Announcements

We are pleased to share the following interview with Dr. Sumon Ghosh and Dr. Waqas Ahmad, the Guest Editors of the Special Issue “Recent Advances in Rabies Surveillance and Control” in Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (TropicalMed, ISSN 2414-6366).

1. Could you please briefly introduce yourself, your research field and main research interests?

Dr. Waqas Ahmad: I am a veterinarian and graduated in 2010 from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan, where I also pursued my master’s degree in veterinary pathology. I decided to move into the field of epidemiology and public health by securing a Chinese Government Scholarship to pursue a full-time PhD at the Institute of Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, China. At present, I have been serving as an Assistant Professor in Epidemiology & Public Health at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore, Pakistan, since 2016.

My scientific interests are focused on the fields of emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases, One Health, and infectious diseases at the animal–human–environment interface with a special focus on rabies. I investigate rabies nationally and globally through evidence-based research, science-policy scenarios, and the perspectives of implementation research and social determinants. Currently, I am completing my TDR Implementation Research Leadership Fellowship in Indonesia. Previously, I also completed the Injaz (Arabic word, meaning distinction) Fellowship by the Global Institute of Disease Elimination (GLIDE), UAE, to develop a surveillance system of dog-mediated rabies in a district of Pakistan using a One Health approach.

Dr. Sumon Ghosh: I have secured my graduation and post-graduation degrees from Chittagong Veterinary & Animal Sciences University of Bangladesh. I completed my PhD from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Department of Public Health, Knoxville, TN, USA.

Being a veterinarian, I started my professional career as a consultant under the Communicable Disease Control Division of Directorate General of Health Services in Bangladesh and progressed to serve as a Senior Field Research Officer at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDRB). My research is focused on zoonoses, global health, and One Health approaches in tropical environments using predictive modeling for eliminating dog-mediated human rabies in Bangladesh. I have also received a Fellowship from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), Bangladesh, as a Post-Graduate Research Grant. I am an active member of the American Public Health Association (APHA), American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), and Rabies in Asia Foundation. I have been recognized for my commitment to global health and received the W. K. McClure Scholarship for World Affairs (2024–2025). My work bridges epidemiology, community engagement, and policy to reduce infectious disease threats.

2. What are the most exciting or unanswered questions currently driving your area of research?

Dr. Waqas Ahmad and Dr. Sumon Ghosh: Currently, we are pursuing research on various aspects of dog-mediated rabies across the animal, human, and environment interface to explore the challenges, concerns, and potential impacts of this disease on these three major components of One Health domain. Due to advancements in science, technology, and food industries, One Health Science has also become more complex and related to various biological phenomena; therefore, it is imperative for us to explore the complexity of animal-borne diseases or rabies by exploring the possible risk factors, causal models, and surveillance challenges across various times, persons, and places. These interfaces would help us to elucidate the complex relationships and interconnectedness of One Health issues in a plausible way so that we may redesign and strengthen our health system to correspond to the needs of modernization. We have witnessed the catastrophic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and observed the challenges of our existing surveillance systems in the developed and developing world. Therefore, as scientists or epidemiologists, we need to be proactive instead of reactive to cope with emerging and reemerging animal-borne diseases more seriously.

3. What motivated you to accept the invitation to serve as the Guest Editor, and has this role lived up to your expectations?

Dr. Waqas Ahmad and Dr. Sumon Ghosh: Our motivations to accept the invitation to serve as a Guest Editor came from our long-standing passion for rabies research and prevention. Rabies has been a major focus of our professional and academic career, from our early involvement in mass dog vaccination (MDV) and rabies control programs in Bangladesh and Pakistan to our doctoral research on One Health approaches to dog-mediated human rabies elimination. Over the years, we have had the opportunity to work across different aspects of rabies prevention and control, including disease surveillance, MDV, post-exposure prophylaxis, community awareness, and epidemiological research. Because of this background, serving as a Guest Editor for the Special Issue “Recent Advances in Rabies Surveillance and Control” was a particularly meaningful opportunity for us. We perceived it as a way to provide a larger contribution to the field of tropical diseases beyond our own research by bringing together current evidence, diverse perspectives, and innovative approaches from a range of globally sprawled regions that can help advance the global goal of eliminating dog-mediated human rabies. The role has certainly lived up to our expectations. It has been rewarding to engage with researchers working on different aspects of rabies and to contribute to the dissemination of high-quality research in an area that we both care deeply about.

