ASTMH 2017, Don Mathanga: “Malaria in school-age children: Impact on health and education”

In collaboration with ASTMH, Image Audiovisuals, and session presenters, MESA brings you this webcast from the 66th ASTMH annual meeting in Baltimore, November 2017

Title: “Malaria in school-age children: Impact on health and education”

Speaker: Don P. Mathanga, College of Medicine, University of Malawi

Session information: 

Symposium 0121: “School-Based Malaria Interventions: Impact on Health and Transmission”

Wednesday, 8 November, 8:00 – 9:45 AM, Convention Center – Ballroom III (Level 400)

Abstract:

School-aged children have the highest burden of malaria infection in many malaria-endemic regions but are not specifically targeted by current malaria control interventions. Malaria has profound effects on the health and educational achievement of this group. Increasing evidence suggests that school-aged children also play a significant role in maintaining malaria transmission in communities. Targeting interventions to schools may be an effective and sustainable strategy to decrease the burden of malaria in school-aged children, and in the wider community. This symposium will address the public health impact of school-based interventions to treat malaria and will also explore the possible impact on transmission. The speakers will present the most recent data from school-based interventions that assess the benefit of treating malaria on health and educational achievement and evidence from epidemiological studies and a clinical trial that identify school-aged children as a major reservoir of malaria transmission. The final speaker will integrate the results of these and other studies into a systematic review that identifies key features that determine the success or failure of a wide range of school-based interventions. The panel will discuss the future directions for school-based interventions to improve health and reduce malaria transmission.