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Abstract Background Influenza is the most common vaccine-preventable infection among travelers, affecting approximately one percent of those travelling to subtropical and tropical destinations. Methods We analysed demographic, travel-related and clinical information from travelers diagnosed with influenza at our travel clinic between January 2015 and March 2020 and influenza-negative controls. Results We included 68 travelers diagnosed with influenza and 207 controls. In total, 22.1% of influenza patients (n = 15) were older than 60 years and/or had comorbidities for which annual influenza vaccination is recommended, but only one had received an influenza vaccine. Patients with respiratory and musculoskeletal symptoms who presented during the German influenza season had the highest risk proportion of positive tests (54%, n = 25/46). Overall, three (4.4%) influenza patients were hospitalised, two (2.9%) received antiviral treatment, and eight (11.8%) received antibiotic therapy. Conclusions Influenza occurs throughout the year in international travelers and can cause significant morbidity. Travelers with febrile illness should be tested for influenza, especially if they have respiratory or musculoskeletal symptoms, present during the local influenza season, or have travelled to South-East Asia. Influenza vaccination coverage among international travelers needs to be improved among high-risk individuals.

Mass Engineered Timber (MET) has emerged as an innovative construction material used in the creation of low-carbon buildings. However, more built examples are found in Europe and North America, with far fewer in Asia, despite its generally higher levels of construction. This research explores these trends by measuring building industry practitioners' perceptions – their awareness, attitudes and perceived obstacles – across three regions experiencing different levels of MET adoption: Europe and North America (early adopters), Australia and New Zealand (early developing) and South-East Asia (under developed). The research develops a novel framework to understand industry perceptions of MET composed of 'Enabling Parameters' and 'Decision-making Parameters'. This is used to develop a survey which was completed by 186 participants from the three regions. Results show that participants' perceptions, knowledge and experience of MET are consistently lower in South-East Asia, than the other regions – a finding previously not identified in existing research. Protection against fire and water damage, ease of repair and maintenance, and perceived unsuitability of MET for high-rise building types are the primary concerns of practitioners in South-East Asia. This paper calls for technological advancements for taller MET and hybrid buildings, a review of building codes, provision of incentives, and education among practitioners to improve the perception and adoption of MET in South-East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vasectomy is a safe, highly effective and affordable method of permanent contraception, and one of the few currently available contraceptive methods for men. Despite this, vasectomy uptake remains overall low, making up just 2% of the global contraceptive method mix. To better understand access to vasectomy in a country with negligible uptake, we conducted participatory and operational research in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (Timor-Leste). We held 14 participatory group discussions with 175 community participants (84 men, 91 women; aged 18–72) across seven municipalities (Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro, Dili, Lautem, Manufahi, and Oecusse), and individual in-depth interviews with 24 healthcare providers (16 women, 8 men; aged 25–56 years). Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Community awareness and understanding about vasectomy were limited, with concerns expressed about physical and social side effects. Healthcare providers had limited experience and knowledge about vasectomy, and about male sexual and reproductive health more generally. However, our findings also indicate a small but existing demand for vasectomy services that could be grown and better met through health systems strengthening initiatives. Insights from our research have informed programmatic decision-making in Timor-Leste and can be further used to inform national health policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In agriculture innovation adoption research, socio-institutional and environmental factors are often not addressed. This study employed a framework synthesis approach to identified factors affecting the smallholders' decision-making in innovation adoption in animal husbandry in South-East Asia (SEA) and unravelled the interactions between these factors. First, we composed an initial framework based on worldwide reviews on (agriculture) innovation adoption. Next, we conducted a systematic review and identified 19 adoption factors: 7 individual, 6 socio-institutional, and 6 environmental factors. These factors were subdivided into 58 subfactors and scored both absolutely and relatively on their influence on farmers' decision-making processes. At the individual farmers' level, human and social capital subfactors with high importance were skills and knowledge, education, access to training, and being a member of a farmer group. At the socio-institutional level, learning platforms (extension services and training) were moderately important. These subfactors were interrelated and influenced by other factors, like age and culture. Important innovation characteristics affecting farmers' motivation for innovation adoption were benefits, price, and compatibility. Highly important (sub)factors that contributed to the financial capital of farmers at the socio-institutional level, are the provision of grants, incentives, and loans. Water, soil condition, and climate risk were highly important environmental pressures affecting farmers' innovation adoption. Finally, we synthesized the factors with (high) importance into the Framework for Innovation Adoption of Animal Husbandry Farmers in SEA (FIFSEA1). The FIFSEA can help stakeholders to understand the complexity of innovation (dis)adoption and to guide actions