4. Can you describe how you select journals where you submit your work? What are your thoughts on the journal TropicalMed?

Dr. Waqas Ahmad and Dr. Sumon Ghosh: As a rule of thumb, we plan our research or review paper submissions after reviewing the scope, aims, and open access accessibility of the journals. Most importantly, we also judge the credibility of the journal through its indexes and the audience for which the journal truly focuses on. We have been with the Tropical Medicine journal for more than 6 months as Guest Editors and we have closely observed the focus, aims, and the ongoing available and published submissions in this journal. The journal has covered a wide range of tropical disease topics, Special Issues, and featured key interviews on important public health topics. The journal system from submission to publication is versatile, rapid, and smooth. The readership and publication scope of this journal also cover a wide geographic area so that scientists from remote areas of the developing and developed world may get benefits of this platform. We are also pleased to see that Tropical Medicine has taken the lead to highlight the scientific developments in various tropical disease areas through original research articles, reviews, commentaries and perspectives ranging from social sciences to molecular levels. For us, rabies research is more than an academic interest; it is an area of public health that we are genuinely passionate about, and serving as Guest Editors in this journal has provided another meaningful way to connect with all those rabies researchers who are doing excellent work around the world.

5. The global “Zero by 30” goal aims to eliminate human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030. From your perspective, what are the most significant scientific and practical challenges that still need to be addressed, and where do you see the greatest opportunities for innovation in rabies surveillance, prevention, and control?

Dr. Waqas Ahmad and Dr. Sumon Ghosh: The story of dog-mediated rabies death starts with a dog bite, which is the most common reason for developing rabies in the rabies endemic developing countries. If we endeavor to stop this problem, we can make progress by leaps and bounds in eliminating human rabies. However, this issue remains prevalent mainly due to a lack of responsible animal ownership not only in the developing countries of Asia and Africa, but also in the developed world, where dog bite injuries frequently involve owned dogs. We presume that the lack of awareness in basic animal handling attitudes and behaviors is accelerating the ever-increasing animal bite injuries in the developing countries, which are also posing serious risks for the transmission of rabies in terms of community-based practical challenges. Additional scientific challenges vary from country to country and span accessibility of prophylaxis, availability at subsidized rates, general basic awareness, standard diagnostics, and non-systematic animal vaccination programs. On top of that, the lack of data synthesis, integration, maintenance, and analysis also presents cumbersome glitches in determining accurate disease burdens in any country. We predict that tools of rabies surveillance can become more innovative through digitally tailored and locally adopted artificial intelligence methods in order to break the cycle of animal bite injuries and to empower integrated bite case management.

Conference: American Public Health Association 2026 Annual Meeting and Expo (APHA 2026)
Date: 1–4 November 2026
Location: San Antonio, USA

Each year, APHA’s Annual Meeting and Expo brings together about 11,000 public health professionals and partners from around the world to engage, collaborate and grow, gathering a broad spectrum of professionals across a variety of disciplines. As the largest public health gathering of the year, this is a meeting you will not want to miss. This year's theme is Together We Thrive: Health Across the Lifespan, and MDPI looks forward to welcoming you at Booth #628.

The following open access journals will be represented at APHA 2026:

• International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH);
• COVID;
• Sports;
• Gastroenterology Insights;
• Epidemiologia;
• Nutrients;
• Allergies;
• Psychiatry International;
• TropicalMed;
• Children;
• Therapeutics;
• Nursing Reports;
• Hygiene;
• European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education (EJIHPE);
• Green Health;
• Trends in Public Health.

Our delegates are excited to connect with you in person at our booth and answer any questions you may have. For more information regarding this conference, please visit the following link: https://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual.

We are pleased to share the following interview with Dr. Lina María Preciado Rojo, the Guest Editor of the Special Issue “Combating Tropical Envenomation” in Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (TropicalMed, ISSN 2414-6366).

