Barcelona Institute for Global Health

The Framework for Policy Decision on the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine: the use of emerging data to inform global policy on the first malaria vaccine

The World Health Organization (WHO)-coordinated Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP) supported pilot introductions of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine by the ministries of health through the childhood immunization programmes in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi from 2019 through 2...

Diagnostic Accuracy of a Commercial ELISA for Detecting Antibodies Against Strongyloides stercoralis in Dried Blood Spots: A Field Study in Puerto Iguazú, Argentina

Background: Strongyloides stercoralis is frequently underdiagnosed due to the limited sensitivity of stool-based methods. Serology improves detection, but venous blood collection and cold-chain requirements complicate field implementation. Dried blood spots (DBS) offer a practica...

HIV-1 Drug Resistance in Mother–Infant Pairs in Southern Mozambique

This prospective nested cohort (EARTH) study evaluated drug resistance mutations and outcomes among 79 (31 with genetic results) early-treated Mozambican children living with HIV, followed for 50 months. Mortality reached 20.3%. Drug resistance mutations were detected in 58.1% of...

Using the Danish Administrative Registers to Define Mental Disorders: Potential and Limitations of Using Different Data Sources

BACKGROUND: Although the Danish health registers provide rich data for epidemiological mental health research, the comparability of findings is hindered by different definitions of mental disorders across studies. We aimed to describe different approaches taken by researchers to...

Microbiological Factors and Patient-Reported Outcomes of Exacerbation Burden in Pseudomonas aeruginosa-Colonised Bronchiectasis: A One-Year Prospective Study

Background: Exacerbations are key determinants of disease progression and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (BE). Despite the recognised association between Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) and worse outcomes, factors driving exacerb...

Health and access to healthcare among migrant agricultural workers in Spain: A mixed-methods study

BACKGROUND: Migrant agricultural workers (MAW) play a central role in sustaining Spain's agricultural labor markets, yet they remain disproportionately exposed to precarious working and living conditions with implications for health and healthcare access. This study explored self...

Genome-wide analysis of social behaviour across social domains, reporters and developmental stages: a meta-regression approach

Abstract Social behaviour is a heritable trait linked to well-being and mental health, yet it varies across social context, including social domains, informants and development, which may shape its underlying genomic architecture. Here, we conducted a genome-wide meta-regression...

Territorial inequities in access to essential medicines for neglected tropical diseases in a decentralised European health system: a nationwide assessment in Spain

Abstract Background Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) represent an increasing but often overlooked challenge for European health systems owing to international mobility, migration, travel, and climate-related changes in disease ecology. Although effective treatments exist for mo...

Interaction of walking activity and long-term air pollution on exacerbation rate in COPD

Background Regular walking activity can improve the prognosis in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, its benefit may be reduced when living in highly polluted areas. Aim To assess the combined effects of walking activity and air pollution on the rat...

Impacts of ivermectin mass drug administration for malaria control on smallholder pig health and productivity in Mozambique

Abstract As part of a larger clinical trial testing ivermectin mass drug administration (iMDA) in humans and pigs for malaria vector control in Mozambique, this study evaluates ivermectin’s effects on gastrointestinal nematode burden, daily weight gain and economic outcomes in tr...

Aggregation framework for continuous digital health measures and application to walking activity data

Abstract No standardized procedures for aggregating continuous digital health measures exist. Using a modified Delphi approach, we developed a framework to standardize the selection of aggregations that provide clinically meaningful, stable values. This was applied to aggregate s...

The global cost of automobility

This study quantifies the private and social costs of global automobility and evaluates the potential economic benefits of a transition to shared electric autonomous mobility-as-a-service (E-AV-MaaS). Using comprehensive cost components, including accidents, emissions, air pollut...

Current policies and practices for testing and treatment of chronic hepatitis B and C infection in high-burden countries in the WHO European region

Abstract Chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C remain major public health concerns in the WHO European Region, where an estimated 10.6 million people were living with HBV infection and 7.7 million with HCV infection in 2022. Despite this substantial burden, diagnosis and treatment...

The value of mortality data to advance learning and decision-making dynamics in Mozambique’s health system

Abstract Introduction There is a lack of evidence on whether and how health systems stakeholders in Mozambique learn from routine health data. Despite the recurring claim by the stakeholders themselves that data in general should be the centre of informed public health policy, it...

Building the toolkit to address malaria resurgence and radical cure of vivax malaria in Ethiopia: a meeting report

Abstract Ethiopia has experienced a substantial resurgence in malaria in recent years, with increasing case numbers and a growing contribution of Plasmodium vivax in several regions. At the same time, new evidence supporting improved radical cure strategies, including high-dose p...