Vanessa Campo-Ruiz, MD PhD

Medical Doctor, PhD, research science &tech / policy maker, health+food+AI, European Commission HaDEA.Opinions= my own. RTs not endorsms.

[Vanessa Campo-Ruiz, MD PhD @VCSTX]

Good morning! I share info & updates about #EuropeanUnion #programmes & #funding opportunities, as well as subjects linked 2 #health & #medicine, such as #food #nutrition #medicaltechnologies #AI #artificialintelligence #digital #environment. Let's connect & cheers!

[UNICEF @UNICEF]

“There is no longer a safe place in Lebanon.”

From Beirut, @UNICEFLebanon's Christophe Boulierac shares how the lives of children and families were shattered in mere minutes on 8 April 2026.

A wave of bombardments tore through communities, reportedly killing 33 children and injuring 153.

Watch and share to join us in calling for the protection of children and civilians in Lebanon.

[CIDRAP @CIDRAP]

New study: Long COVID is tied to a higher risk of heart disease, even after mild infection.

The study also reveals that women with long COVID experience more heart problems than men.

Read more: https://t.co/keEyg3SG0K

[tern @1goodtern]

This needs to go so much further. Covid is a linings, immunity, neurological, clot disease that masquerades as vascular disease masquerading as respiratory disease.

And in the absolute absence of vaccinations, the way to stop it is mechanical: ffp2+ masks
https://t.co/jJjiahOa3u

[Harry Spoelstra @HarrySpoelstra]

Post-exertional malaise and the myth of cardiac deconditioning: rethinking the pathophysiology of long covid

‼️Important and HIGH TIME this got addressed!

➡️This excellent international paper scientifically argues that heart-related issues seen in long COVID (like problems with blood flow/preload, inflammation, scarring, or poor oxygen use by muscles) aren't mainly explained by simple deconditioning from bed rest or inactivity. Instead, deeper problems are likely involved, such as issues with mitochondria (the cell's energy factories), blood vessel/endothelial dysfunction, autoimmunity, or other post-viral effects.

➡️The IMPORTANT takeaways for patients and colleagues:

1. Long COVID is NOT just "being out of shape" or simple deconditioning from illness/inactivity.
The idea that heart and exercise problems in long COVID are mostly reversible deconditioning is a myth, it fails to explain what doctors actually see.

2. Post-exertional malaise (PEM) is the REAL hallmark, hitting ~80% of long COVID patients hard.
Even mild activity (physical or mental) triggers a delayed, brutal crash: massive fatigue, pain, brain fog, etc., that drags on for days, weeks, or longer, sometimes permanently worsening your baseline. This is not what happens in normal deconditioning.

3. Heart issues in long COVID go way beyond deconditioning.
We're talking real damage: myocardial scarring, inflammation, "leaky" blood vessels, preload failure (heart doesn't fill properly), mitochondrial dysfunction, endothelial problems, autoimmunity, and poor oxygen use in muscles. Deconditioning alone cannot account for these, especially the weird preload issues seen on invasive testing.

4.Pushing graded exercise therapy is DANGEROUS for people with PEM.
Traditional "build up gradually" programs are contraindicated — they risk serious harm, crashes, and permanent setbacks. The WHO already warns against this for anyone with PEM.

5. One-size-fits-all exercise advice is reckless.
- Stop assuming long COVID = deconditioning.
- Screen EVERY patient for PEM first (using tools like questionnaires).
- Treatment must be highly personalized: pacing (staying strictly within your energy limits, often with heart rate monitoring), light tolerated activity, breathing work, avoiding prolonged bed rest, and sometimes meds for related issues like POTS.

‼️Long COVID's exercise intolerance and cardiac changes are largely independent of deconditioning.
Ignoring PEM and pushing standard rehab can actively harm patients.
Doctors and patients need to ditch the outdated "just get fitter" mindset and adopt physiology-guided, PEM-safe strategies, or risk making things much worse.
https://t.co/Kdr9dzrndb

[CSIC @CSIC]

🦠 Una empresa surgida del #CSIC y el @icn2nano impulsará un dispositivo de diagnóstico rápido de infecciones bacterianas

🔬 Permitirá la detección de estas infecciones en menos de 30 minutos y a través de una pequeña muestra de sangre del paciente

👉 https://t.co/v4rnlMu2PM

[EU One Health @EU_Health]

🔴 Measles cases are rising across Europe: several EU countries have lost their measles-free status.
Measles is highly contagious but preventable.
✅ 2 vaccine doses give the best protection
Get vaccinated. Get protected.
👉 https://t.co/k7D4wlOfqO
#UnitedInProtection

[United Nations Geneva @UNGeneva]

𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁. 🕊️

It's time to turn on for peace and off for war and destruction.

