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Journal articleSilva L, Gogoi M, Lal Z, et al., 2026,
Antibiotic knowledge among ethnic minority groups in high-income countries: A mixed-methods systematic review.
, Public Health Pract (Oxf), Vol: 11OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global public health concern. Although low-income countries are disproportionately affected by AMR, certain underserved groups in high-income countries (HICs), such as migrants and ethnic minorities, disproportionately bear the burden of AMR. This may be driven by socio-cultural factors including differences in health literacy. This review aimed to investigate the level of antibiotic knowledge amongst different ethnic minority groups in HICs. STUDY DESIGN: This was a mixed-methods systematic literature review. METHODS: We searched four databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane library, CINAHL) to May 5, 2023, for primary studies on knowledge of antibiotics in different ethnic groups in HICs. We included studies in English using qualitative, quantitative and/or mixed-methods approaches and reporting on antibiotic knowledge by ethnicity. We used the convergent integrated approach for data synthesis and the Mixed-Methods Appraisal tool for quality assessment. RESULTS: 3935 articles were screened and 24 studies (17 quantitative, 5 qualitative, and 2 mixed-methods) were included, comprising 52778 participants from 8 countries (USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Greece, Sweden, Germany). Overall, participants from ethnic minority groups were able to identify common names of antibiotics and were aware of risks of antibiotics and side effects. However, participants thought antibiotics would treat viral-type illnesses. Ethnic minority groups generally had lower levels of knowledge compared to ethnic majority groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although ethnic minority communities possessed good levels of knowledge on certain aspects of antibiotics (e.g. being able to identify names of antibiotics), there were gaps in other areas (e.g. misperception that antibiotics are used for viral infections). The lower level of knowledge in ethnic minority groups compared to majority groups may be a contributing factor to health inequaliti
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Journal articleKu C-C, Rosello A, Walker J, et al., 2026,
The epidemiological effect and cost-effectiveness of expanded age eligibility for recombinant zoster vaccination in England.
, Vaccine, Vol: 78INTRODUCTION: Since September 2023, England's national immunisation programme has offered the recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) to adults aged 65-79 as a preventative measure against shingles (herpes zoster) and its complications. However, adults aged 80 and over are currently not eligible for the vaccine. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of providing RZV to adults aged 80 and older in England. METHODS: This cost-utility analysis employs a static cohort model considering herpes zoster (HZ) cases and severe cases leading to post-herpetic neuralgia, HZ-related hospitalisation, and deaths from the perspective of the National Health Service. The long-term impacts of RZV are assessed using the model, accounting for changing population demographics and the previously-offered live zoster vaccine (ZVL). We consider different eligibility scenarios for RZV focusing on the older population (80+ years old) and provide comparisons to the pre-2023 programme. RESULTS: Expanding the current programme to offer a single dose of RZV to people aged 80 and up is likely to be cost-effective relative to the current programme. Offering two doses to this group would be less cost-effective but would offer greater protection against HZ. For preventing health-related quality of life loss, it is most efficient to vaccinate 60-69-year-olds, but for averting hospitalisation costs, it is most efficient to vaccinate 80-89-year-olds. CONCLUSION: Providing one or two doses of RZV for older adults can be cost-effective and would reduce the healthcare burden of shingles.
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Journal articleSu JS, Stover J, Pretorius C, et al., 2026,
The benefits of investments to combat HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria for primary healthcare from 2000 to 2023: An economic modeling analysis
, PLOS Medicine, Vol: 23, Pages: e1005036-e1005036<jats:sec id="sec001"> <jats:title>Background</jats:title> <jats:p>Global investments to combat HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria (HTM) have delivered substantial health gains and may have reduced the burden placed by these diseases on the routine health system. We estimated the reduction in primary healthcare (PHC) utilization resulting from the scale-up of HTM services over 2000–2023 in 108 low- and middle-income countries.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec id="sec002"> <jats:title>Methods and findings</jats:title> <jats:p>For each disease, we applied established mathematical models to quantify PHC utilization (outpatient visits and inpatient bed-days provided outside of HTM programs) by individuals with symptomatic HIV, tuberculosis, or malaria unable to access HTM-specific services. For each country, we estimated averted PHC utilization by comparing a scenario describing the actual scale-up of HTM services to a counterfactual scenario holding HTM service coverage constant at year 2000 levels. We applied published unit costs to estimate the averted costs resulting from reduced PHC utilization. Over 2000–2023, scale-up of HTM services averted an estimated 6.9 (95% uncertainty interval (UI) [4.4, 10.5]) billion outpatient PHC visits and 3.9 (95% UI [2.5, 5.9]) billion inpatient bed-days, representing US$135 (95% UI [71, 250]) billion in averted costs. These reductions were greatest in sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia and Pacific regions. Across study countries, these reductions represented a median of 4.4% of hospital bed capacity and 1.6% of government health spending in 2023. These percentages were 22.9% and 5.1%, respectively, for low-income countries. Our analysis did not consider changes in PHC services beyond utilization. Also, several inputs were missing in some cou
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Journal articleStevens O, Anderson RL, Sabin K, et al., 2026,
HIV prevalence in transgender women and cisgender men who have sex with men in sub-Saharan Africa.
