July 02, 2025
Socioeconomic factors affecting mosquito-borne disease prevention practices in Gujarat, India
In an analysis of socioeconomic and health survey data from Gujarat, India, One Health Trust researchers and colleagues found that wealth, caste, and family size were significantly associated with reporting of mosquito-borne disease occurrence and prevention practices. Households with restricted water availability were more likely to report mosquito-borne diseases than those practicing regular water purification and using impermeable storage solutions, most likely due to their higher vulnerability to contracting such diseases. Households in the richest wealth quintile were more likely to adopt prevention measures, but less likely to perceive mosquito-related risks. Investments in prevention and tailored public health interventions can help address these socioeconomic disparities and protect highly vulnerable communities. [SSRN]
A novel forecasting model predicts COVID-19 hospitalizations with a high degree of accuracy.
OHT researchers and collaborators developed a machine learning model to forecast COVID-19 hospitalizations, which improved predictions of U.S. hospitalizations by over 30 percent compared to previous models from the COVID-19 Forecast Hub. The new model overcomes the limitations of existing models by incorporating external variables, or covariates, which often play a significant role in respiratory virus transmission dynamics and are thus crucial to COVID-19 forecasting. Overall, the extended model predicted 4 weeks of hospitalization trends with 80.4 percent accuracy compared to 37.3 percent for an ensemble of existing models, with particularly high prediction accuracy for peaks and resurgences. [Open Forum Infectious Diseases]
OHT President shares insights on effective global health leadership
In a contribution to a book titled “Courageous Leadership in Infectious Diseases and Public Health During Challenging Times,” Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, President of the One Health Trust, reflects on the qualities that define impactful global health leaders. Drawing from his extensive experience in global health and antimicrobial resistance, Dr. Laxminarayan highlights strategic communication as a cornerstone of effective leadership. He shares how this skill proved vital during the COVID-19 pandemic in India, enabling clear and impactful public health messaging. Dr. Laxminarayan also emphasizes the importance of clarity of purpose and a focus on long-term goals as critical in driving meaningful outcomes. [Cambridge Scholars Publishing]
The price of a treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis decreased by 25 percent.
In April 2025, the Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility announced that the price of pretomanid, an antibiotic used in the World Health Organization’s recommended combination treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), would be reduced by 25 percent from US$224 to US$169 per treatment regimen. This price reduction, in addition to the price reductions of other drug-resistant TB medications (such as bedaquiline), reduces the cost of the six-month drug-resistant TB regimen by nearly 50 percent (from US$588 to US$310). While many experts are optimistic about the implications for TB treatment uptake, some doubt that the price reduction will have a substantial effect given the U.S. Trump administration’s marked funding cuts to global TB efforts. [The Lancet Microbe]
Pasteurization effectively reduces the risk of H5N1 contamination in raw milk.
A rapid risk assessment identified pasteurization of cow’s milk as a critical intervention to prevent contamination with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype H5N1 in the United States. Assuming that raw milk from farms supplying to retail markets has the same HPAI H5N1 percent positivity rate and concentration as pre-pasteurized raw milk from bulk tanks, the risk to raw milk consumers was predicted to be at least 12 orders of magnitude greater than that for pasteurized milk consumers. [PLOS One]
Major surveillance gap in West Nile virus epidemiological data in the Mediterranean Basin
A systematic review revealed a significant gap in the surveillance of West Nile virus (WNV) in the Mediterranean Basin, with only 11 out of 26 countries in the region reporting genetic data from WNV isolates. Among the existing data, geographical disparities between WNV lineages were observed, suggesting that local ecological factors play an important role in WNV molecular dynamics. Given the Mediterranean Basin’s crucial location along several bird migratory flyways, enhancing cross-border genomic surveillance of WNV is needed to fill knowledge gaps and improve preparedness and prevention efforts. [Current Research in Parasitology & Vector-Borne Diseases]
Wildlife conservation efforts are threatened by H5N1 in South America and Antarctica.
The currently circulating strain of HPAI H5N1 was detected in South America in October 2022 and has since infected at least 83 wild bird species, killing at least 667,000 wild birds and 52,000 wild mammals. By late 2023, the virus had spread to Antarctica, resulting in numerous deaths among seabirds and marine mammals. A One Health approach can help support increased wildlife surveillance for H5N1, sample collection from infected birds and mammals, and long-term conservation efforts by reducing the potential for disease spillover in these vulnerable, species-rich regions. [Conservation Biology]
Patient perspectives on using antibiotics without prescriptions
Non-prescription use of antibiotics has become common in the United States and remains a threat to public health due to the subsequent increase in antimicrobial resistance. A qualitative study in Texas identified prominent drivers of non-prescription use, including patient beliefs in the value of antibiotics compared to over-the-counter medicines and healthcare system barriers, such as long wait times, high costs, and a lack of telemedicine options. Effective outpatient antibiotic stewardship programs must be designed to educate patients about the long-term risks associated with non-prescription antibiotic use. [BMJ Public Health]
Increasing health expenditures from sickle cell anemia patients in malaria-endemic areas across Uganda and Malawi
The economic burden of chronic diseases such as sickle cell anemia (SCA) in households with children with malaria was found to incur catastrophic expenditures in Uganda and Malawi. A prospective cohort study found that direct medical costs, such as drugs and laboratory tests, account for an annual median cost of US$638.80 per household in Uganda, while indirect costs amounted to $387.30 in Malawi due to government-subsidized medical services. To reduce the burden on households and patients, governments should invest in mechanisms to alleviate the financial burden while prioritizing research efforts for SCA treatment strategies. [BMC Public Health]
Tailored interventions to increase human papillomavirus vaccination uptake in vulnerable populations
A scoping review across seven countries identified five effective strategies to increase equity in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake across clinical, school-based, community-based, and combined settings. These strategies include multilingual communication materials, coordination of vaccine “prompting,” training for healthcare professional champions to be HPV vaccination advocates, utilizing school-based programs, and family-centered care to motivate cancer prevention. The sustainability of these interventions in rural, low socioeconomic, ethnic minority, Indigenous, and migrant adolescent to young adult populations requires effective coordination to ensure equitable, long-term HPV vaccination uptake. [Vaccine]
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