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Largest genome-wide study of parasite provides clearest picture yet of genetic changes driving artemisinin resistance artemisinin-genetics-resistance. Hinxton, Cambridge, UK, 19 January 2015 – The largest genome-wide association study to date of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum unveils a complex genetic architecture that enables the parasite to develop resistance to our most effective antimalarial drug, artemisinin.
Mapping the global prevalence and socioecological drivers of child sexual abuse: a systematic review and synthesis
Posted 14/04/2026. Child sexual abuse affects millions of children worldwide yet remains largely underreported. Salum Mshamu and colleagues highlight its global prevalence and key risk factors across individual, family and societal levels. Prompted by field experiences, they explore how child sexual abuse may surface in global health research, helping researchers better recognize and respond during fieldwork.
A mixed-methods evaluation of outreach service provision by the “Strengthening Migrant Access to Reproductive Health in Thailand” Initiative, 2020–2024
Posted 13/04/2026. Beginning in 2020, SMRU set out on something bold. It completely restructured maternal health services to incorporate outreach delivery—meeting migrant women where they are. Through COVID and a coup in Myanmar, this program delivered and offset the structural barriers migrant women face in accessing care. By Rose McGready
African-specific genetic loci determine iron status and risk of severe malaria and bacteremia in African children
Posted 10/04/2026. In a genetic study of nearly 4,000 African children, John Muriuki and colleagues iidentified African-specific variants that regulate iron and are also linked to risk of severe malaria and bacteremia. These findings highlight iron’s role in host–pathogen interactions and call for population-specific research and more targeted, safer public health strategies to address iron deficiency and anemia.
Community perceptions and acceptance of ivermectin for malaria control on Sumba Island, Indonesia
Posted 01/04/2026. This qualitative study led by OUCRU and MORU researchers and local partners, explores community perceptions and acceptance of using ivermectin-treated livestock for malaria control in Sumba, Indonesia. It finds generally positive attitudes, shaped by perceived benefits, trust and local relevance, while highlighting the importance of respectful research interactions and community engagement. By Mary Chambers
The ‘Public’ in Public Involvement: A Call to Centre Frontline Staff Voices in Health Workforce Research
Posted 31/03/2026. Who counts as the “public” for public involvement in health workforce research, and whose voices are missing? In this viewpoint, Yingxi Zhao and colleagues argue that current involvement frameworks overlook frontline staff. They call for broader, more flexible approaches that centre staff experiences to improve relevance, impact, and meaningful involvement in workforce research.
Impact of switching from manual to automated aerobic blood culture on bacteremia diagnosis in Lao PDR
Posted 25/03/2026. At a Lao primary-to-tertiary hospital, automated blood culture processing did not increase growth yield but shortened time to pathogen detection versus manual methods. However, adopting a single bottle reduced blood volume submitted across ages. Monitoring and clinician feedback on volumes may improve practice, though adding extra bottles would double costs. By Risara Jaksuwan
Prevalence, spatial and temporal distribution of tungiasis in the Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS) in Kenya
Posted 24/03/2026. Using geostatistical techniques, Nelson Ouma, Lynne Elson and colleagues found that tungiasis cases in the Kilifi HDSS area are mainly concentrated in the southern regions. They also observed that prevalence changes throughout the year and different households are affected at different times. Factors linked to tungiasis include population density, rainfall, land surface temperature, vegetation cover, altitude, soil aluminium and organic carbon content, as well as the absence of a house floor.
Cohort Profile: the SMRU Refugee and Migrant Pregnancy Study in Western Thailand and Eastern Myanmar
Posted 17/03/2026. The “Shoklo Malaria Research Unit Refugee and Migrant Pregnancy Cohort” established 40 years ago describes outcomes of refugee and migrant pregnancies at the Thailand-Myanmar border. With 94,645 registrations, the evidence has had local and international impact, improving maternal-newborn health practices, and changing the WHO guidelines on malaria treatment during pregnancy. By Rose McGready
Antimicrobial resistance in bacterial meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, or Haemophilus influenzae (2010–24): a systematic review and meta-analysis
Posted 10/02/2026. Gilbert Lazarus and Raph Hamers analysed antimicrobial resistance in bacterial meningitis, synthesising global data on Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae from 88 studies across 37 countries. Resistance to first-line antibiotics is common and rising in LMICs, threatening effective treatment and progress toward defeating meningitis by 2030. Strengthening syndrome-specific surveillance is critical to keeping treatment guidelines effective.