, AIDS, Vol: 40, Pages: 510-516INTRODUCTION: The Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026 calls for equitable access to HIV services for all populations. Transgender people have been marginalized and experience disproportionate risk of HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and data to guide HIV programmes are severely limited. Surveillance data among cisgender men who have sex with men (cis-MSM) are comparatively abundant. We assessed whether HIV prevalence among cis-MSM was correlated with HIV prevalence among transgender women. METHODS: Data from key population surveys conducted in SSA between 2010 and 2022 were identified from existing databases and survey reports. Studies that collected HIV prevalence data among both transgender women and cis-MSM populations were analysed with random effect meta-analysis to estimate the ratio of HIV prevalence among cis-MSM:transgender women. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies were identified encompassing 8476 transgender women and 24 102 cis-MSM. Median HIV prevalence among transgender women was 23.5% [interquartile range (IQR) 11.5-39.8%] and 16.2% (IQR 8.1-26.8%) among cis-MSM. HIV prevalence among transgender women was 50% higher than in cis-MSM [prevalence ratio 1.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-1.76]. HIV prevalence among transgender women was highly correlated with year/province-matched HIV prevalence among cis-MSM ( R2 = 0.60), but poorly correlated with year/province-matched total population HIV prevalence ( R2 = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Transgender women experience a significantly greater HIV burden than cis-MSM in SSA, underscoring the need for HIV services addressing the disproportionate vulnerability experienced by transgender women. Further bio-behavioural surveys focused on determinants of HIV infection, treatment uptake, and risk behaviours among transgender people, distinct from cis-MSM, will improve understanding of HIV risk and vulnerabilities.
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Journal articleKhurana MP, Brünnich Sloth MM, Scheidwasser N, et al., 2026,
SARS-CoV-2 reinfections and subsequent risk of hospital-diagnosed post-acute sequelae in Denmark (2020-2022): a nationwide cohort study.
, Lancet Reg Health Eur, Vol: 63BACKGROUND: Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), or long COVID, are a public health concern. While most recover from SARS-CoV-2 infections within weeks, some experience persistent symptoms. Here, we quantified the association between repeated SARS-CoV-2 infections and the risk of hospital-diagnosed PASC. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide register-based cohort study of all adults in Denmark (≥18 years) with at least one SARS-CoV-2 PCR or antigen test between April 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022. Participants were followed from first test until long COVID diagnosis (ICD-10: B948A), death, emigration, three SARS-CoV-2 infections, or end of study. Risk of long COVID diagnosis was estimated at three timepoints after study entry (180 days, 1 year, 2 years) and the outcomes were assessed during the 180 days after each timepoint. Cause-specific Cox models treated death as a competing risk, with number of infections and vaccination status as time-varying covariates. Absolute risks and differences were estimated using G-computation. Analyses were stratified by sex, income, and vaccination status. Secondary analyses assessed fatigue and headache (ICD-10), excluding individuals with prior diagnoses. FINDINGS: Of 4,418,544 individuals, 6942 (0.16%) were diagnosed with long COVID. The absolute risk of a diagnosis increased following reinfection (0.73% [95% CI 0.69-0.77] after one infection vs. 1.16% [1.05-1.30] after two infections at 180 days), but differences were small and decreased over time. Risks following reinfection were similar across sex and income strata. Absolute risk decreased with prior vaccinations. Secondary analyses showed no increased risk of fatigue or headache after primary infection. A small increase in fatigue risk was observed after reinfection at 1 year (RD 0.03% [0.01-0.05]), but not for headache. INTERPRETATION: Reinfection increases long COVID risk; however, the absolute increase after reinfection is smaller than that observed after a primary inf
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Journal articleTelles-de-Deus J, Claro IM, Bertanhe M, et al., 2026,
Evolution and spillover dynamics of yellow fever at the forest-urban interface in Brazil.