Every action counts in building a world where harmony prevails over chaos.

The world needs to #ChoosePeace for #OurCommonFuture!

[United Nations @UN]

“There can be neither peace where people are starving, nor security where hunger drives conflict.”

Condemning the use of food as a weapon, @AminaJMohammed urges Security Council to act as millions are trapped in a vicious cycle of hunger & insecurity.
https://t.co/1T2opdEj8r

[United Nations Geneva @UNGeneva]

"Sudan faces an extremely complex contamination landscape, unexploded ammunitions, anti-vehicle mines, anti-personnel mines." - @UNMAS

"People are dying from a lack of access to basic healthcare medication. 21 mln people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity." - @WHO

[Carl Skau @WFPChief]

We are on the brink of a completely preventable hunger catastrophe that threatens widespread starvation in multiple countries.

Failure to act now will only drive further instability, migration and conflict.

The latest Hunger Hotspots report: https://t.co/NGzNJ6cF1J

[Vanessa Campo-Ruiz, MD PhD @VCSTX]

LET THE EVALUATIONS START!
Today we kick off another cycle of EU evaluations of research and innovation proposals in #health 🇪🇺

#Healthresearch & #innovation are essential to make progress in disease prevention, surveillance, monitoring, diagnosis, treatment & palliative care.

[United Nations @UN]

Two years of war in Gaza have brought devastation, displacement, hunger.

Amid these unprecedented conditions, @WFP remains on the ground, adapting every day to reach families in need.

Gaza urgently needs food and aid at scale — and only a ceasefire can make that possible.

[Vanessa Campo-Ruiz, MD PhD @VCSTX]

#RiDaysEU #grants #research #HorizonEurope #researchers #innovators #entrepreneurs #Europe #Europeanunion

[Vanessa Campo-Ruiz, MD PhD @VCSTX]

Attending the EU Research and Innovation Days 2025 in #Brussels 🇪🇺

Eager to celebrate #research & #researchers, and to learn about views, strategies, challenges & novel approaches of this amazing community 💪🏽
#RIDays ⁦@HorizonEU⁩ ⁦@EU_HaDEA⁩ ⁦@EU_Commission⁩

[Vanessa Campo-Ruiz, MD PhD @VCSTX]

#RiDaysEU #grants #research #HorizonEurope #researchers #innovators #entrepreneurs #Europe #Europeanunion

[Vanessa Campo-Ruiz, MD PhD @VCSTX]

#RIDays in #Brussels today:

Commissioner Zaharieva advocates for simplification of application process, expediting times & pushing for more bottom up research.

We in the European Commission’s HaDEA are ready!

⁦@HorizonEU⁩ ⁦@EU_Commission⁩ ⁦@EU_HaDEA⁩

[World Health Organization (WHO) @WHO]

By learning how to wash your hands properly and making sure you wash them often, you can help to reduce the risk of sepsis.
Stop #sepsis and save lives.

[Reuters @Reuters]

More food aid is reaching Gaza but it still remains far from enough to prevent widespread starvation, the head of the World Food Program told @Reuters https://t.co/4yfzmyzUjE

[Carl Skau @WFPChief]

#Gaza is at a breaking point. I've just seen it myself.

@WFP operates in conflict zones all over the world. Families in Gaza are starving—and we know how to deliver at scale.

We must revive our network of 200+ food distribution points, community kitchens & bakeries ASAP.

[United Nations Geneva @UNGeneva]

The independent UN child rights committee @UNChildRights1 today expressed deep concern over the “catastrophic impact on children of the hostilities in #Gaza.”

“Without immediate humanitarian access, more children will die,” it says.

https://t.co/KQb4bXUS8B