Integrating Molecular Surveillance into the Malaria Control Program in Papua New Guinea

Moses Laman of the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research will extend the national malaria surveillance platform, which maps infections across Papua New Guinea, to incorporate valuable genomic data of the malaria-causing parasites that can be used to better guide control and elimination efforts. They will enable the molecular data from the parasites generated by a central laboratory to be overlaid onto the clinical case data, so that transmission dynamics and parasite population diversity can be displayed on a web-based dashboard for easy access by program managers and health authorities. They will also provide training to relevant staff so they can use the new genomics data to inform their decisions on intervention strategies and outbreak containment.