1. Could you please briefly introduce yourself, your research field, and your main research interests?
My name is Lina María Preciado. I hold a degree in biological engineering, a master’s in chemistry, and a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of Antioquia, Colombia.
For the past eleven years, I have worked as a researcher in the Research Group on Toxinology, Therapeutic and Food Alternatives at the University of Antioquia. The group is a pioneer in Colombia for characterizing venoms from snakes, spiders, and scorpions, and for identifying novel therapeutic alternatives from medicinal plants and other bioactive natural compounds.
My primary research interests lie in toxinology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics. I am particularly passionate about applying computational and biochemical approaches to the study, characterization, and functional analysis of snake venom toxins. My work focuses on studying the structure–function relationships of venom components, identifying bioactive molecules with therapeutic potential, and examining innovative strategies for discovering toxin inhibitors and other pharmacologically relevant compounds.
Through integrating experimental and computational methodologies, I aim to deepen understanding of venom biology and develop new therapeutic approaches inspired by natural toxins and their molecular targets.

2. What are the most exciting or unanswered questions currently driving your area of research?
One of the most exciting challenges in snake venom research is understanding the remarkable variation in venom composition, which can vary by species, geographic distribution, age, diet, and ecological variables. This variation complicates our knowledge of venom evolution and directly affects the effectiveness of current antivenoms, which are often developed against a limited number of venoms.
In my view, one of the most important goals for the field is the creation of next-generation broad-spectrum or “pan-antivenoms” capable of neutralizing toxins from multiple medically relevant snake species. Achieving this objective requires identifying conserved toxin epitopes, understanding cross-reactive immune responses, and determining which toxin families are the most critical therapeutic targets throughout diverse venoms. Advances in structural biology, bioinformatics, proteomics, and antibody engineering are providing new opportunities to handle these questions.
Ultimately, closing the gap between venom diversity and universal therapeutic coverage remains one of the greatest scientific and public health challenges in toxinology. Solving this problem could greatly improve snakebite treatment worldwide, particularly in regions where access to species-specific antivenoms is limited.

3. What was the primary goal or inspiration for establishing this Special Issue theme? What specific types of research are you most eager to feature?
The primary motivation for establishing this Special Issue was the immediate need to promote innovative research addressing the ongoing challenges of tropical envenomation, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where envenomation by snakes, spiders, scorpions, and other venomous animals is still a neglected public health problem. Despite considerable advances in toxinology, access to effective diagnostics and therapeutics remains limited in many tropical regions.
This need is especially evident in countries such as Colombia, where approximately 6,000 snakebite envenomations are reported annually, with many cases occurring in remote rural communities with restricted access to healthcare facilities. Delays in diagnosis and treatment can result in severe local and systemic complications, permanent physical disabilities, and persistent psychological and socioeconomic consequences.
I am especially inclined to feature research on the discovery and development of next-generation therapeutics, including recombinant antivenoms, monoclonal antibodies, toxin-directed inhibitors, and bioactive compounds derived from natural sources. Studies using modern omics, proteomics, transcriptomics, structural biology, and computational approaches to characterize venoms and identify novel therapeutic targets are also of great interest.

4. This Special Issue also highlights alternative therapeutics such as small‑molecule inhibitors. What are the main bottlenecks to translating these promising candidates into clinical use for envenomation patients?
One of the main bottlenecks in translating small-molecule inhibitors into clinical use is the significant gap between identifying promising compounds in preclinical studies and generating the evidence required for clinical development. Over the past decades, numerous inhibitors derived from plants and synthetic sources have exhibited promising activity against key venom components; however, many of these candidates remain in early preclinical stages.
In particular, there is a need for more in-depth safety and toxicity studies, as well as systematic evaluation of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Understanding absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination is essential for determining whether a compound can achieve therapeutically relevant concentrations at the appropriate site and within the critical time window following envenomation. The route and timing of administration are also important considerations, since patients in rural settings may require treatments that can be administered rapidly and with minimal medical infrastructure.
There are, however, encouraging examples of compounds progressing toward clinical application. Varespladib, a small-molecule inhibitor of secreted PLA₂ enzymes, has attracted considerable attention as a potential broad-spectrum therapeutic for snakebite envenomation and has advanced into clinical evaluation. Similarly, metal-chelating agents directed at SVMPs have been investigated as potential therapeutics, including in clinical settings.

