malERA: An updated research agenda for diagnostics, drugs, vaccines, and vector control in malaria elimination and eradication
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Since the turn of the century, a remarkable expansion has been achieved in the range and
effectiveness of products and strategies available to prevent, treat, and control malaria,
including advances in diagnostics, drugs, vaccines, and vector control. These advances
have once again put malaria elimination on the agenda. However, it is clear that even with
the means available today, malaria control and elimination pose a formidable challenge in
many settings. Thus, currently available resources must be used more effectively, and new
products and approaches likely to achieve these goals must be developed. This paper considers
tools (both those available and others that may be required) to achieve and maintain
malaria elimination. New diagnostics are needed to direct treatment and detect transmission
potential; new drugs and vaccines to overcome existing resistance and protect against clinical
and severe disease, as well as block transmission and prevent relapses; and new vector
control measures to overcome insecticide resistance and more powerfully interrupt transmission.
It is also essential that strategies for combining new and existing approaches are
developed for different settings to maximise their longevity and effectiveness in areas with
continuing transmission and receptivity. For areas where local elimination has been recently
achieved, understanding which measures are needed to maintain elimination is necessary
to prevent rebound and the reestablishment of transmission. This becomes increasingly
important as more countries move towards elimination.
effectiveness of products and strategies available to prevent, treat, and control malaria,
including advances in diagnostics, drugs, vaccines, and vector control. These advances
have once again put malaria elimination on the agenda. However, it is clear that even with
the means available today, malaria control and elimination pose a formidable challenge in
many settings. Thus, currently available resources must be used more effectively, and new
products and approaches likely to achieve these goals must be developed. This paper considers
tools (both those available and others that may be required) to achieve and maintain
malaria elimination. New diagnostics are needed to direct treatment and detect transmission
potential; new drugs and vaccines to overcome existing resistance and protect against clinical
and severe disease, as well as block transmission and prevent relapses; and new vector
control measures to overcome insecticide resistance and more powerfully interrupt transmission.
It is also essential that strategies for combining new and existing approaches are
developed for different settings to maximise their longevity and effectiveness in areas with
continuing transmission and receptivity. For areas where local elimination has been recently
achieved, understanding which measures are needed to maintain elimination is necessary
to prevent rebound and the reestablishment of transmission. This becomes increasingly
important as more countries move towards elimination.
Date Issued
2017-11-30
Date Acceptance
2017-11-01
Citation
PLoS Medicine, 2017, 14 (11)
ISSN
1549-1277
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Journal / Book Title
PLoS Medicine
Volume
14
Issue
11
Copyright Statement
© 2017 The malERA Consultative Panel
on Tools for Malaria Elimination. This is an open
access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original
author and source are credited.
on Tools for Malaria Elimination. This is an open
access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License, which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original
author and source are credited.
License URL
Sponsor
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Grant Number
OPP1068440
MR/K010174/1B
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Medicine, General & Internal
General & Internal Medicine
PLASMODIUM-FALCIPARUM MALARIA
BLOOD-STAGE MALARIA
TRANSMISSION-BLOCKING ACTIVITY
RESISTANT ANOPHELES-GAMBIAE
NUCLEIC-ACID AMPLIFICATION
PYRIPROXYFEN MIXTURE NET
HIGH-THROUGHPUT ASSAY
GENE DRIVE SYSTEM
VIVAX INFECTION
DOUBLE-BLIND
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
e1002455