“…In the last two decades, newly detected microbes of public health importance, first identified in Asia, include Nipah virus (1999), SARS corona virus (2002) caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Influenza A-H5N1 caused Avian influenza (2003), Influenza A (H1N1) caused Swine flu (2009) and a novel coronavirus in 2012 caused severe respiratory infection. This issue carries two articles, one on clinical profile of respiratory viral infections in a set-up from South India which suggests that rhinoviruses, influenza viruses and respiratory syncytial viruses were the common agents [4] while the other article describes the influenza A (H1N1) virus outbreak of 2015 in Rajasthan, India [5]. The present issue also carries a study reporting the new fungal strains causing fungaemia isolated in a tertiary set-up in India [6].…”