Ifakara Masterclass Edition 2- The Rise & Fall of Medical Entomology: Reflections from Africa, Asia & The Americas: A MasterClass with Prof. Derek Charlwood

The Rise & Fall of Medical Entomology: Reflections from Africa, Asia & The Americas

The 2nd edition of the masterclass hosted by Fredros Okumu from Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) and features Dr. Derek Charlwood.

The conversation begins with the trial of the synthetic malaria vaccine SPf66 in Tanzania which was the first malaria vaccine to have shown partial protection against natural challenge in a phase III trial carried out in a hypoendemic area of Colombia. Charlwood discussed about having worked closely in multiple countries in Africa, Asia and The Americas. He highlighted Brazil in particular, where Anopheles gambiae was eradicated in 1930/40s and explores the possibility of such elimination in any other country with the same approach. He also gsve an example of Sao Tome and how close they were to achieving elimination of An. gambiae via insecticide spray. Anopheles funestus is discussed in detail, how the difficulty in culturing it makes it elusive among the entomologists. On top of that, it being anthropophilic makes it easier to control which perhaps contributes it to being neglected by entomologists for a long time. He discussed about the survival rates of An. gambiae and An. funestus from villages in Tanzania and explored the need for rethinking the parameters post ITNs. Other topic like the importance of mosquito swarms, the difficulty of finding them in some location and the potential for their control is discussed thoroughly. Then the discussion veers towards the greatest research questions that should be pursued today. Also, the talk features a brief discussion about the threat Anopheles stephensi poses amid its recent emergence in East Africa. Finally it concludes by highlighting collaboration between governments, community and researchers to better be able to inform policies that will eventually lead to malaria control and elimination in the future.