📄 Category

public and global health

273 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.

Epidemiological characteristics and vaccination impact scenario modelling of concurrent Clade I mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi

This study utilizes transmission-dynamic modeling to demonstrate that concurrent Clade I mpox outbreaks in the DRC and Burundi are driven by distinct mechanisms—sexual transmission in non-enzootic areas versus zoonotic spillover in enzootic regions—and that timely detection combined with tailored, single-dose vaccination strategies, particularly prioritizing children in enzootic zones and sex workers in non-enzootic zones, could significantly reduce infection burdens.

McCabe, R., Knock, E. S., Halliday, A., Cox, V. M., Olivera Mesa, D., Chopra, K., Ajong, B., Bizimana, J.-C., Kalonji, T., Kamatari, O., Leng, T., Maddren, R., Mavoko, H. M., Mbala, P., Morel, G., Nke (…)2026-02-27📄 public and global health

Effect of an integrated housing intervention for people involved in the criminal-legal system who have housing instability

This study demonstrates that an integrated housing, medical, and behavioral health intervention for individuals involved in the criminal-legal system significantly improved housing stability, particularly for older participants and those initially unstably housed, although high-severity substance use remained a barrier to success.

Fan, A. Y., Flax, C., Ibrahim, N., Tracey, D., Hernandez, A., Moscariello, S., Price, C. R., Meyer, J. P.2026-02-27📄 public and global health

Characterising associations between mental distress, mobility, and COVID-19 restrictions: a U.S. study

This U.S. study reveals that higher levels of self-reported anxiety and depression during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic were significantly associated with slower recovery of pre-pandemic mobility, indicating that psychological distress influences population movement behaviors beyond the effects of formal restrictions and mortality rates.

Fiandrino, S., Kulkarni, S., Cornale, P., Ghivarello, S., Birello, P., Parazzoli, S. M., Moss, F., De Gaetano, A., Liberatore, D., D'Ignazi, J., Kalimeri, K., Tizzani, M., Mazzoli, M.2026-02-27📄 public and global health

Exploratory analyses of Immunologic Features in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir for Long COVID

This exploratory analysis of the PAX LC trial found that nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment for Long COVID induced no significant virological or immunological changes compared to placebo, suggesting that the lack of clinical benefit may be due to the persistence of viral antigens and the absence of treatment-driven immune modulation, although symptom improvement in both groups was associated with reduced RANTES levels.

Bhattacharjee, B., Sawano, M., Hooper, W. B., Wang, K., Tabachnikova, A., Monteiro, V. S., Lu, P., Baevova, P., Rodrigues, G. C., Fisher, V. L., Caraballo, C., Khera, R., Li, S.-X., Herrin, J., Christ (…)2026-02-26📄 public and global health

Wastewater testing during the South African 2022-2023 measles outbreak demonstrates the potential of environmental surveillance to support measles elimination

This study demonstrates the potential of wastewater environmental surveillance to support measles elimination in South Africa by successfully detecting measles virus RNA in samples from districts where clinical surveillance failed to identify cases, despite challenges with RNA degradation in stored samples.

Ndlovu, N., Mabasa, V., Sankar, C., Msomi, N., Phalane, E., Singh, N., Gwala, S., Els, F., Macheke, M., Maposa, S., Yousif, M., McCarthy, K.2026-02-25📄 public and global health

Effect of Kangaroo Mother Care during the first 72 hours of life on early growth and breastfeeding in normal birth weight newborns: Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial

This protocol outlines a multicentre, randomised controlled trial in India designed to evaluate whether prolonged Kangaroo Mother Care (at least 8 hours daily) during the first 72 hours of life improves early weight gain, breastfeeding quality, and maternal-infant bonding in healthy, normal birth weight newborns compared to standard care.

Kumar, A., Mishra, M., Tiwari, M., Singh, V. P., Mukhopadhyay, R., Srivastava, A., Kumar, M., Agarwal, A., Singh, S. N., Tripathi, S., Khan, M. S., Kumar, P., Kumar, R., Kumar, A., Darmstadt, G., Kuma (…)2026-02-25📄 public and global health

Personal-MetaboHealth, an actionable health check in middle age, is improved by an effective lifestyle intervention in those at risk

The study demonstrates that Personal-MetaboHealth, a personalized and clinically validated metabolomic score derived from a Dutch reference population, robustly predicts all-cause mortality and cardiometabolic disease onset in middle-aged individuals and can be effectively improved through a targeted lifestyle intervention for those at risk.

Berg, N. v. d., Natalle Lopes, G., Bogaards, F., Beekman, M., Amaro Junior, E., Deelen, J., Slagboom, P. E.2026-02-23📄 public and global health

Informal support networks and their role in community safety and mental well-being among racially and ethnically minoritised groups in London: a qualitative study

This qualitative study of racially and ethnically minoritised groups in South East London reveals that while informal support networks are vital for navigating community safety and mental well-being amidst institutional distrust and structural inequality, they cannot replace the need for adequately resourced, culturally informed public provisions.

Benjamin, L., Williams, D., Asif, Z., Campbell, S., Mousicos, D., Rhead, R., Stanley, N., Kienzler, H., Hatch, S.2026-02-23📄 public and global health

Owning the narrative: Exploring the impact of a creative storytelling intervention on Stigma and Empowerment among persons affected by Leprosy in Pakistan

This qualitative study in Karachi demonstrates that a participatory storytelling intervention significantly enhances individual empowerment and reduces self-stigma among persons affected by leprosy by fostering self-acceptance and peer solidarity, though its broader societal impact remains constrained by persistent community misconceptions, gender norms, and structural barriers.

Ibrahim, N., Fastenau, A., Salam, A., Schlumberger, F., Willis, M., McKane, L., Murtaza, A., Seekles, M., Dean, L., Hotopf, I. A.2026-02-23📄 public and global health