Posted 27/10/2020. Madeleine Clarkson, Paul Newton and colleagues reviewed when individual species of human pathogens were described in Laos, and estimated the in-country diversity and how many more pathogens there may be. Combining modelling with historical assessment improved understanding of the factors affecting pathogen description. During the last decade there has been a 33-fold increase in the description rate, coinciding with the strengthening of medical research in Laos.

Posted 13/10/2020. Xin Hui Chan and colleagues summarise their rapid reviews on the efficacy of personal protective equipment for preventing COVID-19 in primary and community care. They highlight how PPE is designed for use as an ensemble, is a complex intervention which should include appropriate training and support, and is the least effective of the hierarchy of controls.

Posted 07/10/2020. The Asia-Pacific region is the epicentre of the emergence of resistance against frontline antimalarials, and also faces a high proportion of non-falciparum malaria. Sarah Auburn and colleagues review novel approaches for molecular surveillance that can help track drug resistant parasites and the spread of parasites across the region, discussed at a recent APMEN workshop in Jakarta, and how these approaches can provide important information for policy makers in malaria-endemic regions.