5. Can you describe how you choose which journals to submit to? What are your thoughts on TropicalMed?
I take several factors into account, including the journal’s scope and scientific relevance, the quality and rigor of its peer-review process, its visibility inside the scientific community, and its potential to reach the appropriate audience. I also consider the journal’s indexing, international readership, publication times, and open access policy.
The journal plays an important role in promoting research by serving as a platform for studies spanning venom characterization and toxin biology to diagnostics, antivenoms, alternative therapeutics, and clinical management. I consider it an important platform for spreading research on neglected tropical diseases, particularly because of its broad, multidisciplinary scope. The journal provides an opportunity to bring together basic, translational, and clinical research addressing health challenges that affect tropical and resource-limited regions.
In addition, the journal’s international readership can help increase the visibility of research on envenomations by snakes, spiders, scorpions, and other venomous animals, while facilitating interaction among researchers from varied geographic and scientific backgrounds.

6. The WHO Snakebite Envenoming Strategy sets a global target of halving mortality and disability from tropical envenomation by 2030, calling for integrated action spanning community empowerment, accessible treatment delivery, health‑system strengthening, and multi‑stakeholder partnerships. From your perspective as a regional toxinology expert and Guest Editor of this Special Issue, “Combating Tropical Envenomation”, what are the biggest academic and practical hurdles to advancing such integrated implementation in endemic low‑ and middle‑income countries? And how can this Special Issue and our journal act as a catalyst to advance these 2030 global targets?
From my perspective as a regional toxinology scientist and Guest Editor, one of the greatest challenges is that snakebite envenoming remains a medical, public health, socioeconomic, and health-system problem. Although efficient interventions exist, their impact is constrained by gaps between knowledge generation and implementation in affected communities.
Academically, a key challenge is the fragmentation of research. Toxinology, antivenom development, clinical medicine, epidemiology, health economics, and implementation science are often addressed separately. We need more multidisciplinary and locally generated evidence that connects these areas and evaluates interventions under real-world conditions.
From a practical perspective, access and affordability remain fundamental barriers. Many affected populations live in remote areas in which transportation, trained personnel, diagnostic capacity, antivenom, and supportive care are limited. Delays in reaching appropriate healthcare can be as important as the absence of treatment itself. Community education, early recognition, appropriate first aid, rapid referral systems, reliable supply chains, and trained healthcare workers must function as an integrated system.
I believe this Special Issue can contribute by serving not simply as a collection of research papers but as a platform that connects basic science with implementation and public health impact. We should encourage studies that generate actionable evidence: improved antivenoms and therapeutics; venom and clinical characterization; biomarkers and diagnostics; epidemiological surveillance; clinical management; health-system interventions; community-based strategies; rehabilitation; and health-economic evaluations.

We are pleased to share the following interview with Dr. Jean-Paul Gonzalez, the Section Editor-in-Chief of the “One Health” Section in Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (TropicalMed, ISSN 2414-6366).

1. What motivated you to accept the invitation to serve as the Section Editor‑in‑Chief, and has this role lived up to your expectations?
What motivated me to accept the role of Section Editor-in-Chief was, above all, the emerging field of the “One Health” approach. It is a strategic approach that is not well understood by the scientific community, little known to health policymakers, and often misinterpreted by the general public. Let me explain; it is little understood because it is inherently interdisciplinary—running counter to the established scientific “silo” mentality—and is therefore still rare. It is unfamiliar to health policymakers because it is complex, particularly when inter-ministerial projects are required (involving human and animal health, environmental health, budgets, etc.). Finally, the general public seeks informed insight, which is exactly what we provide.
The second factor in my decision was the organizational structure and editorial support provided to the Section Editor-in-Chief.
Yes, my role today meets my expectations; the accepted manuscripts cover a wide range of fields and present novel observations alongside innovative, original research.
The support I receive from the editorial team is exactly what I hoped for; without them, I would not be able to complete my work within the necessary timeframes between submission and publication, a crucial aspect of scientific communication.

