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More than half of the global population is estimated to lack safe drinking water services in a study published yesterday in the journal Science. The results are depicted in a map that researchers compiled using machine learning based on data from household surveys and data derived from earth observations.

Researchers at Swiss TPH have demonstrated that the novel drug candidate, emodepside, is highly effective in treating parasitic worm infections in humans, particularly hookworms. The results of a Phase 2b trial, published today in The Lancet, confirmed the drug's strong efficacy and safety profile, building on the promising outcomes of an earlier Phase 2a study.

Chronic pain is a significant global health concern and access to pain control is a basic human right. While the burden of chronic pain is well described in high-income countries, there is limited data in lowand middle-income countries (LMICs), in particular in marginalized communities such as pastoralists.

An estimated one-fifth of the world's population is affected by pollen allergies. Researchers at Swiss TPH have now discovered that high pollen concentrations can increase blood pressure in allergy sufferers. Pollen allergies are thus becoming a growing public health problem, especially as the pollen season is becoming longer and more intense due to climate change.

A recent breakthrough sheds light on how the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, invades human red blood cells. The study, led by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics, reveals the role of a sugar called sialic acid in this invasion process.

A study published yesterday by Swiss TPH and partners in Lao PDR has revealed high rates of Steatotic Liver Disease in a rural region where liver fluke infections and diabetes are prevalent. Surprisingly, an infection with parasitic worms was inversely associated with the prevalence of Steatotic Liver Disease.

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Women living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are six times more likely to develop cervical cancer than those who are HIV negative. To tackle this issue, Swiss TPH together with partners developed the Cervical Cancer Prevention and Care Cascade - a framework to enhance cervical cancer screening programmes for women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.

A large-scale study by the DYNAMIC project has produced promising results: the use of a new digital clinical decision-making tool has led to a twoto three-fold reduction in the prescription of antibiotics. These results, just published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Medicine, marks an important step towards curbing bacterial antimicrobial resistance.

Studies published in the Lancet Global Health finds that only one-quarter of people thinks their health system works well. The People's Voice Survey analysed people's views and trust in the system in 15 countries, adding a missing component to how one evaluates health system performance. Swiss TPH contributed to these studies.

A series of papers in the Lancet Global Health published yesterday finds that only one-quarter of people thinks their health system works well. The People's Voice Survey analysed people's views and trust in the system in 15 countries, adding a missing component to how one evaluates health system performance.

Elimination of rabies in Africa could be within reach through a more coordinated One Health approach. An innovative study by Swiss TPH and partners applied game theory to tackle rabies challenges and identified effective strategies for affected countries. The paper, published in Nature Communications, demonstrates that a more coordinated approach could end this fatal disease and result in major health, economic and social gains.

Scientists have identified a new class of compounds called cyanotriazoles that have the potential to effectively inhibit the growth of trypanosomes, the parasites responsible for Chagas disease and African sleeping sickness. The results, published yesterday in the journal Science, demonstrate that the compounds show no toxicity to human cells, raising hopes for the development of new and improved treatments for neglected tropical diseases.

A new drug candidate shows promising results in treating parasitic worm infections. Re-searchers at Swiss TPH tested efficacy and safety of emodepside against the three most important soil-transmitted helminths on Pemba Island in Tanzania. Emodepside is the first new promising drug against parasitic worm infections since several decades.

Mental health disorders affect nearly one billion people worldwide and are a leading cause of suicide. A study by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) has now found that the risk to commit suicide increases for people exposed to high levels of transportation noise. The results were published today in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

A study by Swiss TPH and partners found that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in mental health concerns among mothers in Zambia. The study highlights the need for public health interventions for vulnerable groups in low-resource settings. The findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One.

A large-scale study by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and partners has found that rectal artesunate (RAS) has no beneficial effect on the survival of young children with severe malaria when used as an emergency treatment in resource-constrained settings. The study, which took place under real-world conditions in three African countries, concludes that the use of RAS is unlikely to reduce malaria deaths unless underlying health system weaknesses are addressed.

According to a large-scale analysis of more than 32 million cardiovascular deaths over four decades, more deaths occur on very hot and very cold days. Swiss TPH contributed to this multinational study, which was published today in the journal Circulation of the American Heart Association.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world's biggest infectious disease killers. It is a complicated disease to diagnose and treat, even more so when it affects organs outside of the lung. A clinical trial in Tanzania tested a diagnostic algorithm including point-of-care ultrasound to increase the proportion of correctly managed patients.

Swiss TPH researchers tested two different drug combinations against the parasitic worm Trichuris trichiura on Pemba Island, Tanzania. Findings show that a new treatment combination (moxidectin and albendazole) is inferior compared to the current recommended treatment combination (ivermectin and albendazole).

A new study in Science shows how the rapid expansion of genomic surveillance in Africa allowed the continent to describe the introduction and spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants in African countries. Swiss TPH contributed to these efforts as part of the SARS-CoV-2 surveillance programme in Equatorial Guinea.