, Nat Microbiol, Vol: 11, Pages: 877-891Yellow fever virus (YFV) continues to threaten human and wildlife populations in the Americas, yet its transmission at the forest-urban interface remains unclear. Here we integrate ground- and canopy-level mosquito surveillance, systematic monitoring of non-human primate carcasses and viral metagenomics to describe the dynamics of a sylvatic YFV outbreak in a 186-hectare Atlantic Forest fragment embedded within metropolitan São Paulo, Brazil, between 2017 and 2018. Our analyses reveal that transmission was primarily driven by a single genetic cluster introduced during a period of high abundance of the main vector, Haemagogus leucocelaenus mosquitoes. A near-complete hepatitis A virus genome was detected in a YFV-infected howler monkey, suggesting potential co-infections at the human-wildlife interface. Phylogenetic and epidemiological modelling estimated a basic reproduction number, R0, for sylvatic yellow fever of 8.2 (95% CI 5.1-12.2), substantially higher than previous estimates for urban outbreaks. Our findings demonstrate that multisource surveillance could provide actionable early warnings in regions at risk for zoonotic spillover.
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Journal articlePatel A, Jofre Bonet M, Hauck K, et al., 2026,
Corrigendum to 'Broadening the lens: a commentary on Sheard and Cauana-Finkel's account of women's progress in UK academic health economics' [Soc. Sci. Med. 382, October 2025, 118411].
, Soc Sci Med, Vol: 394 -
Journal articleWilliams TJ, Griffiths JS, Gonzales-Huerta LE, et al., 2026,
Selective Targeting of IL-1RAP-Dependent Eosinophilic Inflammation in Allergic Fungal Airway Disease.
, Allergy, Vol: 81, Pages: 1302-1305 -
Journal articleWei Q, Zhang T, Schmit N, 2026,
Post-acute sequelae after Lassa fever: a systematic review and meta-analysis
, Journal of Infection, ISSN: 0163-4453Post-acute sequelae are symptoms that persist or arise after the acute phase of an infection, but their frequency following outbreaks remains poorly understood. Recurrent Lassa fever outbreaks pose a significant public health threat in West Africa and may have long-term health effects. This study systematically reviewed the prevalence, incidence, duration, and characteristics of post-acute sequelae in survivors of Lassa virus infection. We searched PubMed and Web of Science up to November 17, 2025. Two reviewers screened and extracted data independently. We included six articles in the review. The most frequently reported post-acute sequela was hearing loss, with a pooled prevalence of 18% (95% CI 9-32) across 6 studies. Odds ratios for the association between Lassa fever and hearing loss were heterogeneous, with a statistically significant positive association in 2 of 5 studies and a positive effect direction in 2 further studies. Of an additional 37 potential post-acute sequelae, several with high prevalence also related to the audiovestibular system (e.g. tinnitus, balance disorder and vertigo). Our findings highlight that Lassa fever survivors can experience diverse symptoms after recovery from acute infection, with hearing loss being the best-characterised. However, data gaps remain on its incidence after mild infections and its duration. A better understanding of post-acute sequelae after Lassa fever is necessary for accurate disease burden estimation and mathematical modelling studies.
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Journal articleImrie RM, Bissett LA, Raveendran S, et al., 2026,
Post-pandemic changes in population immunity have reduced the likelihood of emergence of zoonotic coronaviruses.
, Nat Commun, Vol: 17Infections by endemic viruses, and the vaccines used to control them, often provide cross-protection against related viruses, potentially altering the transmission dynamics and likelihood of emergence of new zoonotic viruses with pandemic potential. Here, we investigate how population immunity after the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the likelihood of emergence of a novel sarbecovirus, termed SARS-CoV-X. To this end, we combined empirical cross-neutralisation data with mathematical modelling to identify key immunological and epidemiological factors shaping sarbecovirus emergence. We show that sera from individuals with different COVID-19 immunological histories contained cross-neutralising antibodies against the spike (S) protein of multiple zoonotic sarbecoviruses. Simulations parameterised by these data predict that the likelihood of emergence of a novel sarbecovirus has been reduced significantly by population cross-immunity, with outcomes determined by the extent of cross-protection and R0 of the novel virus. Preventative vaccination against SARS-CoV-X using available COVID-19 vaccines can help resist emergence even in the presence of co-circulating SARS-CoV-2. However, a theoretical vaccine with high specificity to SARS-CoV-2 can increase emergence probability by suppressing SARS-CoV-2 prevalence and, by extension, levels of natural cross-protection. Overall, SARS-CoV-2 circulation and vaccination have generated widespread immunity against related sarbecoviruses, creating an immunological barrier to novel sarbecovirus emergence in humans.
This data is extracted from the Web of Science and reproduced under a licence from Thomson Reuters. You may not copy or re-distribute this data in whole or in part without the written consent of the Science business of Thomson Reuters.
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