“The most stress comes from witnessing the abuse of children” — challenges faced by research assistants in community-based research in Mtwara, Tanzania
Posted 12/03/2026. While conducting fieldwork for a housing study in rural Tanzania, research assistants (RAs) identified several cases of child sexual abuse. This qualitative study explores how RAs encounter situations that can trigger moral distress, particularly when witnessing participant suffering, including cases of child sexual abuse. The nature and extent of these challenges, how RAs navigated moral distress, and potential solutions are discussed in this article. By Salum Mshamu, Bipin Adhikari & colleagues.
Aetiology of acute respiratory infection in Vientiane, Lao PDR, from a case–control study
Posted 10/03/2026. A case–control study in Laos investigated causes and risk factors of hospitalised acute respiratory infections in children under five. Respiratory syncytial virus and H. influenzae were major contributors. Exclusive breastfeeding and pneumococcal vaccination reduced risk, while low birth weight and household smoking increased risk, highlighting priorities for targeted prevention strategies. By Audrey Dubot-Pérès
Tackling the global hypertension crisis
Posted 06/03/2026. Anthony Etyang and colleagues argue that the global hypertension crisis, affecting over 1.4 billion people, with fewer than one in five adequately controlled, is no longer a problem of insufficient evidence but of insufficient implementation. They call for stronger community engagement, equitable access to affordable medicines, and accountability-driven monitoring systems.
Time for change in implementation research and practice
Posted 04/03/2026. Our debate article shows how time is an often scarce resource, an element of resilience and an expression of value while time-bound schedules and routines shape work. Mike English and colleagues argue that implementation research and practice should take account of time’s multiple dimensions that all influence whether interventions are adopted and sustained.
Burden of disease modelling should be grounded in local knowledge
Posted 20/02/2026. Alice Kamau and Emelda Okiro argue that disease estimates, built on sparse data and layered assumptions, risk misleading policy in Africa. Models are useful, but cannot replace local surveillance, validation and context. Public health decisions require investment in primary data systems and genuine engagement with local expertise to ground predictions in reality.
“Poverty is a social issue, not a mathematical problem”: examining the lessons for beneficiary identification from implementation of the UHC indigent program in Kenya
Posted 17/02/2026. Beryl Maritim and colleagues analyse Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage indigent programme, highlighting challenges in identifying poor households for subsidised health insurance. Implementation proved complex, with inconsistent targeting and exclusion of vulnerable groups. The findings stress that poverty is contextual and argue for combining technical tools with locally informed approaches under the new Social Health Insurance framework.
Reimagining primary health care: a historical and contemporary scoping review of community-based primary health care models and innovations
Posted 13/02/2026. Can community-based primary health care survive rapid demographic change, rising chronic diseases, and digital disruption? Drawing on global evidence from 1975–2025, Bipin Adhikari and colleagues show how community health workers transformed access and equity, and why CBPHC must now evolve into an integrated, people-centered, and digitally enabled model to achieve universal health coverage.
Rapid diagnosis of skin and soft tissue melioidosis in children
Posted 11/02/2026. Keang Suy and colleagues evaluate the impact and accuracy of the Active Melioidosis Detect rapid test in children. By focusing on skin and soft tissue cases, this study expands our understanding of paediatric melioidosis, a vulnerable population often overlooked, ensuring they receive the rapid diagnostic attention and tailored clinical care they deserve.
Health-economic impacts of age-targeted and sex-targeted Lassa fever vaccination in endemic regions of Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone: a modelling study
Posted 29/01/2026. Deirdre Hollingsworth and colleagues evaluated Lassa fever’s health and economic burden across West Africa and assessed future vaccination strategies. Preventive vaccine campaigns, particularly targeting adolescents and adults, could deliver substantial health and economic benefits once safe vaccines are available, supporting efficient and equitable immunisation planning in endemic regions.
Laboratory diagnosis of melioidosis
Posted 06/02/2026. Vanaporn Wuthiekanun and colleagues outline current best practices and challenges in the laboratory diagnosis of melioidosis, a frequently underdiagnosed yet life-threatening disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. Drawing on global expertise from endemic and non-endemic regions, the authors highlight the importance of integrating rapid lateral flow assays, PCR, and genomic approaches to improve early detection and global surveillance.
Diaries in global health: a southern perspective
Posted 04/02/2026. Diaries in Global Health: A Southern Perspective traces Bipin Adhikari’s journey from rural Nepal to global health practice, using personal narratives to explore power, inequality, and contemporary global health discourses such as decolonisation. The book calls for epistemic indebtedness and positions Global South scholars as active producers of knowledge in a more humane, pluralistic global health field.