2. As the Section Editor-in-Chief, what is your primary vision for this Section, and what specific types of research are you most eager to feature?
As Section Editor-in-Chief, I believe it is essential to familiarize ourselves with transdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary research approaches in general.
This transdisciplinarity should be evident in submitted articles and actively encouraged. This is central to the “One Health” principle and its universal approach—spanning everything from the molecular level to natural and man-made environments, and from animal and human behaviors to abiotic elements that influence the health of all (animals, plants, and humans). We should also consider “frontier” environments—such as extreme regions (the Arctic, Antarctic, and deserts), which offer exemplary research opportunities—as well as space (both inside and outside the International Space Station, where my teams currently have ongoing research projects).
More specifically, I believe priority should be given to any type of human–animal–environment interaction, particularly within the context of health risks.
Another priority area is the microbiome, where the link between the environment and health is direct—a subject my teams are also actively investigating. Beyond pathogenic microbes, we must also consider commensal parasites, which play a significant role in health as well.

3. You have long been a champion of the “One Health” approach. In your view, how can our journal/Section better bridge the gap between human medicine, veterinary science, and environmental ecology to predict future pandemics?
My teams and I have long championed the “One Health” approach. All the research teams I established were multidisciplinary—spanning fields from biology and applied mathematics to the history of medical science—and this ethos continues in my current research and teaching.
As I discuss elsewhere in this interview, the priority is to favor transdisciplinary research approaches that link human, veterinary, and environmental health.
Predicting future pandemics is a different matter; here, we are dealing with global health—specifically the interplay between environments (climate, vegetation, land-use changes), populations (migration, health risks at borders), and animals (transhumance, the transport of livestock and animal products). This is an area where we can encourage authors to publish on topics such as cross-border health risks, food security (imports and exports), and travel medicine (migration, endemic regions, etc.). We need to rethink our framework—as I have already done—in terms of the “Global One Health” principle. Of course, we recognize the current limitations, but we must overcome these (largely political) obstacles and commit to global health initiatives (access to vaccines is paramount in this regard, though it is only the beginning).

4. The WHO 2030 Roadmap for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) calls for a radical paradigm shift from vertical, disease-specific programs to integrated, cross-cutting systems. From your dual perspective as a WHO advisor and our Section Editor-in-Chief, what are the biggest academic and practical hurdles in accelerating this integration, and how can our column serve as a catalyst for these 2030 global targets?
Yes, the WHO’s 2030 roadmap for NTDs calls for a paradigm shift involving cross-cutting systems.
The WHO Director of the NTD program is a guest lecturer in one of my courses at Georgetown University, so I am very attuned to this subject. From an academic standpoint, the teaching we provide has been training future health decision-makers for the past three years on the principles of NTDs and the integrated approach to addressing them. In fact, NTDs are no longer exclusively tropical; they are also found in subtropical regions, and climate change is causing these conditions to appear in temperate zones. Just a few days ago, the first case of a patient contracting Dengue virus locally in Virginia was recorded.
I also teach tropical medicine and parasitology, where we highlight that these tropical parasites—often neglected—are appearing at unexpected latitudes.
Consequently, I advise my students—both medical students and PhD candidates—not to overlook any aspect of health and to always maintain a global perspective on health issues.
Integrating NTDs into the agenda begins with education; for us as editors, it means encouraging authors to write on the subject by prioritizing diseases (parasites *sensu lato*) that circulate globally, transcending borders.
In my view—and this applies to many sectors of healthcare—the most critical factor is having appropriate health policies: understanding the risk (research), followed by prevention and response (policy and economics).
To this end, I encourage my students to prepare briefing notes for lawmakers and take them to the Capitol in Washington on a weekly basis. I also teach these health policies related to NTDs in countries of the Global South (e.g., universities in the DRC).
Therefore, our journal needs to promote and feature these approaches regarding health policy and NTDs.

