Installing mosquito screening over house windows and closing the gaps in house eaves can help reduce infection with Plasmodium parasites and the number of people with anaemia in the household, according to an updated Cochrane Review published this week.

During September 2022, the CIDG published one new protocol, one new review, and two review updates in Issue 9, 2022 of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.  New Protocol

Is the combination nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir effective for treating or preventing COVID‐19?Key messagesNirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid®) is evaluated for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19).

This year the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) Journal Impact Factor is 12.008; this is an increase on the 2020 Journal Impact Factor which was 9.289. In addition, our (unofficial) CIDG impact factor is 34.275 (40 publications cited 1371 times). This is great news for the CIDG and justifies our strategy set some years ago to concentrate on only high-impact, timely reviews and updates.

This leadership role is for a highly experienced scientist in evidence synthesis who will lead the further development of evidence synthesis, as part of the Global Health Trials and Synthesis Unit, and across the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and its partners. The Department of Clinical Sciences is a global leader in evidence synthesis providing an excellent platform for translational research from concept through discovery and clinical trials to evidence synthesis, teaching, policy change and eventual health impact. Lecturers with an excellent track record are encouraged

With experience as a doctor in the UK NHS and in Papua New Guinea, former Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group (CIDG) Coordinating Editor Professor Paul Garner was part of the team that set up Cochrane. Cochrane successfully mainstreamed systematic reviews globally as a method and has been highly influential in institutionalising their use in formal guideline development at the World Health Organization.

Key messages

Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay for tuberculosis disease and rifampicin resistance in childrenWhy is improving the diagnosis of tuberculosis important?

During August 2022, the CIDG published one new protocol in Issue 8, 2022 of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.New Protocol

How accurate are rapid antigen tests for diagnosing COVID‐19?Key messages• Rapid antigen tests are most accurate when they are used in people who have signs or symptoms of COVID‐19, especially during the first week of illness. People who test negative may still be infected.