A survey at Vietnam's National Hospital for Tropical Diseases found 60% of hepatitis C patients unaware of how they contracted the disease, often diagnosed late. Globally, viral hepatitis causes 3,500 daily deaths, ranking second among infectious killers after tuberculosis. Advances in treatment affordability and public health policies aim to improve outcomes. OUCRU's research explores cultural and psychological factors impacting diagnosis and care, supporting WHO's goal to eliminate hepatitis by 2030.
After more than a year of community engagement and preparation in 100 villages with 12,000 populations across the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the mass malaria vaccine (R21/Matrix M) and drug (DHA, piperaquine, and single low dose primaquine) administration study started on 15 Feb.
A team of researchers at OUCRU was recently awarded a multi-million-dollar Discovery Award from the Wellcome Trust to develop AI tools to advance pneumonia research.
IHTM student, Fona Qorina, who is currently study the MSc, is part of a research team that has won the Sustainability for Health Professionals Education Award at the Asia Pacific Medical Education Conference (APMEC 2025).
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, observed on February 11, serves as a reminder of the gender disparities that persist in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
The science field has largely been male-dominated from time immemorial and women in science are increasingly making their mark and breaking barriers through conducting and leading various ground-breaking research. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is an annual observance in recognition of the critical role played by women and girls in science and the promotion of their full and equal access to participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields. At KWTRP we celebrate, Dr Caroline Tigoi a dedicated scientist whose journey into microbiology and infectious disease research has not only advanced medical science but also inspired the next generation of women in STEM.
Researchers at the Medicine Quality Research Group, University of Oxford and collaborators, including the Serum Institute of India, have published an innovative method to identify falsified vaccines without opening the vaccine vial.
Professor Deirdre Hollingsworth, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at NDM\u2019s Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health and the Big Data Institute, looks at potential ways to advance research on the impact of climate change on malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
The University of Oxford has once again been named the top institution in the Times Higher Education (THE) Subject Rankings for Clinical, Pre-Clinical, and Health, marking an impressive 14th consecutive year in this prestigious position.
The Global Health Network has achieved a remarkable milestone: one million members worldwide. This dynamic and inclusive community of healthcare professionals and researchers is addressing two of the most pressing challenges in global health. By equipping teams to tackle everyday diseases of poverty and strengthening the ability to detect and respond to emerging threats, The Global Health Network is saving lives and safeguarding the future of global health.
In Myanmar, the United Nations reports that 3 million people have been displaced due to the ongoing civil war. The 2021 coup intensified conflicts and worsened the humanitarian crisis, forcing at least a hundred thousand to seek refuge and medical care in Thailand. The Tak province, a key crossing point between the two countries, sees a rising number of new migrants (with 40% of women) crossing the border every day. In response to this health emergency caused by these large-scale forced displacements, the SMRU and M-FUND projects have concentrated their efforts along the border area.
OUCRU Ha Noi and the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD), under the guidance of the Department of Health, are collaborating to establish local hospital networks for Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) across Vietnam. This initiative, connecting district hospitals with provincial hospitals, leverages existing systems and resources to enhance AMS implementation and strengthen efforts against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
High numbers of mental health issues in children and adolescents highlight the urgent need for a systematic approach to young people\u2019s mental health and the importance of developing support systems at home, in schools, and throughout society. OUCRU Collab Lab\u2018s mission is to make health science, including mental health, research more accessible and relatable to young people, and university students are their main target audience and stakeholders.
A team of scientists in the UK, Kenya and Tanzania will soon find out the extent to which chikungunya, a debilitating mosquito-borne disease causing large outbreaks in Asia and South America, is also affecting countries in East Africa.
On November 22, 2024, the Zoonoses research group at OUCRU, in collaboration with Children's Hospital 2, Ho Chi Minh City, successfully organised a scientific workshop: \"Community-acquired pneumonia: Update on pneumococcal infection with vaccines, drug resistance and multiple infections\". The workshop attracted nearly 70 experts, including doctors, nurses, medical students, and technicians.
Xin Hui Chan has won the competitive 2024 Barnett Christie Lecture award of the British Infection Association. As part of the award, Dr Chan delivered a lecture entitled \u2018Drugs for Tropical Infections: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Infectious Disease Physician\u2019
The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) has signed a seven-year memorandum of agreement with the Wellcome Trust and the University of Oxford. Under this collaboration, Wellcome has awarded \u00a391 million (KES 15 billion) to support research over the next seven years. KEMRI have been collaborating with the Wellcome Trust and the University of Oxford on improving health through research for over 35 years.
A new study has found methaemoglobin levels during treatment for vivax malaria could be used to predict whether a patient would have recurrent malaria.
