Charles Shey Wiysonge was appointed Director of Cochrane South Africa from December 2016.

Who assists the CIDG and review author teams with their literature searches? In this report, we meet Vittoria Lutje, who works with the CIDG editorial base as an Information Specialist.Could you describe where you currently work and what you do there? 

As another year draws to a close, the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group (CIDG) editorial base in Liverpool is grateful to its readers, authors, referees, and editors for their contributions to the CIDG’s work during 2016. In this post we reflect on the CIDG’s achievements, changes, and plans as we enter a new year.Pictured are the CIDG editorial team members at our Christmas lunch.(L-R): Phil Hinds, Dee Walshe, Marty Richardson, Paul Garner, Christianne Esparza, and Paula Waugh. 

Cochrane researchers updated a review about treating diarrhoea in children. This review was first published in 2009. This new edition of the review includes a new study, and uses more recent Cochrane methods, but the findings have changed little since 2009.

The results of a Campbell review of deworming programmes, published in this month’s edition of Lancet Global Health, reaffirms the findings of an earlier Cochrane review concerning soil-transmitted intestinal worms that was conducted by researchers from the University of Liverpool and the 

Excellent research in tropical diseases is the hallmark of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), with a wide portfolio of research in diseases common in the tropics and sub-tropics.

LSTM’s Seminar Series continues with a presentation from Dr Mariska Leeflang on 24 November entitled ‘Systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy in infectious diseases’.

What’s new!Please find details below on the latest submission by the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group (CIDG) to the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Issue 11, 2016 (Cochrane protocols/reviews published between 1 to 30 November 2016)2016, Issue 11New ReviewsThree new reviews are available in Issue 11 of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

In this seventh instalment of the 'Meet the Editor' series, we interview Hellen Gelband.Could you describe where you currently work and what you do there?

Do school-based interventions prevent HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy? This is the question asked by researchers from the University of York, South African Medical Research Council, and Stellenbosch University in a Cochrane review published this week.