Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group, UK

Main interests

The CIDG’s main areas of work are on determination of the effects of interventions on the prevention or treatment of infectious diseases of relevance to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and neglected tropical diseases in low- and middle-income countries.

The aims of the CIDG are to impact on policy and research in tropical diseases through the production of high-quality, relevant systematic reviews and to lead developments in review quality improvement and effective dissemination of findings.

The CIDG:

• has over 700 active authors from around the world currently preparing or updating Cochrane systematic reviews.
• includes 21 international Editors, Managing Editor, Statistician, Information Specialists, Editorial Assistants, and Specialist Advisors.
• provides training and support for author teams in preparing and updating reviews, and methodological help in all aspects of research synthesis, including preparing 'Summary of findings' tables.

All published CIDG Cochrane protocols, reviews, and updates can be viewed on the Cochrane Library (select the review group 'Infectious Diseases')

Selected CIDG publications

Community views on active case finding for tuberculosis in low‐ and middle‐income countries: a qualitative evidence synthesis (March 2024) Read the LSTM news story here

Topical repellents for malaria prevention (August 2023) Listen to the Cochrane podcast here

Plasmapheresis to remove amyloid fibrin(ogen) particles for treating the post-COVID-19 condition (July 2023) Read the LSTM news story here

Therapeutics for treating mpox in humans (March 2023) 

Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay for tuberculosis disease and rifampicin resistance in children (September 2022)

Accuracy of measures for antiretroviral adherence in people living with HIV (July 2022) Read the LSTM news story here.

Pyronaridine and artesunate for treating uncomplicated plasmodium falciparum malaria (June 2022)

Ivermectin for preventing and treating COVID‐19 (June 2022) Read the LSTM news story here.

Signs and symptoms to determine if a patient presenting in primary care or hospital outpatient settings has COVID‐19 (May 2022)

Ivermectin treatment in humans for reducing malaria transmission (June 2021) Read the LSTM news story here.

Probiotics for treating acute infectious diarrhoea (December 2020) Read the LSTM news story here.

Quarantine alone or in combination with other public health measures to control COVID‐19: a rapid review (September 2020) Listen to the updated Cochrane podcast here:

Rapid, point‐of‐care antigen and molecular‐based tests for diagnosis of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection (August 2020)

Public health deworming programmes for soil-transmitted helminths in children living in endemic areas (September 2019) Read the LSTM news story here.

Insecticide‐treated nets for preventing malaria (November 2018)

Other publications and stories

Infection prevention and control measures to reduce the transmission of mpox: a systematic review (January 2024)

Suicide rates and suicidal behaviour in displaced people: a systematic review (March 2022) Read the LSTM news story here. 

Testing for saturation in qualitative evidence syntheses: an update of HIV adherence in Africa (October 2021) Read the LSTM news story here

A mega-aggregation framework synthesis of the barriers and facilitators to linkage, adherence to ART and retention in care among people living with HIV (February 2021)

WHO guidance for refugees in camps: systematic review (September 2019)

Revision of the ARRIVE guidelines: rationale and scope (June 2018)