📄 Category

public and global health

386 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

Designing spatial adaptive surveillance for the emerging malaria vector Anopheles stephensi in Eastern and Horn of Africa

This paper presents and evaluates a dynamic, model-based spatial surveillance framework designed to optimize the detection and mapping of the invasive malaria vector *Anopheles stephensi* in the Horn of Africa by adaptively allocating surveillance sites to high-uncertainty and high-abundance areas, thereby significantly reducing uncertainty and accelerating targeted control interventions.

Sedda, L., Ochomo, E., Tadesse, F., Khaireh, B. A., Demissew, A., Demisse, M., Getachew, D., Guelleh, S., Ibrahim, M. M. (…)2026-03-12
📄 public and global health

Evaluation of symptom checker formats to support health literacy and trust in AI: Results from an online randomised-controlled trial

In a randomized controlled trial of 2,110 Australian adults, AI-enhanced symptom checker formats significantly improved immediate symptom management knowledge and reduced unnecessary primary care intentions for self-careable conditions compared to standard formats, without negatively impacting trust or acceptability, though knowledge gains were not sustained after two weeks.

Ayre, J., Gallagher, K., Smith, J., Hudson, C., Scott, A., Woods, A., Ng, C., Wickramasinghe, Y., Ma, I., Nadesan, W., K (…)2026-03-12
📄 public and global health

Emerging diseases: when lower vaccine performance in Randomized Clinical Trials means higher economic value

This paper argues that for emerging diseases, the timing of vaccine efficacy trials creates a paradox where conducting randomized clinical trials during an outbreak peak increases the likelihood of statistical approval but reduces cost-effectiveness due to delayed implementation, whereas early implementation offers better economic value but risks trial failure due to insufficient transmission.

Houy, N., Flaig, J.2026-03-10
📄 public and global health

Stakeholder Interest, Power and Operational Capacity Analysis in the Prevention and Control of Genital Chlamydia in Youths 15 to 24 Years Old in Mali and Burkina Faso

This study evaluates the interest, power, and operational capacity of key stakeholders in Mali and Burkina Faso to identify a complementary institutional and community framework essential for sustaining and scaling up the Pfizer Chlamydia Project's prevention efforts among youths aged 15–24.

Sangare, M., Niare, M., Sogodogo, D., Doumbia, F., Ndiaye, K. A., Coulibaly, B., Traore, K., Diakite, S. A., Diarra, S. (…)2026-03-10
📄 public and global health

Application of Discriminant Analysis for Blood Pressure Classification Based on Vital Signs: Evidence from a Regional Hospital in Ghana

This retrospective study of 1,000 adult patients at a Ghanaian regional hospital demonstrates that linear discriminant analysis using routinely collected vital signs, particularly body weight, can accurately classify patients into hypotensive, normotensive, or hypertensive categories, supporting the feasibility of data-driven risk stratification for cardiovascular and metabolic conditions.

Cobbinah, D., Addor, J. A., Narh, K. M. A., Baah, E. M.2026-03-09
📄 public and global health

COLLABORATIVE MAPPING AS A METHODOLOGY FOR IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS ON BASIC SANITATION NEEDS AND INTERVENTIONS FOR LEPTOSPIROSIS IN SALVADOR, BRAZIL

This study demonstrates that collaborative mapping with residents of two peripheral communities in Salvador, Brazil, effectively identified specific local sanitation needs and intervention priorities—particularly regarding sewage and waste management near local rivers—that are essential for preventing leptospirosis, revealing a negative correlation between perceived intervention needs and predicted disease seropositivity.

Palma, F. A. G., Cuenca, P. R., de Oliveira, D. S., Silva, A. M. N., Lopez, Y. A. A., Santiago, D. C. d. C., das Virgens (…)2026-03-07
📄 public and global health

Deep untargeted wastewater metagenomic sequencing from sewersheds across the United States

This paper presents CASPER, the largest publicly available untargeted wastewater metagenomic dataset to date, comprising 1,206 deep-sequenced samples from across the United States that enable population-scale pathogen surveillance, correlation with clinical trends, and the detection of emerging viral threats like avian influenza and measles.

Justen, L. J., Rushford, C., Hershey, O. S., Floyd-O'Sullivan, R., Grimm, S. L., Bradshaw, W. J., Bhasin, H., Rice, D. P (…)2026-03-06
📄 public and global health

Modelling the Excess Mortality Associated with Heat Waves in Hong Kong: 2014-2023

This study quantifies the excess mortality in Hong Kong from 2014 to 2023, estimating that extreme heat caused between 1,455 and 3,238 preventable deaths—disproportionately affecting males and the elderly—and highlighting a mortality burden comparable to diabetes that necessitates urgent, targeted public health interventions.

Liu, Z., Ren, C., Liu, J., Kawasaki, Y., Bishai, D. M.2026-03-06