5. Climate change, wildlife trade and land-use disruption keep accelerating novel pathogen emergence. What emerging experimental bioscience technologies do you believe will most transform early pathogen detection and pandemic preparedness research in the next decade?
To address your question, I would first note that climate changes—which vary by latitude and have differing health impacts, even if the overarching driver (such as the ozone layer) is the same—play a role. Other factors include the trade in animals, plants (including fungi), and their derivatives (a major factor), as well as the human alteration of environments (deforestation, urbanization, agriculture, etc.). All these are clearly drivers leading to the emergence of new pathogens and new pathologies (e.g., fires and respiratory diseases).
Prevention relies primarily on health policies and biosurveillance, but also on biosecurity (addressing intentional or accidental risks) and biosafety (education). These concepts are well illustrated by the pandemics and other widespread epidemics of the last decade.
Consequently, emerging technologies in experimental biosciences for early detection and epidemic preparedness must lead to active (and sometimes passive) biosurveillance systems; in this regard, metagenomics is becoming an exceptional tool (e.g., shotgun sequencing, comprehensive genomic profiling, and unbiased sequencing).
The resulting data volumes are immense and require rapid interpretation for early detection and response—tasks that can only be accomplished through artificial intelligence (AI). To me, this represents the foundation of future biosurveillance (concepts already seen in Hollywood movies).
However, it is important to note that this is not the whole picture; monitoring must encompass humans, animals, and the environment. This raises issues regarding ethics, individual liberties, national security, politics, and more. For those of us in public health—and for the good of humanity—a first step would be to implement the aforementioned biosecurity systems at borders (air, sea, land, and even space) to prevent the introduction of pathogens from affected areas—from an endemic environment to disease-free populations. In this respect, the measures taken for space health and cosmonaut monitoring are exemplary; from a public health perspective, however, the situation could be viewed as experimental—even though the endemic zone is Earth and the disease-free space is the space station (both inside and out). Indeed, fungi have already been found on the station’s exterior structure! But that is another story.
Thus, we are looking at biosurveillance extended to include microbes and their hosts.

6. What foundational advice would you give to early career virologists and global health researchers who wish to translate their lab-bench discoveries into impactful field practice or policy?
To virologists (and microbiologists in general) and global health researchers, I would first advise conducting health research—whether molecular, epidemiological, or clinical—in diverse settings, ranging from tropical to Palearctic regions. This is what I have done throughout my career, working at research institutions across different continents and—crucially—in varied physical and cultural environments alongside multidisciplinary, multicultural teams. Only then can one truly consider global health, determine how best to translate research findings into practical application in the field, and achieve a real impact. All of this is feasible; I have done it myself—albeit modestly—covering everything from the discovery of new pathogens and the characterization of emerging diseases to vaccine development with, in, and for countries of the Global South, thereby helping to protect the Global North.

1. “Chikungunya Fever and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”
by José Kennedy Amaral, Robert Taylor Schoen, Michael E. Weinblatt and Estelita Lima Cândido
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2025, 10(2), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10020054
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/2/54

2. “Schistosomiasis Burden and Trend Analysis in Africa: Insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021”
by Dandan Peng, Yajing Zhu, Lu Liu, Jianfeng Zhang, Peng Huang, Shaowen Bai, Xinyao Wang and Kun Yang
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2025, 10(2), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10020042
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/2/42

3. “Evolving Landscape of Sickle Cell Anemia Management in Africa: A Critical Review”
by Hazel W. Musuka, Patrick Gad Iradukunda, Oscar Mano, Eric Saramba, Pierre Gashema, Enos Moyo and Tafadzwa Dzinamarira
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2024, 9(12), 292; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9120292
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/9/12/292

4. “The Yield of Active Tuberculosis Disease and Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Tuberculosis Household Contacts Investigated Using Chest X-ray in Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia”
by Betty Nababan, Rina Triasih, Geoffrey Chan, Bintari Dwihardiani, Arif Hidayat, Setyogati C. Dewi, Lana Unwanah, Arif Mustofa and Philipp du Cros
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2024, 9(2), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9020034
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/9/2/34