OUCRU researchers from Indonesia, Nepal, and Vietnam contributed to the newly published WHO research priorities for AMR. These top 40 priorities, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) with global collaborators, aim to guide research into drug-resistant infections over the next five years, with a special focus on challenges faced by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health and socioeconomic crisis. Regardless of its impact on human and animal health, food production, and the environment that could happen to everyone, everywhere, there\u2019s still much to be done to raise public and stakeholder awareness. A global online survey of nearly 200 stakeholders from human, animal, plant, and environmental health sectors also highlighted the need for increased public awareness and action.
OUCRU and the Phu Tho Department of Health have partnered to improve antibiotic stewardship and microbiology capabilities in underserved districts of the province. A recent semi-final meeting was held to review the project's progress and celebrate its achievements.
A participatory-action approach involving community members and adolescents resulted in a dialogue-drama on adolescent pregnancy, contraception, and choice in the event of an unplanned pregnancy. The dialogue-drama augmented discussion of traditionally taboo issues and this ethnographic method is potentially useful for similar global health settings.
A nationwide study led by Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia (FMUI) and OUCRU Indonesia found that 9 out of 10 hospitals in a sample of 575 across 34 provinces of Indonesia had a formal Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme. But only half of those had reached a development level where they could run a robust, functional stewardship programme.
The 5th Annual BactiVac Network Meeting, co-hosted by the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) and the Bacterial Vaccines Network, took place from 4-7 November 2024 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Vietnam remains a country with a high tuberculosis burden, with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) being particularly challenging to detect early, often leading to severe neurological sequelae in patients. With the mission of addressing global health issues, Collab Lab, an initiative led by OUCRU\u2019s Public and Community Engagement group, has chosen to animate a publication about TBM, aims to raise awareness about tuberculosis in general, TBM, and the importance of BCG vaccination for children.
Dr Gesa Gnegel and Dr C\u00e9line Caillet were invited to present their current work during a session at the World Health Summit. This international forum and leading global health conference brings together stakeholders from politics, science, the private sector, and civil society. The aim of this event that took place in Berlin from the 13th to the 15th of October 2024 is \u2018to set the agenda for a healthier future by inspiring innovative solutions for better health and well-being for all\u2019.
In a new study published in eLife Journal, OUCRU researchers identified gene activity signatures in the blood of patients with a life-threatening form of tuberculosis.
Did you know that dengue fever cases have witnessed a ten-fold surge in the past two decades? This tropical disease continues to be a global health situation. The fight against dengue has become increasingly complicated due to drastic changes in mosquito behavior and geographical distribution. Traditionally, we\u2019ve focused on preventing mosquito bites. But now, researchers are asking a crucial question: What happens when the dengue virus passes from mosquito to mosquito? Through vertical transmission - where a mother mosquito passes the virus to her offspring - could baby mosquitoes also spread dengue? If so, we\u2019re facing a new threat and have to develop new strategies against this new enemy, baby mosquitos!
From 24-26 Sept, the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network (APMEN) Vivax Working Group (VxWG) and Surveillance & Response Working Group (SRWG) held their 2024 Joint Annual Meeting in Kuching, Malaysia. Co-organized by SRWG and VxWG host institutions MORU and Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), the event took place immediately following the 2024 International Congress for Tropical Medicine and Malaria (ICTMM).
Dr Chewapreecha, a Wellcome International Intermediate Fellow and computational biologist at NDM's Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, has been announced as the Individual Winner at this year\u2019s Inspiring Women in Science Awards hosted by Nature and The Est\u00e9e Lauder Companies. She was honoured at a ceremony in London on 31 October.
Experts from across Europe joined forces to discuss research on substandard and falsified medical products and how to translate the evidence into policy and implementation. Over forty participants from various countries around the world, all based in Europe, including the UK, Sweden, France, Germany and Belgium, joined the in-person informal event at the Richard Doll Building, in Oxford, on the 24th of October.
On 10 Oct in London, the Royal Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH) awarded MORU\u2019s Prof Lorenz von Seidlein (centre) the Donald Mackay Medal for outstanding work in tropical health, especially relating to improvements in the health of rural or urban workers in the tropics.
IHTM is delighted to welcome Dr Aishatu Adamu who joins the teaching staff this October as the module lead for Epidemiology, Statistics, and Health Economics.
Forum Theatre, a branch of the so-called Theatre of the Oppressed, is an interactive and participatory form of theatre developed by Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal in the 1970s. This unique approach has the potential to explore a community\u2019s voice and raise awareness by empowering people with a tool that encourages them to change reality through their own suggestions for real social issues.
The Global Health Network, hosted by NDM-CGHR, proudly announced the official launch of its Middle East North Africa (MENA) Regional Hub, an initiative set to revolutionise health research, education, and practice across the region. The launch event was held at the Canadian University Dubai on the 21st October 2024, and brought together leading experts, policymakers, and academic institutions to chart a path toward a healthier and more resilient future for the MENA region.
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