Epidemiology News and Research

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Climate change shifts malaria risk across sub-Saharan Africa

Malaria is the deadliest climate-sensitive infectious disease. Yet, researchers and public health officials have long argued over how climate change has shaped its spread.

29 Jul 2026

New home test uses thigh length to detect type 2 diabetes or prediabetes

A new home test can detect type 2 diabetes or prediabetes with high accuracy. The test has been developed using artificial intelligence and large amounts of health data – and surprisingly, one of the steps involves measuring the length of your thigh.

29 Jul 2026

UC Davis researcher receives grant to study perceived cognitive aging

University of California, Davis Professor of Neurology Sarah Tomaszewski Farias has been awarded a $3.3 million five-year grant from The National Institute on Aging to study if cultural differences affect how people perceive cognitive changes as they age.

27 Jul 2026

Alcohol use during pregnancy increased in the United States from 2011 through 2024

Prenatal alcohol exposure-a contributor to adverse pregnancy outcomes and the leading preventable cause of neurodevelopmental disability worldwide-has increased in the United States over the past decade.

27 Jul 2026

New study tracks rapid spread of drug-resistant Shigella across England

A nationwide genomic epidemiology study involving a researcher from Kingston University has revealed that sexually transmitted Shigella sonnei is spreading faster, over greater geographic distances and with higher transmission intensity than non-sexually transmitted strains in England.

27 Jul 2026

Study links household drinking water to long-term lithium exposure

Lithium in drinking water is a widespread and persistent source of human exposure across Tribal communities in the Western United States, according to a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

24 Jul 2026

West Virginia University study examines common triggers for anxious driving

West Virginia University researchers say driving anxiety, one of the most common phobias, is triggered by a variety of circumstances that can lead to panic attacks and an avoidance of the open road during the summer traveling season and at other times of the year.

24 Jul 2026

Study reveals regional disparities in Brazilian childhood leukemia mortality

An international study involving LMU found regional differences in childhood lymphoid leukemia mortality across Brazil.

23 Jul 2026

Stuffed toys can release short-chain PFAS into saliva, study finds

Researchers tested 18 stuffed toys and found that all released at least one targeted PFAS into artificial saliva under mouthing-relevant conditions, with PFHxA driving much of the variation between products. Modeled intake of the four PFAS covered by EFSA’s group tolerable weekly intake remained below that benchmark, but some high-PFHxA toys had reduced margins of exposure, and water rinsing produced mixed results.

22 Jul 2026

Corn-based foods linked to higher mycotoxin exposure in pregnancy

Consuming common foods such as corn chips and popcorn may put pregnant women at risk of being exposed to mycotoxins – harmful substances produced by mold – according to Rutgers researchers.

22 Jul 2026

Air pollution mixtures linked to higher early preterm birth risk

Pregnancy puts higher oxygen demands on the body, so expectant mothers breathe significantly more air over the course of a day. When air quality is bad, they're also breathing in more harmful pollutants.

21 Jul 2026

Automated workflow speeds bacterial sample preparation for genetic sequencing

Biomedical engineers at Brown University have developed a fully automated workflow that simplifies and accelerates the preparation of bacterial samples for genetic sequencing.

21 Jul 2026

Childhood ultra-processed food intake associates with altered insulin responses

Researchers analyzed dietary and metabolic data from 508 nondiabetic Mexican American children in the SAFARI family cohort, finding that higher ultra-processed food scores were associated with lower insulin sensitivity and altered early insulin secretion measures. The exploratory cross-sectional study did not establish causality, and its multiple comparisons, historical dietary data, and questionnaire-based UPF estimates warrant confirmation in longitudinal studies and trials.

21 Jul 2026

Prenatal acetaminophen use not linked to adverse birth outcomes

There is no statistically significant evidence that taking acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol, during pregnancy has a negative impact on how early a child is born or a child's weight at birth, according to new research led by environmental scientists at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

17 Jul 2026

New battery-powered device detects Bundibugyo Ebola virus in thirty minutes

Professor Yasutoshi Kido of the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU), in collaboration with K.K. DNAFORM and the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is developing a portable rapid diagnostic system for Ebola virus disease (EVD) caused by Bundibugyo virus (BDBV).

17 Jul 2026

Bundibugyo Virus Disease outbreak

As of 14 July, 2,093 confirmed cases of Bundibugyo Virus Disease and 798 deaths had been reported in the DRC and Uganda. A total of 394 people have recovered.

17 Jul 2026

UCL study shows more UK smokers use illicit tobacco sources

Published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, the research analyzed repeated cross-sectional survey data from 9,996 participants aged 16 or older who reported they currently smoked.

16 Jul 2026

Breast and prostate cancer survival worsens with metabolic syndrome

A SEER-Medicare analysis of more than 200,000 adults aged 66 and older found that metabolic syndrome was associated with about twice the adjusted hazard of death from any cause after breast or prostate cancer. The condition was also linked to higher cancer-specific, cardiovascular-specific, and liver-failure-specific mortality, although the observational design prevents causal conclusions.

14 Jul 2026

Reddit exposes menopause symptoms often missing from medical records

Nearly half the world's population experiences menopause, yet many of its emotional, cognitive and social impacts may never be discussed during medical appointments.

14 Jul 2026

Cultural engagement linked to slower physiological aging in older adults

Higher levels of cultural engagement are significantly associated with lower physiological aging, suggests an analysis published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

14 Jul 2026