Tropical cyclones in Madagascar lead to sharp spikes in malaria infections – particularly in children – due to interruptions in control efforts, according to a new study. However, the findings show that newly introduced long-lasting vaccines can help to mitigate these gaps. This points to pathways to climate-resilient control strategies in malaria-prone regions. Malaria, already a persistent global health challenge, poses new threats from climate change, not only through rising temperatures that shift mosquito dynamics but also via extreme weather events like tropical cyclones. Such disasters can severely disrupt public health infrastructure, limit access to malaria prevention and treatment, and increase infection risk, especially in high-burden regions where continuity of care and malaria control is critical. However, despite concerns, data on how climate-related disruptions affect malaria control remain scarce. Madagascar – a country with a high malaria burden – is increasingly exposed to the effects of climate change, particularly through the growing frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones, which have repeatedly triggered severe damage to healthcare infrastructure.

 

Using a longitudinal cohort study of 500 households in Madagascar’s Mananjary district, Benjamin Rice and colleagues analyzed 20,718 observations of malaria infection before and after cyclones Batsirai (2022) and Freddy (2023). This allowed the authors to evaluate how well various malaria interventions performed given the strain of extreme weather events. According to the findings, tropical cyclones in Madagascar significantly elevate the risk of malaria infection and reinfection by disrupting essential public health interventions, including malaria prevention and treatment programs. In the months following cyclones, malaria infection surged, particularly in children: up to half of school-age children and over a third of younger children were infected in high-transmission areas. By modeling various control strategies, the authors found that the recently introduced malaria vaccines, which offer up to 10 months of protection, could significantly reduce symptomatic infections and help sustain malaria infection control during climate-related intervention gaps. Despite this, Rice et al. note that malaria vaccines alone are insufficient to stop transmission, adding that layered strategies combining vaccines, drug-based prevention, and traditional tools like bed nets are essential, especially in high-transmission areas where malaria remains persistent.

While many experts have offered that rising obesity rates are due to declining physical activity as societies become more industrialized, new research shows that people in wealthier countries expend just as much — or even more — energy daily. In an article recently published in PNAS, Duke researchers point instead to higher caloric intake as the primary driver, suggesting that diet rather than idleness plays the bigger role in the global obesity crisis.

Three studies presented today at the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery’s (SNIS) 22nd Annual Meeting discussed whether using GLP-1 inhibitors could lessen the impacts of stroke and related brain injuries or reduce the risk of stroke altogether. These medications, which lower blood sugar and often cause weight loss, are commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes and obesity and include drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic).

 

Sickle cell disease can lead to a severe complication known as acute chest syndrome (ACS), but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. A new study by Mass General Brigham investigators identified an ancient immune pathway that is activated in patients with ACS and serves as a key driver of the disease. Blocking this pathway with clinically approved drugs alleviated disease severity in preclinical models. The results are published in Science Translational Medicine.

Thomas McElrath, MD, PhD, of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, is the lead and corresponding author of a paper published in JAMA Network Open, “Utility of the US Preventive Services Task Force for Preeclampsia Risk Assessment and Aspirin Prophylaxis.”

A new study raises concerns about a widely used shortcut in approving rectal cancer drugs, showing that the absence of detectable tumors after treatment—known as pathologic complete response (pCR)—does not reliably predict longer survival. The FDA-approved metric could be fast-tracking new rectal cancer drugs without evidence they help patients live longer. 

A new study sponsored by Mirvie, which is the first to evaluate U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines for preeclampsia risk and aspirin prescription in a single, nationally representative, prospective population, found while high-risk factors had sufficient value in estimating risk, there’s limited value for the moderate risk category - leading to nonspecific recommendations for aspirin use, a recognized prevention tool.