Understanding the epidemiological factors underlying malaria resurgence in Papua New Guinea

This work is part of a large, interdisciplinary and multi-institutional project funded by the Asia-Pacific International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research and aims to elucidate epidemiological, host and parasite risk factors that contribute to resurgent malaria in PNG communities.

Unpublished observations (Ruybal-Pesántez and Lautu-Gumal, in prep) have shown that PNG communities have experienced a resurgence in both P. falciparum and P. vivax transmission, however this increase in community prevalence is spatially heterogeneous. In-depth analysis of data from surveys conducted in 2016 and 2019 is underway to better understand the factors underlying malaria resurgence and characterize the rebound of P. falciparum and P. vivax with respect to individual-level risk factors (i.e., age), spatial heterogeneity, complexity of infection, and parasite genetic diversity.