📄 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

Global COVID-19 vaccination uptake across the emergency and early post-emergency periods, 2021-2024

This paper analyzes global COVID-19 vaccination data from 2021 to 2024, revealing that while primary series coverage reached high levels among older adults and health workers by the end of 2023, significant disparities persisted across income groups and regions, with lower booster uptake and limited 2024 coverage highlighting the urgent need for sustainably financed adult immunization platforms.

Brooks, D. J., Germann, A., Craw, L., Dumolard, L., Nedelec, Y., Acma, A., Schultz, C., Mboussou, F., Atagbaza, A., Dosh (…)2026-07-06
📄 public and global health

Assessing Rehabilitation Systems in Conflict: A Policy Analysis of Prosthetic and Orthotic Services in Gaza, Palestine

This policy analysis of the Rehabilitation Task Force's documents reveals that while Gaza's prosthetic and orthotic sector excels in policy formulation, the intentional destruction of infrastructure and withholding of resources have critically undermined its capacity to deliver essential products, personnel, and services, necessitating urgent international intervention to restore care for persons with disabilities.

Riccio-Ackerman, F., Meah, T., Elessi, K., Alkhatib, H., Mohammadi, F., Afifi, R., Herr, H., Totah, D.2026-07-04
📄 public and global health

Biological Pathways Linking Integrated Interventions to Infant Growth in the first 6 months of life: Findings from a Mediator Analysis of the WINGS Randomized Controlled Trial

A mediation analysis of the WINGS randomized controlled trial in Delhi, India, reveals that an integrated preconception-to-childhood intervention package significantly improved infant weight-for-age at six months primarily by enhancing fetal growth and reducing the incidence of small-for-gestational-age births.

Chowdhury, R., Tripathi, D., Devi, S., Taneja, S., Majumder, P. P., Strand, T. A., Pandey, R. M., Kurpad, A. V., Mukherj (…)2026-07-04
📄 public and global health

Implementation outputs and outcomes of a community-based maternal and newborn care model in rural Galmudug, Somalia: an implementation research study

This implementation research study evaluates a community-based maternal and newborn care model in rural Galmudug, Somalia, finding that while the program achieved high acceptability, coverage, and competency among community health workers, its long-term sustainability and equitable reach require addressing systemic challenges such as workload, referral pathways, and the needs of marginalized groups.

Kozuki, N., Kimemia, G., Abdi, H. A., Abdi, A., Maalim, A., Mothupi, M. C., Miris, M., Mohamud, A. M., Nanda, G., Omar (…)2026-07-04
📄 public and global health

Health-system readiness for integrating ceiling nets into malaria vector control in Kenya: perspectives of health managers

This study reveals that health system managers in Kenya's Lake Victoria basin view ceiling nets as a feasible and acceptable complementary vector control strategy, provided that implementation addresses systemic bottlenecks through community engagement, task-shifting to community health promoters, and strengthened supply chains.

MBUGUA, S. M., Kongere, J., Kagaya, W., Mwaura, P., Ko, Y., Omondi, P., Mujuni, M., Kasililika, A., Kisiangani, I., Kano (…)2026-07-04
📄 public and global health

Variability in Health Literacy and Learning Preferences on Peripheral Arterial Disease Among Chinese-speaking Communities in California

This study reveals that Peripheral Artery Disease awareness is critically low among Chinese-speaking communities in California and highlights significant regional variations in preferred health information sources, underscoring the need for tailored, community-based education strategies.

Shih, C.-D., Pookun, P., Zhang, B., Yuan, J., Lim, K., Senagbe, K. M., Tan, T.-W., Rosario, E. R.2026-07-01
📄 public and global health

Mortality from birth through adolescence: Trends, Determinants, and Insights from a Longitudinal Cohort in Benin

This longitudinal cohort study in semi-rural Benin reveals that child mortality from birth to 14 years is concentrated in early life and primarily driven by neonatal respiratory distress and subsequent malaria, highlighting the critical need for improved neonatal care and scaled-up malaria prevention strategies.

Barry, K. M., Cruz, M., Alao, M. J., Zoumenou, R., Fermanian, C., Massougbodji, A., Bodeau-Livinec, F.2026-06-29
📄 public and global health

Microbiological Quality of Weaning Foods and Hygiene-Related Risk Factors in Peri-Urban, Lusaka Zambia

A study in peri-urban Lusaka, Zambia, found that 29% of weaning foods were contaminated with *E. coli*, with animal source foods posing a significantly higher microbiological risk than porridge or non-animal foods, highlighting critical gaps in household hygiene practices that need to be addressed in nutrition guidelines.

Chipungu, J., Ngosa, D., Bick, S., Davies, K., Mwila-Kazimbaya, K., Sharma, A., Braun, L., Chilengi, R., Knee, J., Dreib (…)2026-06-29
📄 public and global health

Enteric pathogen infections among infants in rural Bangladesh: prevalence, trial impact, and associations with enteric dysfunction and growth.

In a rural Bangladeshi cohort, a combined food production and hygiene intervention failed to reduce the high burden of enteric pathogens, yet repeated subclinical infections were found to be significantly associated with enteric dysfunction and impaired child growth.

Müller-Hauser, A. A., Lambrecht, N. J., Sobhan, S., Waid, J. L., Huda, T. M. N., Nurjadi, D., Wendt, A. S., Rahman, M. (…)2026-06-29
📄 public and global health

A strengths-based, participatory qualitative exploration of digital information access and critical health literacy among culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Australia

This strengths-based, participatory qualitative study reveals how culturally and linguistically diverse adults in Australia navigate complex online health information environments by leveraging diverse language skills and critically evaluating sources, including the ambivalent use of AI tools, to distinguish credible information from misinformation.

Muscat, D. M., Mustapha-Khodragha, N., Wong, M., Trisnasari, S., Talla, G., Rizkyanti, F., Ng, S., Kapoor, G., Khalid, S (…)2026-06-29