📊 Category

epidemiology

285 papers

Epidemiology is the study of how diseases spread through populations and what factors influence their patterns. Rather than focusing on individual patients, this field examines broader trends to identify outbreaks, track transmission, and guide public health decisions. By analyzing data on infection rates and risk factors, researchers work to prevent future health crises and protect communities worldwide.

On Gist.Science, we process every new preprint in this category directly from medRxiv to make these critical findings instantly accessible. For each study, we provide both a plain-language explanation for general readers and a detailed technical summary for specialists. This dual approach ensures that vital insights into disease dynamics are understood clearly and quickly by everyone who needs them.

Explore the latest research below to see how scientists are currently mapping disease trends and developing strategies to safeguard global health.

📊 epidemiology

Feasibility of using automatically extracted routine clinical data in a respiratory cohort study: The SPHN-SPAC demonstrator project.

The SPHN-SPAC demonstrator project demonstrates that automatically extracted routine clinical data can effectively complement manual abstraction in pediatric respiratory cohort studies by improving data completeness and capturing more events, though its broader application is currently constrained by heterogeneous documentation practices and the significant effort required for data harmonization.

Romero, F., Sasaki, M., Mallet, M. C., Pedersen, E. S. L., Leuenberger, L. M., Makhoul, R., Bovermann, X., Hartung, A. (…)2026-07-16
📊 epidemiology

Randomised trial of not providing booster diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccination after measles vaccination and child survival: A failed trial

This underpowered randomized trial in Guinea-Bissau found no significant difference in mortality or hospitalization between children who received a booster DTP vaccine after measles vaccination and those who did not, though the study's validity was compromised by lower-than-expected mortality rates and numerous concurrent health interventions that obscured the comparison.

Agergaard, J., Nielsen, S., Benn, C. S., Aaby, P.2026-07-15
📊 epidemiology

Prevalence of Anemia and Associated Factors Among Post-Partum Mothers in Public Health Facilities in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis of six studies involving 2,819 postpartum mothers in Ethiopia reveals a severe public health burden of anemia with a pooled prevalence of 35.4%, driven significantly by modifiable factors such as inadequate antenatal care, poor iron and folic acid adherence, hemorrhagic complications, and low educational attainment.

Woldearegay, H. N., Tebeka, M. S., Osman, S. O. S.2026-07-15✓ Author reviewed ⓘ
📊 epidemiology

Assessing the performance and costs of female genital schistosomiasis screening methods in Ondo and Kebbi States, Nigeria.

This study evaluates the performance and costs of adapted FGS screening tools in Ondo and Kebbi States, Nigeria, finding that while the tools are more cost-effective than colposcopy at approximately $11 per woman, their sub-optimal sensitivity and specificity necessitate further refinement to balance cost and diagnostic accuracy.

Osinoiki, O., Trotignon, G., Oluwole, A. S., Imhansoloeva, M., Jeyam, A., Jones, I., Selby, R., Schmidt, E.2026-07-15
📊 epidemiology

Decline to near-zero malaria hospitalisation over 35 years on the Kenyan Coast

This 35-year longitudinal study in Kilifi, Kenya, documents a dramatic decline in paediatric malaria hospitalizations and mortality from the 1990s to 2024, driven by sustained vector control and improved treatment, which shifted the disease profile toward older children and altered phenotypes without increasing the overall cumulative burden.

Kamau, A., Musau, M. M., Mturi, N., Mohammed, S., Mwambingu, G., Walumbe, D., Nyaguara, A., Williams, T. N., Bejon, P. (…)2026-07-15
📊 epidemiology

Influence of setting and diagnostic algorithm on disease severity among people diagnosed with symptomatic and asymptomatic tuberculosis in South Africa

This study demonstrates that the design of tuberculosis screening algorithms and the clinical setting significantly influence the observed disease severity spectrum, revealing that community-based screening strategies relying on symptom reporting and radiographic thresholds may detect asymptomatic TB cases that are, on average, more severe than symptomatic cases identified in clinics.

McCreesh, N., Govender, I., Sithole, M., Wong, E. B., Buthelezi, I., Hanekom, W., Ording-Jespersen, G., Siedner, M., Gra (…)2026-07-14
📊 epidemiology

Integrating Causal Inference into Pharmacovigilance: Target Trial Emulations for Proactive Signal Detection of Atorvastatin Initiation in Medicare Beneficiaries

This study demonstrates that an active, claims-based pharmacovigilance framework utilizing sequential target trial emulation on Medicare data can effectively detect both expected and novel adverse event signals associated with atorvastatin initiation in older adults, offering a systematic alternative to traditional passive surveillance.

Rowan, C. G., Tran, M., Srivastava, S.2026-07-10
📊 epidemiology

From Epidemic to Endemic: Longitudinal Surveillance of Congenital Zika Syndrome in Brazil

This longitudinal ecological study of Brazil from 2015 to 2023 reveals that while the initial Zika epidemic peaked in 2016 and subsequently declined to low-level endemic circulation, Congenital Zika Syndrome remains disproportionately concentrated in the Northeast region, with significant geographic disparities in burden and diagnostic capacity necessitating sustained surveillance and etiological investigation.

Oliveira Ferreira, R., Ma, H. L., Pestana Garcez, P., Zatz, M.2026-07-10
📊 epidemiology

Paediatric COVID-19 severity across SARS-CoV-2 variants in hospitalised children in South Africa: a retrospective cohort study

This retrospective cohort study of 354 hospitalized children in South Africa reveals that pediatric COVID-19 severity was highest during the pre-Omicron (Beta and Delta) waves, with younger age, specific variants, and elevated CRP levels identified as key factors associated with severe illness in this resource-limited setting.

Fiandrino, S., Di Chiara, C., Dona, D., Dunbar, R., Goussard, P., Lochan, H., Rabie, H., Redfern, A., Truter, C., Van Ni (…)2026-07-09