and develop strategies for technology transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Savannas, characterised by a continuous grass layer and discontinuous tree layer, are widespread globally and highly flammable during dry seasons, contributing to 90% of annual global burned areas and significant emissions. Asian savannas, often mismanaged owing to structural variability and misclassification as 'poor forests', face excessive or insufficient fire regimes. Addressing trans-boundary haze and climate mitigation requires improved understanding and sustainable management. This paper addresses savanna management challenges, particularly misclassified dry dipterocarp forests in the Lower Mekong, by synthesising knowledge on their distribution and the role of fire use by local communities, and recommends holistic, community-based fire management, integrated planning and incentives. We review the challenges and solutions for managing savannas in the Lower Mekong region, focusing on fire regimes, misclassification and mapping difficulties. Emphasising a balance between community socioeconomic needs and biophysical conditions, we recommend sustainable savanna management through holistic, community-based fire management, integrated landscape planning and further exploration of incentivisation for avoided emissions. This article belongs to the collection: Savanna burning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to measure the efficiency of schools in six South-East Asian countries, taking into account the impacts of information and communication technologies (ICT). The educational institutions of South-East Asia are very dynamic; and to increase their competitiveness at international level, they need to manage their resources in an efficient way. We propose a two-stage super-efficiency model for measuring their efficiency, using 2018 PISA data. In the first stage, the non-parametric data envelopment analysis super-efficiency model is used to rank the schools in this region. Then, a second-stage analysis based on a bootstrapped quantile regression is performed to identify the factors that potentially influence efficiency. We analyze four different scenarios depending on the output considered. In the first stage of the analysis, Singapore has the best performance among the other countries in all scenarios. In the second stage, our results show that ICT is statistically significant as a determinant of efficiency in terms of the ratio of computers connected to the internet. However, the integration of ICT in education is mainly influenced by the socio-economic and educational factors of the analyzed countries. Moreover, concerning the other factors, the lower efficiency schools benefit more from the number of female students than higher efficiency schools. The reverse happens for the proportion of certified teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study provides an epidemiological description of cancer in the lip, oral cavity, and oropharynx in the South and South‐East Asia region. Methods: The number of new cases and deaths was extracted from the GLOBOCAN 2020 and the CI5 series. We present age‐standardized incidence and mortality rates per 100,000 inhabitants. To assess temporal trends, we estimated the annual percent change. Results: The incidence rates (ASR) for lip and oral cavity cancer in South and South‐East Asia were highest in Taiwan (30.2), Sri Lanka (16.5), India (14.8), and Pakistan (13.2) among males. For oropharyngeal cancer, the highest rates were found in Taiwan (4.7), Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India (4.3, 2.9, and 2.6, respectively). Incidence rates were consistently higher in males compared to females. Overall, trends in lip and oral cavity cancer incidence were either stable or decreasing in most of the populations evaluated. In India, an increase in rates among males contrasted with a decline among females over the study period. Conclusion: Incidence and mortality rates of oral cavity cancer in South and South‐East Asia are among the highest globally. Our results suggest an optimistic trend of reduction in oral cavity rates in the region, despite an increase in rates among Indian males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the links between the development of civic culture, philanthropic endeavours, and the proceeds of enslavement and colonialism in North East Scotland. Assessment of the financial records of establishments dedicated to improving health, poor relief and education in this region underpins this article. This article demonstrates that the North East's colonial elite were keen philanthropists in ways similar to their counterparts elsewhere in Britain. Colonial capital played a discernible – if at times minor – role in funding North East philanthropy. There were differing degrees of impact across each institution, both in the scale of the financial contribution and its geographical provenance. Moreover, the evidence detailed in this article suggests that the Caribbean and South Asia milieu in the North East took different approaches to philanthropy. The former contributed more regularly and often to existing institutions; the latter tended toward endowing new projects. Deriving its conclusions from under-examined evidence and a Caribbean-South Asia comparative framework, this article shows that research on philanthropic organisations can generate a clearer understanding of the legacies of enslavement and colonialism in Scotland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Influenza is the most common vaccine-preventable infection among travelers, affecting approximately one percent of those travelling to subtropical and tropical destinations. Methods: We analysed demographic, travel-related and clinical information from travelers diagnosed with influenza at our travel clinic between January 2015 and March 2020 and influenza-negative controls. Results: We included 68 travelers diagnosed with influenza and 207 controls. In total, 22.1% of influenza patients (n = 15) were older than 60 years and/or had comorbidities for which annual influenza vaccination is recommended, but only one had received an influenza vaccine. Patients with respiratory and musculoskeletal symptoms who presented during the German influenza season had the