8th PAMCA Annual Conference and Exhibition – 2022: Complete Series

The MESA Correspondents are early career volunteers who bring you cutting-edge coverage from malaria conferences in real time. The summaries of the new learnings are shared online, expanding access to the event. The MESA Correspondents program is a collaboration between MESA and the conference organizers.

This report from the 8th PAMCA Annual Conference and Exhibition “Harnessing local institutional and community support for the elimination of vector-borne diseases (VBDs)”, which took place in Kigali, Rwanda, on September 26 – 28, 2022, is brought to you by the MESA Correspondents Nzungize Lambert, Eggrey Aisha Kambewa, Oyinkansola Fadiji and Jean Claude Ngirimana, with the support of the past correspondents Leslie Diane Nkahe, Mauro Pazmino Betancourth, Doumbe Belisse Patricia and Nathalie Amvongo-Adjia, and other volunteers Otubea Owusu Akrofi and Caroline Kiuru.

Senior editorial support has been facilitated by Jessy Goupeyou-Youmsi (WIVC Regional Coordinator for West Africa) and Idelphonse Bonaventure Ahogni (Centre for Research in Entomology of Cotonou – CREC, Ministry of Health, Benin).

The Pan-African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA) was established in 2009 and registered in Kenya in 2011 as a Non-Governmental Organization. PAMCA is an African member-based professional body that brings together stakeholders in the field of vectors and vector-borne diseases (VBDs) control including scientists, public health professionals, vector control specialists, affected communities and other stakeholders to work together and adopt best practices for the control and elimination of VBDs in Africa and worldwide.

PAMCA’s core mandate consists of capacity building for VBDs surveillance and elimination, building collaboration and partnership with key stakeholders in the VBDs elimination agenda, knowledge management of VBDs sciences and best practices, strengthening the role of women in vector control to achieve gender empowerment, inclusivity, and equity, and strengthening governance structures for organizational sustainability. PAMCA aims at connecting African-based public health entomologists, public health professionals and other actors engaged in vector control and elimination efforts in Africa, working towards a common vision of “An Africa free of vector-borne diseases.”

PAMCA Chapters: The purpose of the formation of PAMCA country chapters is to enable PAMCA to achieve its mandate and its vision of providing leadership, information, and education in Africa at all levels and thereby lead to the improvement of health and quality of life through the suppression of mosquitoes and other arbo-viruses. Currently, there are 9 country chapters: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Read more here.