In early December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), occurred in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. On January 30, 2020 the World Health Organization declared the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. As of February 14, 2020, 49,053 laboratory-confirmed and 1,381 deaths have been reported globally. Perceived risk of acquiring disease has led many governments to institute a variety of control measures. We conducted a literature review of publicly available information to summarize knowledge about the pathogen and the current epidemic. In this literature review, the causative agent, pathogenesis and immune responses, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and management of the disease, control and preventions strategies are all reviewed.

After the first, imported, laboratory-confirmed case of monkeypox in human was reported in Singapore on May 2019, countries in Asia started to strengthen disease surveillance systems. One challenge in preventing monkeypox is a lack of knowledge, particularly among healthcare workers. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of monkeypox among general practitioners (GPs) in Indonesia. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted. The survey collected participants’ knowledge on a 21-item scale and explanatory variables. A two-step logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the predictors of knowledge of monkeypox. A total of 432 GPs were included; 10.0% and 36.5% of them had a good knowledge using an 80% and 70% cutoff point for knowledge domain, respectively. No explanatory variables were associated with knowledge when using 80% cutoff point. Using the lower cutoff, there was lower knowledge among GPs who graduated from universities located in Sumatra or other islands versus Java (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.53; 95%CI: 0.28–0.97, p = 0.041) and among those were older than 30 years compared to younger GPs (aOR: 0.61; 95%CI: 0.39–0.96, p = 0.033). GPs working in private clinics had less knowledge compared to GPs in community health centers (aOR: 0.55; 95%CI: 0.31–0.99, p = 0.047). In conclusion, knowledge of monkeypox among GPs in Indonesia is relatively low in all groups. Increasing knowledge of monkeypox will be key to improving the capacity of GPs to respond to human monkeypox cases and to report into a disease surveillance system.

To provide a national incidence rate and case fatality rate of dengue hemorrhagic fever in Indonesia through an analysis of the National Disease Surveillance database from the Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control of Ministry of Health. Available data has indicated an increasing trend of dengue hemorrhagic fever incidence in Indonesia over the past 50 years. Incidence rates appear to be cyclic, peaking approximately every 6–8 years. In contrast, the case fatality rate has decreased approximately by half each decade, since 1980. Java Island contributed the highest average number of dengue hemorrhagic fever cases each year. In recent years, Bali and Borneo (Kalimantan) have had the highest incidence while Papua Island, the easternmost region of the Indonesian archipelago, has had the lowest incidence.

The aim of this study was to summarize the antiviral activities of remdesivir against SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Available publications were systematically explored on some databases and gray literature was examined. Publications were discussed narratively. Remdesivir inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication, reduces viral load, and exerts protective effects in SARS-CoV-2 infected animals. Remdesivir also reduces the pathological process, alleviates mild symptoms, and improves pulmonary lesions in SARS-CoV-2-infecetd animals. Remdesivir has been used as a compassionate drug for treating COVID-19 patients. Although remdesivir has shown potent antiviral activities, more efficacy assessments are urgently warranted in clinical trials.

The Indonesian region of Aceh was the area most severely affected by the earthquake and tsunami of 26 December 2004. Department of Health data reveal an upward trend of dengue cases in Aceh since the events of the tsunami. Despite the increasing incidence of dengue in the region, there is limited understanding of dengue among the general population of Aceh. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding dengue among the people of Aceh, Indonesia in order to design intervention strategies for an effective dengue prevention program. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Aceh between November 2014 and March 2015 with a total of 609 participants living in seven regencies and two municipalities. Information on the socio-demographic characteristics of participants and their KAP regarding dengue was collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. The KAP status (good vs. poor) of participants with different socio-demographic characteristics was compared using Chi Square-test, ANOVA or Fisher’s exact test as appropriate. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of each KAP domain. We found that 45% of participants had good knowledge regarding dengue and only 32% had good attitudes and good dengue preventive practices. There was a significant positive correlation between knowledge and attitudes, knowledge and practice, and attitudes and practice. In addition, people who had good knowledge were 2.7 times more likely to have good attitudes, and people who had good attitudes were 2.2 times more likely to have good practices regarding dengue. The level of education, occupation, marital status, monthly income, socioeconomic status (SES) and living in the city were associated with the knowledge level. Occupation, SES, and having experienced dengue fever were associated with attitudes. Education, occupation, SES and type of residence were associated with preventive practices. Our study suggests that dengue prevention programs are required to increase KAP levels regarding dengue in the communities of Aceh.

Background: The unpredictability of the progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be attributed to the low precision of the tools used to predict the prognosis of this disease. Objective: To identify the predictors associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Methods: Relevant articles from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science were searched and extracted as of April 5, 2020. Data of interest were collected and evaluated for their compatibility for the meta-analysis. Cumulative calculations to determine the correlation and effect estimates were performed using the Z test. Results: In total, 19 papers recording 1,934 mild and 1,644 severe cases of COVID-19 were included. Based on the initial evaluation, 62 potential risk factors were identified for the meta-analysis. Several comorbidities, including chronic respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension were observed more frequent among patients with severe COVID-19 than with the mild ones. Compared to the mild form, severe COVID-19 was associated with symptoms such as dyspnea, anorexia, fatigue, increased respiratory rate, and high systolic blood pressure. Lower levels of lymphocytes and hemoglobin; elevated levels of leukocytes, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, blood creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, high-sensitivity troponin, creatine kinase, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, D-dimer, ferritin, lactate dehydrogenase, and procalcitonin; and a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate were also associated with severe COVID-19. Conclusion: More than 30 risk factors are associated with a higher risk of severe COVID-19. These may serve as useful baseline parameters in the development of prediction tools for COVID-19 prognosis.