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The Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) analysed the health consequences of the hot and dry summer of 2018 for the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). The results were published today in the report "Heat and Drought in Summer 2018 - Effects on Humans and the Environment". The report shows that heat and drought had negative impacts on human health, forests, agriculture, water and glaciers.

Rabies continues to kill approximately 60,000 people every year, mainly in Africa and Asia. In order to reach the goal to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies worldwide by 2030, integrated strategies, political will and innovations are needed. Swiss TPH is at the forefront of rabies research; from devising high-tech sensors to track dogs in urban settings and employing new mathematical methodologies to investigating blockchain for improved access to post-exposure prophylaxis.

Numerous studies have shown that heat increases mortality rates. In Switzerland, for example, the hot summer of 2015 caused around 800 additional deaths. Only a few studies, however, have investigated the effects of heatwaves on morbidity and hospital admissions. Researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) recently conducted a detailed analysis of emergency hospital admissions in Switzerland during the three heatwaves between June and August 2015 in a study commissioned by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).

Previous studies analysing malaria mortality in sub-Saharan Africa may have underestimated the burden caused by this mosquito-borne disease. A study by Swiss TPH researchers found that when taking into account indirect causes of death such as anaemia, the risk of death from malaria was up to 3.5 times higher.

Bed nets and indoor residual spraying with insecticides are key interventions to protect people in their homes from mosquito bites, thereby preventing malaria transmission. A remaining challenge is the transmission that occurs outdoors. A new study found that the proportion of outdoor mosquito bites in sub-Saharan Africa has increased.

Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease with a huge impact on global health. More than 200 million people are infected, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers from Swiss TPH, the Natural History Museum London and partner institutions in Zanzibar have published a study on interventions for schistosomiasis elimination in Zanzibar, which found that while schistosomiasis was eliminated as a public health problem in over 90% of the study regions, transmission is not yet interrupted and reinfection occurs.

Strongyloides stercoralis is a soil-transmitted threadworm that is endemic in many tropical and subtropical countries. In a nation-wide study in Cambodia, Swiss TPH scientists and their partners found that nearly a third of the population is infected with S. stercoralis. The results were published today in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Currently, around 910,000 Rohingya refugees live in Cox's Bazar District in Bangladesh after having fled violence faced in Myanmar, resulting in one of the most rapid exoduses in modern history. In a project funded by UNICEF and coordinated by Swiss TPH, a study was conducted to identify and understand WASH practices of the populations living in the camp.

Protection by the malaria vaccine RTS,S is not only a matter of antibody quantity but also of quality. These are the findings of a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in collaboration with Swiss TPH and other partners. The research show for the first time that the higher the avidity of antibodies induced by the RTS,S vaccine, the greater the protection.

The debate on air quality standards for ambient air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, particulate matter and ozone has revived in Germany last week. The International Society for Environmental Epidemiology and the Environment and Health Committee of the European Respiratory Society have now issued a statement on the debate of the effects of air pollution on health.

Buruli ulcer is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) resulting in debilitating skin lesions, disabilities and stigmatisation. The current antibiotic treatment is long and has severe adverse side effects. Researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) together with colleagues from Singapore have discovered a highly effective compound against Buruli ulcer which has the potential to become a powerful alternative to the existing treatment options.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic worm infection affecting 250 million people globally. The current prevalence thresholds for preventive chemotherapy of intestinal schistosomiasis are based on the Kato-Katz method using stool samples. A new more sensitive point-of-care urine test is now available in particular for settings with low prevalence.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic worm infection affecting 250 million people globally. The current prevalence thresholds for preventive chemotherapy of intestinal schistosomiasis are based on the Kato-Katz method using stool samples. A new more sensitive point-of-care urine test is now available in particular for settings with low prevalence.

Air pollution and transportation noise are both associated with an increased risk of heart attacks. Studies on air pollution, which do not take into account traffic noise, tend to overestimate the long-term effect of air pollution on heart attacks. These are the results of a study conducted by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, and published today in the European Heart Journal.

Although the disease is preventable, rabies continues to kill more than 60'000 people per year - mainly children in Asia and Africa. New research by Swiss TPH may pave the way to more targeted dog vaccination in order to eliminate rabies by 2030. The rabies virus is primarily (99%) transmitted to humans through dog bites.

Together with international partners, Swiss TPH conducted a study to assess multiple diagnostic tests intended to support malaria elimination. Results published yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases found that rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) including a novel ultra-sensitive RDT, cannot replace molecular diagnostic tests to identify potential malaria transmitters.

A new type of bed net with two active ingredients, a pyrethroid insecticide plus an insect growth hormone, could prevent millions of cases of malaria according to a new study published yesterday in The Lancet. Swiss TPH contributed to the study through statistical design and data analysis. The latest figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that approximately 216 million people were infected with malaria in 2016 worldwide, an increase in five million from the previous year.

An estimated 250 million people suffer from schistosomiasis worldwide. While considerable progress has been made to control schistosomiasis, challenges remain as there is no vaccine available and the risk for drug resistance is increasing. Providing recommendations toward control and eventual elimination of schistosomiasis, a comprehensive review was published today in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Reviews Disease Primers.

A Swiss TPH study analysing surveillance data from Switzerland over the last 30 years shows a strong decline from 628 hepatitis A cases in 1988 to 43 cases in 2016. The study was published yesterday in the peer-reviewed journal Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease. In most European countries, the prevalence of hepatitis A has been reduced substantially over the past decades.

Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields may have adverse effects on the development of memory performance of specific brain regions exposed during mobile phone use. These are the findings of a study involving nearly 700 adolescents in Switzerland. The investigation, led by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), will be published on Monday, 23 July 2018 in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives.