📄 Category

public and global health

384 papers

Public and global health examines how we protect communities from disease, manage outbreaks, and improve well-being across the world. This vital field connects diverse research on everything from infectious disease control and vaccination strategies to the social factors that shape our collective health. Because these studies often impact policy and daily life, understanding them quickly is more important than ever.

At Gist.Science, we track every new preprint published in this category on medRxiv to ensure you never miss a breakthrough. We process each submission to provide both plain-language explanations for general readers and detailed technical summaries for experts, making complex findings accessible to everyone.

Below are the latest papers in public and global health, freshly summarized from the most recent medRxiv releases.

📄 public and global health

Linking transmission dynamics and economic evaluation to assess schistosomiasis programme strategies across districts in Malawi

This study utilizes an integrated transmission and economic model across Malawi's 32 districts to demonstrate that while school-aged child treatment is highly cost-effective for morbidity reduction, community-wide mass drug administration is necessary for elimination and becomes cost-saving only in high-prevalence districts, highlighting the need for strategies tailored to local disease burden and programmatic goals.

Mangal, T. D., Colbourn, T., Phillips, A. N., Mfutso-Bengo, J., Mphamba, P., Mohan, S., Murray-Watson, R., Nkhoma, D., J (…)2026-05-07
📄 public and global health

Global Detection of Respiratory Illness Outbreaks inTravelers: A Statistical Approach using GeoSentinel Data

This study demonstrates that a hybrid autoregressive generalized linear mixed model combined with Shewhart control charts can effectively detect early respiratory illness outbreaks in international travelers using GeoSentinel data, even in the absence of reliable travel volume denominators, as validated by its successful identification of early COVID-19 signals in China during 2020.

Heidema, S., Stoepker, I. V., Leung, D. T., Piyaphanee, W., Chen, L. H., Diaz-Menendez, M., O'Laughlin, K., Libman, M. (…)2026-05-07
📄 public and global health

Antimicrobial Stewardship Knowledge Gaps among Healthcare Professionals at a Ghanaian Tertiary Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Despite having generally positive attitudes and appropriate self-reported practices regarding antimicrobial stewardship, healthcare professionals at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana exhibit significant knowledge deficits, highlighting an urgent need for role-tailored, competency-based training to bridge the gap between favorable attitudes and evidence-based behaviors.

Kyei, B. K., Kyei, E. B., Addo, M. Y., Dugah, E., Adu, C. A. T., Yeboah, A., Kumatia, A. B. A.2026-05-06
📄 public and global health

Client Awareness of a Specialised STI Wellness Clinic in Eswatini: Contextualised marketing for a stigma-free client-centred STI clinic.

This proposed cross-sectional study at Eswatini's LaMvelase STI Wellness Centre aims to evaluate client awareness, preferences, and perceptions of marketing strategies to optimize demand creation and improve sexual health outcomes in a high-prevalence setting.

Mafulu, Y. M., Ndlovu, P., Maseko, K. L., Williams, V., Ndabezitha, S., Gwebu, S., Matsenjwa, N., Mhlanga, N., Dube, N. (…)2026-05-06
📄 public and global health

Protocol for a Cross-Sectional Comparative Analysis of Condom Use and STI Prevalence Among PrEP Users and Non-Users at a Specialised STI Wellness Clinic in Eswatini

This prospective cross-sectional study conducted at a specialized clinic in Eswatini aims to compare condom use patterns and STI prevalence between PrEP users and non-users to inform future public health strategies and optimize sexual health interventions.

Mafulu, Y. M., Williams, V., Ndlovu, P., Ndabezitha, S., Maseko, K. L., Ndlovu, N., Gwebu, S., Matsenjwa, N., Deku, B. (…)2026-05-06
📄 public and global health

Pain across the lifespan: global and regional reference curves from 6.1 million individuals in 118 countries

This study establishes the first global reference curves for pain across the lifespan using data from over 6 million individuals, revealing that pain prevalence is highest in women and unexpectedly peaks in late life among low Human Development Index countries, with significant regional variations in the impact of modifiable risk factors.

Fillingim, M., Tanguay-Sabourin, C., Neuert, L., Zare, A., Norman, J., Guglietti, G. V., Hobeika, L., Ayorinde, A., Sali (…)2026-05-05
📄 public and global health

Socioeconomic profile of people affected by skin neglected tropical diseases in the communes of Zagnanado and Allada, Benin: a mixed-methods cross-sectional study

This mixed-methods study in Benin reveals that skin neglected tropical diseases disproportionately affect impoverished rural populations, with care-seeking hindered by commune-specific financial and infrastructural barriers as well as a critical "nosological dissociation" between biomedical diagnoses and local cultural interpretations that necessitates targeted, context-specific interventions and collaboration with traditional practitioners.

Houngnihin, R., BIAO, M. Y. L., Gbebioho, B., Togonou, F., Azonchiga, D.2026-05-05
📄 public and global health

Beyond malaria prevention: sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine treatment in pregnancy selectively remodels the maternal gut microbiome to increase gestational weight gain and improve birthweight

This study reveals that sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) treatment during pregnancy improves birthweight and gestational weight gain not only by preventing malaria but also by selectively remodeling the maternal gut microbiome to suppress pathobionts and enrich beneficial anaerobic commensals, a mechanism distinct from conventional antibiotic dysbiosis.

Waltmann, A., Puerto-Meredith, S. M., Chinkhumba, J., Mzembe, E., Kayange, M., Carroll, I., Roach, J., Mathanga, D. P. (…)2026-05-05
📄 public and global health

Contextual Barriers and Facilitators Influencing Implementation Fidelity of School-Based Preventive Chemotherapy for Schistosomiasis: A Qualitative Study in Two Endemic Districts in the Central Region, Ghana.

This qualitative study in Ghana identifies that the implementation fidelity of school-based schistosomiasis preventive chemotherapy is shaped by a complex interplay of sociocultural, organizational, and health system factors, necessitating a shift toward community-centered strategies that prioritize engagement, logistical support, and intersectoral collaboration to achieve sustained disease control.

Moshi, H., Msugupakulya, B. J., Vahedi, M., Glozah, F. N.2026-05-04