Ifakara Masterclass Edition 5- Taxa Woes Fallacy of Malaria Control without Field Entomologists Expert: A Masterclass with Prof Maureen Coetzee

Taxa Woes Fallacy of Malaria Control without Field Entomologists Expert.

The 5th edition of the masterclass hosted by Fredros Okumu from Ifakara Health Institute (IHI) and Sheila Ogoma from Clinton Health Access Initiative(CHAI) features Prof Maureen Coetzee.

The discourse began with the pressing question if it is possible to eliminate malaria in developing countries at all as the elimination efforts seem to have stagnated in recent years? Prof. Maureen discussed what was missed in pursuit of malaria elimination, why it happened and what could be done to address the issue. She highlighted that the emergence of new vector species and resistance poses additional challenges to the efforts currently going on. Progression of malaria in South Africa was discussed along with the start of pyrethroid use in place of DDT. The role that medical entomologist played in contributing directly to good policy making by undertsanding the retrodynamics to use the right insecticide to curb malaria transmission in South Africa in late 1990s was talked about. Then the talk veered into the threat posed by Anopheles stephensi specially in East Africa, as it might prove to pose a big problem to ongoing malaria control and elimination efforts. The lab selection for characteristics of pyrethroid resistance in the malaria vector Anopheles funestus was briefly discussed. Maureen concluded by giving her views about gene drives and genetically modified mosquitoes and the role it might play on malaria control and elimination interventions in the future.