Handwashing with soap has been considered one of the most effective ways of reducing infectious diseases and it is imperative to identify the barriers to handwashing behaviour to improve adherence. Two recent studies by icddr,b scientists explored solutions to encourage handwashing.

Dengue, a viral infection spread by the infamous Aedes aegypti mosquito, is the fastest growing mosquito-borne disease in the world today. Over 15,000 people, primarily in Dhaka, have been infected with the mosquito-borne disease this year.

Soy protein may be as good as milk - a key ingredient of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), earlier developed by icddr,b nutrition scientists for children experiencing severe acute malnutrition (SAM), suggests a new icddr,b clinical trial.

People in coastal Bangladesh are more prone to consuming saline water due to seawater intrusion to their groundwater aquifer, influencing their mineral intake. Water salinity indicates the total amount of dissolved minerals—therefore, the concentrations of types of minerals dissolved in water dictates the human health effects.

Individuals with high blood pressure or hypertension, and especially those with bigger tummy may be more likely to develop diabetes, suggests a multi-country COBRA BPS study with icddr,b. Around 23 percent of people with hypertension in Bangladeshi rural communities were found experiencing diabetes while another 24 percent were found with borderline diabetes (prediabetes).

C-section delivery cost is the greatest out-of-pocket (OOP) expense among all childbirth-related spending, especially for the less-wealthy people, suggests a recent icddr,b study. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) theme on this World Health Day restates that about 100 million people are pushed into extreme poverty each year because of OOP spending on health. With more C-sections taking place in Bangladesh, such OOP spending appears to be a challenge since the country aims to achieve UHC by 2032.

While stressing ‘water for all’ on World Water Day this year, it is reasonable to remind ourselves that 140-200 million people are still exposed to arsenic-laced water globally. A recent icddr,b study has shown that young adults are 5 times more likely to die at an early age from several diseases other than cancer when exposed to such toxin.

icddr,b researchers and US collaborators have developed a method to use blood samples to identify individuals recently infected with cholera in order to improve cholera surveillance.

Elevated blood pressure was found more prevalent in some Bangladeshi coastal communities and a new icddr,b study argues that higher water salinity levels, possibly triggered by climate change, may have a role in this.

icddr,b researchers developed 'Early Childhood Appetite and Satiety Tool (ECAST)' to measure appetite levels in children. ECAST aims to further clarify linkages between food intake levels and stunted/wasted growth and thus provide a strong leverage to future nutrition research.

Cholera is a public health challenge in Bangladesh, especially in areas without clean water or good hygiene and sanitation facilities. icddr,b researchers have deployed oral cholera vaccination strategies to cover populations at risk of this infectious disease and recent studies show that the efforts have been very successful.

icddr,b executive director Prof John Clemens MD has received 2018 Prince Mahidol Award jointly with Swedish immunologist and former icddr,b Scientific Advisory Group chair Prof Jan Holmgren for their contribution in developing world’s only safe, effective and affordable and internationally licensed oral cholera vaccine (OCV) which has been used for millions of people at risk of or affected by the spread of cholera worldwide.

Children in urban slums often have no choice over the quality of food they eat, some of which may cause lifetime harm to their health. Recent icddr,b evidence published in Nature has indicated that slum children may be exposed to Aflatoxins from fungi (fungus) grown on food. icddr,b researchers are now exploring whether it affects their lifetime growth.