malERA: An updated research agenda for combination interventions and modelling in malaria elimination and eradication
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
This paper summarises key advances and priorities since the 2011 presentation of the
Malaria Eradication Research Agenda (malERA), with a focus on the combinations of intervention
tools and strategies for elimination and their evaluation using modelling approaches.
With an increasing number of countries embarking on malaria elimination programmes,
national and local decisions to select combinations of tools and deployment strategies
directed at malaria elimination must address rapidly changing transmission patterns across
diverse geographic areas. However, not all of these approaches can be systematically evaluated
in the field. Thus, there is potential for modelling to investigate appropriate ‘packages’
of combined interventions that include various forms of vector control, case management,
surveillance, and population-based approaches for different settings, particularly at lower
transmission levels. Modelling can help prioritise which intervention packages should be
tested in field studies, suggest which intervention package should be used at a particular
level or stratum of transmission intensity, estimate the risk of resurgence when scaling down
specific interventions after local transmission is interrupted, and evaluate the risk and impact
of parasite drug resistance and vector insecticide resistance. However, modelling intervention
package deployment against a heterogeneous transmission background is a challenge.
Further validation of malaria models should be pursued through an iterative process,
whereby field data collected with the deployment of intervention packages is used to refine
models and make them progressively more relevant for assessing and predicting elimination
outcomes.
Malaria Eradication Research Agenda (malERA), with a focus on the combinations of intervention
tools and strategies for elimination and their evaluation using modelling approaches.
With an increasing number of countries embarking on malaria elimination programmes,
national and local decisions to select combinations of tools and deployment strategies
directed at malaria elimination must address rapidly changing transmission patterns across
diverse geographic areas. However, not all of these approaches can be systematically evaluated
in the field. Thus, there is potential for modelling to investigate appropriate ‘packages’
of combined interventions that include various forms of vector control, case management,
surveillance, and population-based approaches for different settings, particularly at lower
transmission levels. Modelling can help prioritise which intervention packages should be
tested in field studies, suggest which intervention package should be used at a particular
level or stratum of transmission intensity, estimate the risk of resurgence when scaling down
specific interventions after local transmission is interrupted, and evaluate the risk and impact
of parasite drug resistance and vector insecticide resistance. However, modelling intervention
package deployment against a heterogeneous transmission background is a challenge.
Further validation of malaria models should be pursued through an iterative process,
whereby field data collected with the deployment of intervention packages is used to refine
models and make them progressively more relevant for assessing and predicting elimination
outcomes.
Date Issued
2017-11-30
Date Acceptance
2017-11-30
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 Refresh
Consultative Panel on Combination Interventions
and Modelling. 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
Consultative Panel on Combination Interventions
and Modelling. 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
Medical Research Council (MRC)
European and Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership
Grant Number
MR/L012189/1
CSA-2014-276
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Medicine, General & Internal
General & Internal Medicine
PLASMODIUM-FALCIPARUM MALARIA
VECTOR-CONTROL INTERVENTIONS
RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED-TRIAL
COMMUNITY-HEALTH WORKERS
REACTIVE CASE-DETECTION
CHINA-MYANMAR BORDER
CLIMATE-CHANGE
MATHEMATICAL-MODELS
DRUG-RESISTANCE
TRANSMISSION DYNAMICS
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
e1002453