Global health review

MSF outreach workers test people for kala azar, Fulbaria, Mymensingh district, Bangladesh.

A weekly round-up of all the latest global health research from MSF projects and beyond

24 July 2026

Do you conduct research on migration and maternal and child health? International Journal for Equity in Health is running a Collection on this theme, seeking qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies on health inequities among migrant populations. Submissions close 31 July 2026. Head to the MSF Science Portal to stay up to date with open calls for papers, upcoming conferences, and other research opportunities.

This week, an MSF article in the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research found that among children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes in Lebanon, newer engineered insulins modestly outperformed standard synthetic insulin, supporting calls for wider and more affordable access to these insulins in low-resource settings.

In AIDS and Behavior, an article with MSF contribution found that in the Central African Republic, high HIV prevalence overlapped geographically with forced displacement and informal mining activity. Poor retention in care was linked to these same factors, especially among young women, pointing to a need for targeted interventions like mobile clinics for displaced and mining communities.

An Epicentre and MSF article in BMJ Open estimated the carbon footprint of a yellow fever vaccine trial in Uganda at nearly 225 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, driven mainly by research centre operations and international air travel, and called for sustainability to be built into trial design from the outset.

Finally, Epicentre contributed to an article in BMJ Medicine which, pooling data from over 156,000 women across 23 low- and middle-income countries, showed that excessive gestational weight gain raised the risk of caesarean delivery, while inadequate weight gain lowered it.

Best regards,

Clara von Kaehne, Lillian Matthes, and Holly Baker with MSF-authored article assistance from Alys Barton and Amelia Zhao.

All MSF-authored publications can be found on the MSF Science Portal, as well as recordings, abstracts and posters from the MSF Scientific Days 2026 conference.

Ebola

The Lancet • World Report: First Bundibugyo virus treatment trial begins

The Lancet • Correspondence***MSF AUTHOR***: Pregnancy as exclusion criterion in Ebola research: not again

The Lancet Microbe • Comment: Difficult decisions: navigating ethics in the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak

The Lancet • Correspondence: Bundibugyo ebolavirus from the 2026 Ebola outbreak in Uganda and DR Congo: a new variant

The BMJ • News: Ebola vaccine: Oxford starts UK trial against Bundibugyo strain

Global health

The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health • News: The hidden menopause crisis in conflict zones

The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health • and comment: Menopause: a global health and wellbeing issue that needs urgent attention

PLOS Global Public Health • Article: Advancing gender equity in primary health care: Lessons from integrating gender-responsive strategies into service delivery in Ethiopia

Malaria Journal • Article: Identifying populations with high prevalence of non-malarial febrile illnesses across different demographic groups in Malawi

Health Policy and Planning • Article: Mapping Policy Gaps and Governance Challenges in Kenya’s Hand Hygiene Environment: A Health Policy Triangle Analysis