track outbreaks of diseases such as COVID-19, measles and most recently, the Cyclospora outbreak in the USA.

20/08/2026

🦟🌍🔬August marks the peak mosquito season. This world Mosquito day raises awareness that Mosquitoes are responsible for spreading some of the world's most significant infectious diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and West Nile virus.

As global travel increases and climate patterns change, mosquito-borne diseases are becoming an increasingly important public health consideration, making surveillance, prevention and diagnostic testing more critical than ever.

While they may be small, mosquitoes have a huge impact on global health. Raising awareness helps us better understand the importance of disease monitoring, early detection and protecting vulnerable populations.

At bioMérieux, we support healthcare teams with solutions designed to help combat these challenges, including the BIOFIRE® Tropical Fever Panel for rapid diagnosis of mosquito-borne diseases and BIOFIRE® FIREWORKS™ for disease surveillance and data visualisation.

Want to learn more about how these solutions can support your organisation? Contact your local bioMérieux team.

13/08/2026

As we reflect a month on from the publication of NHS England’s new Sepsis Modern Service Framework, we recognise NHS Englands ambitious goal: to reduce deaths, life-changing complications and the long-term impact of sepsis by 25% by 2035.

In 2024/25 alone: 🔹 Over 133,000 hospital admissions were linked to sepsis
🔹 Average hospital stay was 14 days
🔹 Sepsis care cost the NHS over £1 billion

Behind every statistic is a person, family or carer whose life has been affected.

The framework aims to transform sepsis care through earlier identification, better diagnostics, digital innovation, workforce training and stronger support for survivors.

September is Sepsis awareness month with the 13th Spetember marking World Sepsis Day. Through awareness we can spark action, help improve outcomes and save lives.

👇 Find out more in the link below and explore what the future of sepsis care in the UK could look like:

Published on behalf of NHS England and Department of Health and Social Care

11/08/2026

This month's Historical Gamechanger: Sir Alexander Fleming 🔬

A chance observation in a laboratory led to one of the most important medical discoveries in history: penicillin.

Born this month in 1881, Sir Alexander Fleming's curiosity and dedication helped transform healthcare and save millions of lives.

The discovery of penicillin made medicine and surgery safer and paved the way for the discovery and development of many other antibiotics transforming the field of infectious disease

His legacy continues to inspire scientists, healthcare professionals and innovators around the world. With the rise of antimicrobial resistance this work is more important than ever.

But from these foundations the scientific community keeps searching and innovating to ultimately save lives - even in the most unlikely of places.

""One sometimes finds what one is not looking for."" 💙

07/08/2026

🍺 Cheers to World Beer Day! 🍺

Whether you enjoy a crisp lager, a refreshing IPA or a rich stout, there's a lot of science behind every great pint.

At bioMérieux, we're proud to play a role in helping breweries protect the quality and safety of their products. From detecting spoilage microorganisms to supporting quality control throughout the brewing process, our microbiology solutions help brewers ensure every batch meets the highest standards. Contact your local representative to find out how we can help your brewery!

So, while you're raising a glass this World Beer Day, here's to the scientists, quality teams and brewers working behind the scenes to keep every pour tasting just as it should. 🍻

Great beer starts with great science - and hey, it's 5 o'clock somewhere!

04/08/2026

🌴✈️ Holiday season is here... but infectious diseases don't take a vacation!

Whether you're jetting off abroad or enjoying a staycation, travel can increase exposure to a range of infectious diseases, from foodborne illnesses and respiratory infections to mosquito-borne diseases in some destinations.

A few simple steps can help keep your holiday focused on making memories:

✅ Check travel health advice before you go
✅ Stay up to date with any recommended vaccinations
✅ Practice good hand hygiene
✅ Be mindful of food and water safety
✅ Protect yourself from insect bites where appropriate

For healthcare professionals, the summer travel season can also mean increased vigilance for imported infections and emerging disease trends.

Staying informed, prepared and aware helps protect not only ourselves, but also our families and communities.

🌍 Wherever your travels take you this summer, stay safe and stay healthy!

30/07/2026

🩸Sepsis Tutorial
At our Clinical Microbiology Summit earlier this month, we focused on improving the diagnostic pathway for Sepsis including reflections on using double blood culture sets, and introducing Rapid AST methods. In this tutorial with Dr Timothy Rawson, Academic Clinical Fellow, Infectious Disease and Medical Microbology at Imperial College London, we will revisit why microbiological diagnosis is important, and the techniques involved to support diagnosis.

https://youtu.be/GRSE5GNsh5E?si=CkC3OuzTLawJHa2k"

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

28/07/2026

🧬Historical Game Changers: Rosalind Franklin
Born in London on the 25th July 1920, Rosalind was an expert at X-ray Crystallography. in 1952 Rosalind and her student Raymond Gosling captured photograph 51 - which proved DNA had a double helix structure. The famed scientists Watson and Crick used her data to build their DNA model, proceeding to win the Nobel Prize for their discovery in 1962. Tragically Rosalind died aged 37 in 1958. Because the Nobel Prize is never awarded after death, she was not included.

photo credit - King's College London Archives

23/07/2026

📚This month in History: Pasteur and the Rabies Vaccination
After 4 years of intensive research, Louis Pasteur injected 14 daily doses of Rabbit spinal cord suspensions containing progressively inactivated Rabies Virus into 9 year old Joseph Meister who had been bitten by a rabid dog just days before. "The child's death appeared inevitable. I decided not without acute and harrowing anxiety, as may be imagined, to apply to Joseph Meister the method which I had found consistently successful with dogs". The vaccine was successful and Joseph recovered. This event marked the beginning of the modern era for immunisation. Pasteur's treatment is still used in a similar form today in some parts of the world but in other areas post exposure treatment will cell-based cultures are preferred.

16/07/2026

📣Joint Infection Webinar!📣
New recommendations for PJI diagnosis following the updated ICM guidelines
Join us for a high-impact webinar featuring two leading experts, Prof. Indelli and Dr. Esteban, who will explore the clinical and laboratory implications of advanced microbiological diagnostics in the management of challenging prosthetic joint infections (PJI), combining theoretical insights and clinical case illustrations.

Building on the International Consensus Meeting (ICM) recommendations, the speakers will emphasize the role and value of molecular diagnostics, including PCR-based syndromic panels, highlighting how these approaches complement standard microbiological methods, support timely therapeutic decisions, and contribute to improved patient outcomes.

Register in the link below 👇
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8885556340851757916