highest risk proportion of positive tests (54%, n = 25/46). Overall, three (4.4%) influenza patients were hospitalised, two (2.9%) received antiviral treatment, and eight (11.8%) received antibiotic therapy. Conclusions: Influenza occurs throughout the year in international travelers and can cause significant morbidity. Travelers with febrile illness should be tested for influenza, especially if they have respiratory or musculoskeletal symptoms, present during the local influenza season, or have travelled to South-East Asia. Influenza vaccination coverage among international travelers needs to be improved among high-risk individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specimens of Amanita sect. Caesareae, collected in Xieng Khouang and Vientiane provinces in Laos from highland forests dominated by members of Fagaceae and Pinaceae, are studied based on morphological characters and analyses of ITS sequences. Two species, namely A. princepoides and A. chepangianoides, are reported as new, both found in association with Fagaceae, whereas A. pseudoprinceps and A. subhemibapha, recently described from China and A. rubromarginata from Japan, are confirmed from Laos and found in forests with Fagaceae and Pinaceae. The phylogenetic analyses to recognize the Amanita species showed that the golden-brown to greyish orange A. princepoides and the dominantly white A. chepangianoides cluster with A. aporema, A. chepangiana, A. egregia, A. princeps and A. pseudoprinceps. A dichotomous key to identified and likely occurring Amanita species in Laos within sect. Caesareae is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exposure to extreme weatherly events potentially develops mental disorders among affected individuals. Aim: To synthesize the burden of mental disorders following impact of extreme weather events in South-east Asian (SEA) countries. Methods: Proposal was registered in PROSPERO register [CRD42023469788] and reported as per PRISMA-2020 guidelines. Studies reporting prevalence of mental health disorders following extreme weather events from SEA countries during 1990 and 2023 were searched on Embase, PubMed, and Scopus databases. Study quality was assessed using Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies. Overall pooled prevalence was computed using DerSimonian–Laird method for random-effects model and reported as 95% confidence intervals. Results: On screening 12,046 records, we included 155 studies (2,04,474 participants) for analysis. Overall burden of mental disorders was 35.31% (95%CI: 30.42%–40.21%). In subgroup analysis, studies on cyclones, India, local residents, children and adolescents, rural settings, and community settings reported higher burden of mental disorders. Depression (28.58%; 95%CI: 24.05%–33.1%) and PTSD (29.36%; 95%CI: 26.26%–32.46%) had similar prevalence. Visiting tourists to SEA region experienced fear, fear of recurrence of tsunami, nightmares, and sense of helplessness. Mental health outcomes were relatively higher in studies conducted within 1 year of events. Heterogeneity and possibility of publication bias exists among the reported studies. Conclusion: With the significant rise in episodes of extreme weather events in SEA region over the last three decades, mental disorders are documented in different proportions. We suggest prioritizing well-informed policies to formulate inclusive and resilient strategies on effectively identifying and treating mental health concerns among victims of extreme weather events.

Vaccination is one of the most successful and cost-effective interventions designed by science which has helped in preventing millions of deaths, especially in children. The Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) was established by World Health Organization (WHO) in 1974 to develop immunization programmes throughout the world with polio, measles, diphtheria, tetanus, tuberculosis and whooping cough. The WHO South-East Asia Region (SEAR) has a disproportionately high burden of infectious diseases and has greatly benefitted from the EPI as compared to other regions with more than 90 per cent of the population having access to vaccines. The story of vaccines in South-East Asia is a testament to scientific progress, global collaboration, and unwavering commitment to public health. This article aims to discuss the journey of EPI in the WHO SEAR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious differences are often portrayed as a source of conflict and tension in development work. Such portrayals imply that faith-based organizations (FBOs) struggle to bridge religious divides and construct co-ownership when engaging in multi-religious contexts. This article nuances this view through a study of how Christian FBOs are working with antitrafficking programs in Buddhist South-East Asia. Drawing on interviews and observations in Thailand and Cambodia, the analysis demonstrates that differences in religion need not present an obstacle to the construction of co-ownership. In contrast, a shared religious ontology between FBOs and local stakeholders and beneficiaries facilitates a shared understanding of the problem of human trafficking and the solutions to address it. This indicates that religion can be a resource, rather than a problem, in establishing co-ownership with local actors in the antitrafficking work of the FBOs. However, in interactions with secular antitrafficking actors, finding common ground is more challenging: the secular-religious divide seems wider than the Christian–Buddhist divide. The article thus provides important insights for scholars, policymakers and practitioners by nuancing assumptions about the role of religion in development in multi-religious contexts. Western secularism may in fact present a more significant obstacle than an explicit religious identity when seeking to construct co-ownership with local communities in Buddhist South-East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat destruction and snake persecution are the leading causes of the decline of snake populations worldwide, highlighting the need to formulate scientifically robust conservation management plans that incorporate an understanding of local public attitudes toward snakes. We conducted an in-person survey of 968 residents of Maguindanao