📄 Category

public and global health

312 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

Benchmarking Speech Recognition Models for Medical Consultations in Latin American Spanish: A Comparative Evaluation with Fine-Tuning

This study benchmarks ten speech-to-text models on Latin American Spanish medical consultations, finding that while fine-tuning Whisper Large v3 did not surpass its vanilla version, it outperformed other open-source and closed-source models on key metrics, establishing it as the optimal open-source solution for AI medical scribes in this context.

Carrillo, R. M., Carbajal Serrano, A., Condori Pinedo, P. S.2026-07-16
📄 public and global health

Global governance of pandemic prevention from the wildlife trade: A perspective from governance entrepreneurs and practitioners

Drawing on interviews with global governance entrepreneurs and practitioners, this paper analyzes the feasibility of pandemic prevention from wildlife trade through the lenses of nexus governance and regime complex theory, revealing a critical need to better integrate biodiversity conservation into global health governance and reform key institutions to address the gaps left by the recently adopted Pandemic Agreement.

Gray, R., Gallo-Cajiao, E., Aguiar, R., Lee, K. M., Penney, T. L., Wiktorowicz, M.2026-07-13
📄 public and global health

Bacterial Contamination of Surgical Site Wounds Among Post-Operative Patients and Theatre Surfaces at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital

This cross-sectional study at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital found a 30.7% prevalence of bacterial contamination in post-operative wounds, predominantly caused by *E. coli* with high antibiotic resistance, which was not significantly associated with contamination levels on theatre surfaces.

Abertenako, C., Akiteng, W., John Roberts, P., Asimai, M., Tabule, M., Omeke, J., Buga, R., Ibrahim, B.2026-07-13
📄 public and global health

Global shifts in thermal suitability and population at risk for dengue transmission by Aedes spp. mosquitoes under CMIP6 scenarios

This study projects that under CMIP6 climate and demographic scenarios, global dengue transmission risk will expand poleward with a net increase of nearly 1 billion people at year-round risk and over 3 billion at risk for at least one month by 2050, primarily driven by population growth in Africa and Asia.

Ryan, S. J., Lippi, C. J., Johnson, L. R., Meredith, J.2026-07-11
📄 public and global health

Maternal exposure to stress and risk of obesity in children aged 5-15 years living in a deprived urban Peruvian community.

This study of children aged 5–15 in a deprived urban Peruvian community found that while maternal psychological distress was associated with lower child BMI and waist circumference, higher maternal physiological stress (allostatic load) significantly increased the risk of childhood obesity.

Rougeaux, E., Fewtrell, M., Bernabe-Ortiz, A., Song, C., Eaton, S., Wells, J., Fottrell, E.2026-07-09
📄 public and global health

Climate Change, Place, and Mental Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Multi-Country Analysis of Lived Experiences Following Extreme Weather Events

This multi-country qualitative study in sub-Saharan Africa reveals that the mental health impacts of extreme weather events are not isolated post-disaster reactions but are instead cyclical, cumulative, and deeply rooted in place-based conditions, structural inequalities, and disrupted community infrastructures, necessitating integrated, climate-responsive mental health support.

Mulopo, C., Ndlovu, S. M. S., Akinyi, L. J., Muanido, A., Kabre, W., Ouedraogo, M., Maivasse, C. M., Jose, S. F., Odero (…)2026-07-08
📄 public and global health

Neonatal Hypothermia at and after Admission: Burden and Associations with Outside Air Temperature and Neonatal Ward Temperature in Four Sub Saharan African Countries Implementing with the NEST360 Alliance

This retrospective study across four Sub-Saharan African countries reveals that neonatal hypothermia remains highly prevalent at and after admission despite most units meeting minimum temperature standards, with significant associations found between hypothermia risk and cooler ward or outside temperatures, particularly during nighttime hours.

Mar, M., Bohne, C. A., Wainaina, J., Johari, M. T., Okello, G., Gicheha, E., Paul, C., Richards-Kortum, R., Oden, M., La (…)2026-07-07
📄 public and global health

Which African Countries are at Risk of Missing SDG 3.2? Bayesian Mapping of Under-Five Mortality Using UNICEF 2024 Data

Using 2024 UNICEF data and Bayesian spatial forecasting, this study reveals that significant geographical inequalities persist across Africa, with 41 of 49 countries unlikely to achieve the SDG 3.2 under-five mortality target by 2030, highlighting the urgent need for prioritized interventions in high-risk regions like West Africa.

Oladimeji, D. M., Mustapha, A. K., Ekop, E. E.2026-07-07