Applying genetic technology for early TBM diagnosis helps to enhance patients’ quality of life
6 November 2024
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.
RSV vaccination could be vital in the battle against antimicrobial resistance
5 November 2024
New analysis by researchers at Oxford Population Health, Imperial College London, and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has found that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections lead to 640,000 antibiotic prescriptions a year. The study highlights that interventions to reduce RSV infections, including the new UK vaccination programme, could help reduce antibiotic prescribing and therefore antibiotic resistance.
One in a million – the story of the Million Women Study
4 November 2024
1.3 million women recruited over five years. Two decades of follow-up. Hundreds of research findings. It all adds up to the largest study of its kind in the world, and it’s all thanks to the team at the NDPH for making it happen – as well as all the women who have taken part over the years.
Experts gather to discuss medicine quality research
1 November 2024
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.
Access to justice for women, children and those living with disabilities in Nigeria
1 November 2024
Dr. Olaitan Olusegun is a lecturer in Medical Law and Human Rights at Obafemi Owololo Univeristy in Nigeria. She was an Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) Law Faculty Visiting Fellow 2023-24 at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at the University of Oxford, where she was a member of Somerville College.
Higher alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and very high percentage alcoholic products increase risk of death in Mexican adults
31 October 2024
In Mexico City, a middle-aged adult who drinks, on average, the equivalent of about 500ml of spirits per week is 43% more likely to die before age 75 than a similar adult who drinks on a less than monthly basis, according to research published today in The Lancet Public Health.
Brain changes seen in lifetime cannabis users but may not be the cause
30 October 2024
Lifetime cannabis use is associated with several aspects of brain structure and function in later life but cannabis use may not be the cause of these changes, according to a new study by researchers at Oxford Population Health and the Department of Psychiatry.
Adventures in Consciousness
28 October 2024
Adventures in Consciousness, the Cultural Programme's new season, launches this month. Developed in partnership with academics across the University, this season focuses on the theme of ‘Consciousness’ and draws on Oxford's Medical Humanities Network
Global inequities in maternal health risks across a woman’s life
25 October 2024
New findings published in The Lancet Global Health expose substantial global and regional disparities in the cumulative burden of life-threatening maternal morbidity across the female reproductive life span.
Dengue: Are Baby Mosquitoes a Hidden Threat?
23 October 2024
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.
Long COVID study highlights need for diagnosis and management investment
23 October 2024
A new study from researchers in the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC), hosted at NDM’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, reveals the key Long COVID characteristics affecting populations worldwide, including fatigue, shortness of breath and having trouble thinking clearly.
The Global Health Network MENA Regional Hub officially launched
22 October 2024
The Global Health Network, hosted by NDM, 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.
Nigeria rolls out new Oxford R21 malaria vaccine
18 October 2024
On Thursday, Nigeria announced the regulatory approval and launch of the new R21/Matrix-M™ malaria vaccine that will be freely administered to recipients. This marks a significant milestone in the country’s fight against the deadly disease.
AfOx welcomes its largest Graduate Scholar cohort from Africa to Oxford
17 October 2024
The Africa Oxford Initiative is thrilled to welcome its largest-ever cohort of over 70 graduate scholars from countries in Africa to the University of Oxford.
Possible new transmission route for highly pathogenic avian influenza
17 October 2024
A new study published in Nature Communications has identified a new potential transmission route for H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAI). Understanding actual “bird flu” rates in humans will help prevent further spillover and a potential new pandemic.
Research finds 1.1 billion people in multidimensional poverty, with nearly half a billion in conflict settings
16 October 2024
New research from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) has found that poverty rates in conflict-affected nations are almost three times higher than in countries free from conflict.
Study explores aerosol immunisation as path to broadly protective influenza vaccine
16 October 2024
Scientists at PSI and Pirbright have taken a significant step towards developing a universal influenza vaccine.
Liver fibrosis related to schistosomiasis is worsened by co-infection and other underlying liver diseases
15 October 2024
Researchers at Oxford Population Health and the Uganda Ministry of Health have presented new evidence assessing the effectiveness of the current indicators used by the World Health Organization (WHO) to identify likely cases or communities affected by periportal fibrosis (PPF) as a result of schistosomiasis. The study is published in The Lancet Microbe.
Rift Valley fever vaccine to enter Phase II clinical trials in Kenya
14 October 2024
A promising human vaccine candidate against the potentially deadly Rift Valley fever, a mosquito-borne disease affecting countries across Africa, is set to begin Phase II trials in Kenya. This is the most advanced stage of testing a human Rift Valley fever vaccine has reached in an outbreak-prone area to date. A team of scientists at the Nuffield Department of Medicine and the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme will lead the $3.7m trial, funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
Typhoid vaccine trial confirms sustained protection for older children
14 October 2024
A single dose of typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) offers safe, effective protection against typhoid two years after vaccination in all children, and sustained protection for older children at three to five years post immunisation, according to a report by researchers at the Oxford Vaccine Group and the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b). But it also shows a decline in protection at the later timepoints among children vaccinated at younger ages.