Understanding human, parasite, vector and environmental interactions driving residual malaria transmission in Papua New Guinea

Objectives

To investigate the prevalence of ongoing malaria transmission and to determine how humans, vectors and their interactions influence human infection by malaria in two sites in Papua New Guinea.

This research proposal aims to address this knowledge gap by conducting detailed investigations of (1) prevalence and distribution of malaria infection to confirm/identify/update the magnitude of residual malaria at the time of study, (2)vector studies to characterize the local vector population abundance, composition and behaviour, as well as their determinants, (3) Investigation of the mosquito-human contact patterns and tracing routes of transmission, (4) human behaviour, in order to understand what behaviour renders which population groups susceptible to residual transmission, and (5) the establishment of a clinical surveillance system linked to geo-referenced village locations in order to validate a routine system for identifying focal areas of transmission.  Understanding the extent of local heterogeneity in malaria transmission and the driving factors is critical to be able to identify and implement targeted control strategies to ensure the ongoing success of malaria control in PNG.