Results
- Showing results for:
- Reset all filters
Search results
-
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
-
Journal articleRamesh RM, Sarkar R, Velusamy V, et al., 2026,
Community-wide deworming strategies to reduce high hookworm burden in endemic communities: Results from a cluster randomized trial in Southern India.
, PLoS Negl Trop Dis, Vol: 20OBJECTIVES: Targeted deworming of high-risk groups (usually school-based programs), although effective in controlling morbidity, may not be sufficient to reduce hookworm burden in endemic communities due to the persistence of infection in the adult population. The effectiveness of community-wide mass drug administration (MDA) strategies were evaluated in a hookworm-endemic tribal community in southern India. METHODS: In this open-label, cluster-randomized community-intervention trial, 45 villages comprising of 2770 households were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive community-wide MDA with albendazole at modified intervals: 1) single-cycle, 2) two-cycles (one month apart) and 3) four-cycles (two cycles one month apart, followed by another two after six months). The primary outcome was the prevalence of hookworm infection, and the co-primary outcome was the mean intensity of infection at 12 months post-MDA, assessed through a cross-sectional coprological survey. Secondary outcomes included prevalence and intensity of infection after each MDA cycle and at 3-, 6-, 9- and 24-months post-intervention. Analysis was by intention-to-treat. This trial is registered with the Clinical Trials Registry - India (CTRI/2013/05/003676). RESULTS: The prevalence (95% confidence interval) of hookworm infection at baseline was 14.8% (11.1-19.5%), 18.5% (15.4-22.0%) and 22.4% (17.4-28.2%) in the single-, two-, and four-cycle arms, respectively, which reduced to 5% (2.9-8.6%), 4% (1.8-8.4%) and 1.2% (0.3-4.0%) at 12 months post-intervention. At 12 months post-intervention, both prevalence (OR=0.41; P = 0.016) and intensity (IRR = 0.29, P < 0.001) of infection were significantly lower in the four-cycle arm as compared to the single-cycle arm, but the difference was not statistically significant at 24 months. No statistically-significant difference in prevalence or intensity of infection was observed between single- and two-cycle arms at any tim
-
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 articleI'Anson J, Anderson C, Arora S, et al., 2026,
Large outbreak of group B invasive meningococcal disease in young adults in South East England, March 2026.
, Euro Surveill, Vol: 31An unusually large outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease affecting young adults occurred in South East England between 13 and 18 March 2026, with 21 confirmed cases including two fatalities. Thirteen cases were university students and 19 had attended the same nightclub over a 3-day period. The outbreak strain was a distinct genome within the previously seen type B: P1.12-1,16-183: F1-5: ST-485 (cc41/44). Over 13,000 chemoprophylaxis doses and 11,000 meningococcal B vaccinations were provided to possible contacts.
-
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.
-
Journal articleNobrega GM, Granja F, Amorim MR, et al., 2026,
Gamma SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern infection repercussions on pregnancy outcomes: A translational cohort study.
, Int J Gynaecol ObstetOBJECTIVE: This study conduct viral genome sequencing among severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected pregnant and postpartum individuals, and investigates disease severity and maternal and perinatal outcomes considering variant of concern (VOC) and non-VOC groups. METHODS: The study was designed as a prospective cohort study of unvaccinated pregnant and postpartum women with SARS-CoV-2 infection diagnosed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction between May 2020 and April 2021 at a maternal referral center. Initially, 111 participants were identified, and 50 presented with conditions for genome sequencing and further analysis. The SARS-CoV-2 genome was subjected to next-generation sequencing in eligible cases. Sociodemographic characteristics, background, and clinical and obstetric outcomes were compared according to the SARS-CoV-2 genomic data (VOC vs. non-VOC). RESULTS: Among the sequenced cases, 18 were classified as VOC, among which 14 were Gamma cases and four Alpha. Oxygen desaturation, hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, invasive ventilation, and maternal death were significantly higher in SARS-CoV-2 VOC-infected than in non-VOC-infected cases. All three cases of maternal death were classified as VOC, including two Gamma and one Alpha. CONCLUSION: Pregnant and postpartum people presented with an increased morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 VOC, especially Gamma. The increased risk of clinical severity in the unvaccinated obstetric population underscores the importance of addressing the repercussions of the SARS-CoV-2 genomic evolution.
-
Journal articleDixon-Zegeye M, Walker M, Ramani A, et al., 2026,
HISTONCHO: A dataset of intervention histories for onchocerciasis control & elimination in sub-Saharan Africa
, Scientific Data, Vol: 13, ISSN: 2052-4463In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), onchocerciasis control has been implemented for many decades, beginning in 1974 under the Onchocerciasis Control Programme in West Africa (OCP) and in 1995 in Central and East Africa (plus Liberia) under the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC). Since the establishment of the Expanded Special Project for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN) in 2016, data on mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin has been centrally compiled for all endemic countries at implementation unit (IU) level, beginning in 2013. This paper presents HISTONCHO, a dataset collating detailed information on interventions, including vector control, from 1975 through to 2022, using the ESPEN portal (2013–2022), regional and country reports, implementation partners’ records, and published literature. Reconstructing such intervention histories is crucial for an understanding of their evolution, modelling their impact, and tailoring future interventions. We discuss strengths and limitations associated with the ESPEN database, and how HISTONCHO can be improved to support modelling of intervention strategies as well as onchocerciasis control and elimination efforts by endemic country programmes.
-
PosterCooper E, Guzman V, Ward H, et al., 2026,
Defining Long Covid: Using illustration to bring to life people's experiences of persistent symptoms of Covid-19
, IPIC 2026 Annual Conference -
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.
Contact us
For any enquiries related to the Centre please contact:
Scientific Manager
Susannah Fisher
mrc.gida@imperial.ac.uk
External Relationships and Communications Manager
Dr Sabine van Elsland
s.van-elsland@imperial.ac.uk