5. “Progress and Prospects of Triazoles in Advanced Therapies for Parasitic Diseases”
by Jaime A. Isern, Renzo Carlucci, Guillermo R. Labadie and Exequiel O. J. Porta
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2025, 10(5), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10050142
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/5/142

6. “Mitochondrial Cytochrome bc₁ Complex as Validated Drug Target: A Structural Perspective”
by Lothar Esser and Di Xia
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2024, 9(2), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9020039
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/9/2/39

7. “Current Overview of Environmental Disinfection and Decolonization of C. auris: A Systematic Review from 2020 to 2025”
by María Guadalupe Frías-De-León, Paola Betancourt-Cisneros, Erick Martínez-Herrera, Paola Berenice Zarate-Segura, Carlos Alberto Castro-Fuentes and Eduardo García-Salazar
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2025, 10(6), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10060155
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/6/155

8. “‘The Lost Peace’: Evidencing the Syndemic Relationship between Neglected Tropical Diseases and Mental Distress in Liberia”
by Rosalind McCollum, Carrie Barrett, Georgina Zawolo, Rachel Johnstone, Tiawanlyn G. Godwin-Akpan, Hannah Berrian, Shahreen Chowdhury, Jerry Kollie, Karsor Kollie, Emerson Rogers et al.
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2024, 9(8), 183; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9080183
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/9/8/183

9. “Characteristics of Pathogenic Escherichia coli Associated with Diarrhea in Children under Five Years in Northwestern Ethiopia”
by Berihun Mossie Mulu, Mequanint Addisu Belete, Tiliksew Bialfew Demlie, Habtamu Tassew and Tesfaye Sisay Tessema
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2024, 9(3), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9030065
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/9/3/65

10. “Can Support Groups Improve Treatment Adherence and Reduce Sexual Risk Behavior among Young People Living with HIV? Results from a Cohort Study in South Africa”
by Tonya R. Thurman, Brian Luckett, Babalwa Zani, Johanna Nice and Tory M. Taylor
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2024, 9(7), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9070162
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/9/7/162

In 2026, MDPI celebrates the milestone anniversaries of 19 journals. Over the decades, these journals have built research communities, made knowledge openly accessible, and earned the trust of scientific authors worldwide.

Below, the journals mark the occasion in their own words:

In addition to the journals featured with anniversary messages from their Editors-in-Chief, the following journals also mark milestone anniversaries in 2026:

Observed annually on 28 July, World Hepatitis Day raises awareness of viral hepatitis and the need for stronger global action to eliminate the disease. The 2026 theme, “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down!”, is a call to remove the barriers that stand between people and the services that can save their lives.

Reflecting this mission, MDPI journals in Medicine & Pharmacology support research and collaboration in infectious diseases, public health, therapeutics, and healthcare accessibility, contributing to global efforts towards the elimination of hepatitis.

“Hepatitis C Virus Opportunistic Screening in South-Eastern Tuscany Residents Admitted to the University Hospital in Siena”
by Cristina Stasi, Tommaso Marzotti, Filippo Nassi, Giovanna Giugliano, Sabrina Pacini, Silvia Rentini, Riccardo Accioli, Raffaele Macchiarelli, Luigi Gennari, Pietro Enea Lazzerini et al.
Livers 2025, 5(3), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/livers5030030

“Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Delta Hepatitis Versus HBV Monoinfection: Spot the Differences”
by Razvan Cerban, Mirela Chitul, Speranta Iacob, Daria Gheorghe, Diana Georgiana Stan and Liana Gheorghe
Livers 2025, 5(2), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/livers5020023

“Serious Bacterial Infections and Hepatitis C Virus Among People Who Inject Drugs: A Syndemic or Intertwined Epidemics?”
by Thomas J. Stopka, Robin M. Nance, L. Sarah Mixson, Hunter Spencer, Judith I. Tsui, Judith M. Leahy, Mai T. Pho, Jean DeJace, Judith Feinberg, April M. Young et al.
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2025, 10(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed10010017

“Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E Virus Among Schistosomiasis mansoni Patients Residing in Endemic Zone in Brazil”
by Cristiane Tiburtino de Oliveira Gomes, Carolline Araujo Mariz, Andrea Dória Batista, Clarice Neuenschwander Lins de Morais, Lílian Araújo, Ana Virgínia Matos Sá Barreto, Michele Soares Gomes-Gouvêa, Ana Lúcia Domingues and Edmundo Pessoa Lopes
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2024, 9(12), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9120310

“Intrinsic Immune Response of HBV/HDV-Infected Cells and Corresponding Innate (Like) Immune Cell Activation”
by Christopher Groth, Svea Wupper, Gnimah Eva Gnouamozi, Katrin Böttcher and Adelheid Cerwenka
Livers 2024, 4(4), 562-593; https://doi.org/10.3390/livers4040040

“Serological Status of Vaccine and Hepatitis B Virus Exposure Among Children Under 5 and Aged 15–17 Years in Kampala, Uganda”
by Fahad Muwanda, Edward Kiyonga, Joan Nambafu, Agnes Turyamubona, Hussein Mukasa Kafeero, Edgar Kigozi, Harriet Mupere Babikako, Enock Wekiya, Gerald Mboowa, David Patrick Kateete et al.
Livers 2024, 4(4), 550-561; https://doi.org/10.3390/livers4040039

“Investigating the Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) Diversity in Rat Reservoirs from Northern Italy”
by Luca De Sabato, Marina Monini, Roberta Galuppi, Filippo Maria Dini, Giovanni Ianiro, Gabriele Vaccari, Fabio Ostanello and Ilaria Di Bartolo
Pathogens 2024, 13(8), 633; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13080633

“Mechanisms of Hepatitis B Virus cccDNA and Minichromosome Formation and HBV Gene Transcription”
by Andoni Gómez-Moreno and Alexander Ploss
Viruses 2024, 16(4), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16040609

“A Zoonotic Strain of Rocahepevirus ratti Hepatitis E Virus Does Not Replicate Efficiently within Human Placental JEG-3 Cells”
by Kush Kumar Yadav, Jacob D. Hofstetter and Scott P. Kenney
Zoonotic Dis. 2024, 4(2), 123-134; https://doi.org/10.3390/zoonoticdis4020012

“Results of Response-Guided Therapy with Pegylated Interferon Alpha 2a in Chronic Hepatitis B and D”
by George S. Gherlan, Stefan D. Lazar, Augustina Culinescu, Dana Smadu, Andreea R. Vatafu, Corneliu P. Popescu, Simin A. Florescu, Emanoil Ceausu and Petre I. Calistru
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2024, 9(4), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9040073

“The Epidemiology of Chronic Hepatitis C: Where We Are Now”
by Cristina Stasi, Caterina Milli, Fabio Voller and Caterina Silvestri
Livers 2024, 4(2), 172-181; https://doi.org/10.3390/livers4020013

“Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Management of HIV–Hepatitis Virus Coinfections” Guest Editors: Dr. Ana Maria Tudor and Dr. Anna Rosa Garbuglia Submission deadline: 15 September 2026	“Hepatitis B Virus—Mechanisms of Persistence and Progress Towards a Cure” Guest Editors: Dr. Qiong Zhao and Dr. Yongzhen Liu Submission deadline: 16 September 2026
“Hepatitis E: Virus, Disease and Vaccine” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Mehnaaz Sultan Khuroo and Prof. Dr. Mohammad S. Khuroo Submission deadline: 31 October 2026	“The Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment of Viral Hepatitis: Looking Forward to Global Elimination” Guest Editor: Dr. Melanie Deutsch Submission deadline: 31 December 2026

MDPI is excited to announce a special webinar in celebration of World Hepatitis Day on 28 July 2026. This event aims to share the latest insights and innovations driving progress towards a future free from viral hepatitis.

Date: 28 July at 2:00 p.m. CEST | 8:00 a.m. EDT | 8:00 p.m. CST (Asia)
Webinar ID: 876 3519 3616
Webinar webpage: https://sciforum.net/event/MWHDW2026-2

Register now for free!

Program:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic and institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway, and we will let you know when the recording is available to watch.

Keynote Speaker:

• Dr. Wenyu Lin, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA.