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I thought it was just common, full stop.

If you're allergic to eggs, this would make sense – some variants of 'flu vaccination are grown on in eggs. This current year's wasn't, but from memory I think at least the previous four were.

You could wait for a different type of vaccine to be approved? The allergic reaction is thought to have been driven by the presence of 'foreign' mRNA in the body. The Oxford/AZ vaccine, for instance, uses a completely different approach, and because it doesn't have such demanding transportation...

Indeed – the study was done by a German team, though, so in fairness it could just be an odd translation of something that was already a bit truncated by the abstract form.

I second @Trish's post – some women just get UTIs every now and again, it's not at all unusual. :) Those who have penetrative sex, even within monogamous relationships, can pick up bugs particularly easily due to the mechanics involved. Women who don't may still occasionally get them anyway...

I really enjoyed the two talks today. Bhupesh's work on what happens when cells are infected by both a bacterium and HHV6 might have some fascinating implications, though it sounds as if there's a way to go before any role in disease is fully understood. What immediately stood out from Karl's...

I always thought that too, but nowadays when I ask the person giving the vaccine to clarify, I'm always told it need only be avoided with a virus if you have a fever. I usually do have some viral-type symptoms, so I ask at the 'flu clinic every year in case the advice has changed! Having said...

I'm working on the assumption that by the time it's my turn, the Oxford/AZ vaccination will have been approved and that's what will be offered. It's much easier to handle and store, and could potentially be offered in venues such as sports centres rather than needing the sophisticated setup...

Thank you, @EducateME. I've now done the patient section; I won't send on to anyone, as I don't think they'd know what to say.

Looks good! I'd do it if I could, but I live alone and have only one close relative, so my illness doesn't really impact on anyone but me.

I don't think this would be a bad thing when it comes to patient safety. Given the current state of knowledge, what the majority of people with ME would probably benefit from most is well informed GPs, who could refer newly diagnosed or relapsed patients to trained OTs to help them learn to...

Was reading this too, it looks like good news for hugely complex areas of research. I wonder if DeepMind fancies having a go at some of the thorny questions in ME research!

Some rather better writing from the Grauniad in a Q&A about Long Covid: How similar is long Covid to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)? The extent to which long Covid overlaps with CFS (also known as ME), is generating heated medical debate. Both illnesses are triggered by viral infections and...

It absolutely shouldn't be, of course. But I read the abstract in a slightly more positive way: another nudge. When you're trying to educate a disparate group of people, you have to use a lot of different channels. Get reminders into spaces they might visit. So for me, anything that reminds...

I can't remember a time before brain fog! :laugh: I've had it since the mid-70s. Every now and again I get a couple of hours without it. It comes as such a surprise to find myself able to think clearly that it startles me! I was reasonably bright as a youngster; I reckon that, during my adult...

Haven't seen anything by Frances Ryan for a while – good that she's spoken out.

I re-registered with a different address, after the last newsletter failed to reach me (it wasn't caught by the spam filter). I received this one at both addresses, so all seems to be functioning well this time.

We can live in hope and die in despair! – as my mother used to say, rolling her eyes. But Katharine Cheston, whom I've not come across before, did a pretty good job of demolishing the absurdities in article on Twitter. It won't dent the Observer's tendency to smugness about being on the right...

FFS! I have literally never come across one of these patients with 'intense irrational fears' and 'kinesiphobia' in 40-odd years. I would be astonished if anyone has. ME patients are some of the most resilient people I've ever encountered, even though all – and I mean ALL – would really...

It's not helpful for your letter, but I don't think we can know this in a way that's reliable enough to be useful. It could be 100%, as viral infections can be asymptomatic; it could be that two or more factors are necessary, and viruses rarely precipitate ME alone. The latter appears less...