Provinces, Mindanao Island, Philippines, to investigate attitudes toward snakes and assess the effects of knowledge about snakes, worldviews, and demographic characteristics on the support for snake conservation. Survey participants were primarily intolerant of and aversive to snakes but generally supported their conservation. Additionally, they were knowledgeable about the behavior of snakes, and shared either highly moralistic or dominionistic worldviews of nature, while most did not believe in folklore traditions. High levels of knowledge about the behavior of snakes, positive folkloric beliefs, high tolerance and low aversion to the presence of snakes, and moralistic worldviews positively affected support for snake conservation. Female participants were less tolerant and more averse to snakes than males. Participants with higher levels of education were more tolerant and supportive of snake conservation than those with little or no education. Farmers were less supportive of snake conservation than non-farmers. Our survey results provide important information to understand how cognitions, folklore, and demographics influence snake conservation on an island in the Philippines. This information may be valuable to government agencies and various stakeholders that could use it to design effective strategies for promoting snake conservation in the country, or other countries with similar societal systems and cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exposure to extreme weatherly events potentially develops mental disorders among affected individuals. Aim: To synthesize the burden of mental disorders following impact of extreme weather events in South-east Asian (SEA) countries. Methods: Proposal was registered in PROSPERO register [CRD42023469788] and reported as per PRISMA-2020 guidelines. Studies reporting prevalence of mental health disorders following extreme weather events from SEA countries during 1990 and 2023 were searched on Embase, PubMed, and Scopus databases. Study quality was assessed using Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies. Overall pooled prevalence was computed using DerSimonian-Laird method for random-effects model and reported as 95% confidence intervals. Results: On screening 12,046 records, we included 155 studies (2,04,474 participants) for analysis. Overall burden of mental disorders was 35.31% (95%CI: 30.42%-40.21%). In subgroup analysis, studies on cyclones, India, local residents, children and adolescents, rural settings, and community settings reported higher burden of mental disorders. Depression (28.58%; 95%CI: 24.05%-33.1%) and PTSD (29.36%; 95%CI: 26.26%-32.46%) had similar prevalence. Visiting tourists to SEA region experienced fear, fear of recurrence of tsunami, nightmares, and sense of helplessness. Mental health outcomes were relatively higher in studies conducted within 1 year of events. Heterogeneity and possibility of publication bias exists among the reported studies. Conclusion: With the significant rise in episodes of extreme weather events in SEA region over the last three decades, mental disorders are documented in different proportions. We suggest prioritizing well-informed policies to formulate inclusive and resilient strategies on effectively identifying and treating mental health concerns among victims of extreme weather events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA) is a geologically dynamic area of high biotic endemism that spans the continental shelves of Sunda and Sahul and intervening oceanic islands. We provide a comprehensive quantitative assessment of how bird communities are structured across the IAA using beta diversity indices. We focus on three key questions. Are the islands of Wallacea a biogeographically cohesive unit or a more heterogeneous transition zone? Is the rich biota of New Guinea and the East Melanesian islands most closely linked to that of Sunda, Sahul or Wallacea? What are the geographic and environmental correlates of biotic structuring across the region and how does this compare with determinants of plant diversity? We measure the dissimilarity of bird species composition between eleven major areas within the IAA using a new compilation of distribution data and calculate taxonomic beta diversity at species, genera, and family levels. To compare with recent analyses of plants, we analysed potential correlates of turnover, focusing on geographic proximity, sea barriers, land area, and climatic variation. We also used connectivity analyses to estimate the minimum number of connection events needed to explain the current distribution of shared taxa. We found that islands recently connected by land have lower beta diversity than oceanic islands. Additionally, avifaunas on the islands of Wallacea have little biotic cohesion, reflecting their complex geological history. The avifaunas of New Guinea and the Eastern Melanesian islands are very distinctive. Where New Guinea birds are most similar to Australia, East Melanesian birds are more similar to either Sahul or Wallacea, depending on taxonomic level. Isolation through space and time had the strongest influence on avifaunal turnover at all taxonomic scales, in contrast to plants for which climatic variation was the strongest predictor. Further analyses incorporating phylogeny, biome, trait, and biotic interaction data are needed to investigate the processes that have caused biotic turnover across this fascinating biogeographic region.

Background: Lip and oral cavity cancers are the second most common cancers in India and Sri Lanka. Hence, there is a need to enhance partnership among countries and institutions to develop the capacity to ameliorate the huge burden of oral cancer in the SEAR region. Methods: An observership model was field tested with the inter-country collaboration from India and Sri Lanka in December 2018 on seven Sri Lankan dentists from National Cancer Control Program participated in the observership model conducted in India. Results: This model covered all the components of oral cancer prevention including awareness on oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorder management training. Conclusions: This model emphasized the significance of inter-country handholding and strengthening of the existing cancer prevention activities.