📊 Category

epidemiology

407 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

Impact of climate and acquired immunity on malaria burden in Senegal and The Gambia: an agent-based modeling study

This study introduces an agent-based modeling framework (VECTRI-ABM) to demonstrate that standard malaria models, which assume a uniform population-average immunity, significantly misestimate the disease burden by age and climate, specifically underestimating clinical prevalence in children in high-transmission regions compared to models that account for individual exposure histories.

Garrido Zornoza, M., Caminade, C., Dieng, A., Chitnis, N., Tompkins, A. M.2026-09-22
📊 epidemiology

Finding Safety Signals in Sparse Data: Zero-Inflated Models for Pharmacovigilance studies

This study demonstrates that zero-inflated statistical models offer a robust complementary approach to traditional disproportionality analysis for detecting safety signals in sparse, zero-inflated pharmacovigilance data, providing improved model fit for various adverse event categories while yielding results consistent with standard methods.

Man, M., Cheng, V., Cox, A. R., Easter, C. L., Jones, A. M.2026-09-22
📊 epidemiology

Repeated SARS-CoV-2 Introductions with Limited Local Establishment in Bangladesh, 2020-2025

Despite sparse genomic surveillance in Bangladesh from 2020 to 2025, phylogenetic analysis reveals that SARS-CoV-2 spread was driven by repeated introductions primarily from India and the Gulf with limited local establishment, where imported lineages determined viral circulation while locally arising mutations rarely achieved widespread frequency due to short observation windows.

Khair, S., Karim, Y., Begum, M. N.2026-09-21
📊 epidemiology

Protective effect of influenza vaccine in Brazilian patients hospitalised for severe acute respiratory infection, 2023-2025

This study analyzing Brazilian hospital data from 2023 to 2025 found that while influenza vaccine uptake among severe acute respiratory infection patients declined, receiving two vaccine doses significantly reduced in-hospital mortality, ICU admissions, and length of stay, suggesting that expanding priority vaccination to include 50-59-year-olds could further mitigate adverse outcomes.

Kupek, E.2026-09-21
📊 epidemiology

Distinct Type 2 Diabetes Components Exert Contrasting Effects on Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Development

This study reveals that while overall Type 2 diabetes liability shows no net association with abdominal aortic aneurysm risk, distinct physiological components exert opposing effects where insulin resistance promotes aneurysm development while hyperglycemia appears protective.

DeVaro, D. N., Raghavan, S. N., Walker, V., Gaunt, T. R., Larsson, S. C., Levin, M. G., Rhee, Y. H., Tsao, P. S., Yuan (…)2026-09-21
📊 epidemiology

Real-World Marijuana Use Is Associated With Altered Nocturnal Cardiac Autonomic Function, Reduced Sleep Quality, and Declining Consumption During Wearable Monitoring

This study of over 16,000 wearable device users reveals that real-world marijuana use is associated with altered nocturnal cardiac autonomic function and longer but more fragmented sleep, while the act of self-monitoring itself appears to correlate with a decline in consumption over time.

Curran, D., von Hippel, W., Fielding, F., Jasinski, S. R., Leota, J., Cohen, J. G., Holmes, K. E., Grosicki, G. J., Cheu (…)2026-09-20
📊 epidemiology

Protective association between recent insecticide-treated bed net use and falciparum malaria in three provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

This cross-sectional study of 2,819 symptomatic patients in three provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo demonstrates that recent insecticide-treated bed net use is significantly associated with a reduced risk of *Plasmodium falciparum* malaria, although this protective effect is somewhat diminished among individuals with a prior history of malaria infection.

Wiener, D. L., Kieto, E., Kashamuka, M. M., Nono, M., Juliano, J. J., Phanzu, F., NSiala, A., Nseka, T., Tshefu, A. K. (…)2026-09-16