12 April 2024 – Below we feature a compilation of headlines, scientific articles, and technical reports on innovations, R&D and elimination progress towards polio, malaria, onchocerciasis, and lymphatic filariasis. We will be publishing these updates bi-weekly and hope they are useful.

Vector Control

  • Wolbachia infection-responsive immune genes suppress Plasmodium falciparum infection in Anopheles stephensi – Link

Diagnostic testing and treatment

  • UCF research holds promise for fighting malaria – Link

Data

  • Modelling spatiotemporal variation in under-five malaria risk in Ghana in 2016–2021 – Link
  • Spatiotemporal distribution and bionomics of Anopheles stephensi in different eco-epidemiological settings in Ethiopia – Link

Drug resistance

  • Insights and challenges of insecticide resistance modelling in malaria vectors: a review – Link

Immunisation

  • Liberia receives 89K doses of malaria vaccines – Link
  • Message by the Director of the Department of Immunization, vaccines and biologicals at WHO – March 2024 – Link

Surveillance

  • Boosting surveillance, response for vector-borne diseases – Link

Elimination progress

  • Celebrating a Polio-free India, dreaming of a Polio-free world – Link
  • Interventions for the elimination and prevention of re-establishment of malaria – Link
  • Poliovirus near extinction in Pakistan, Afghanistan, health experts say – Link
  • Polio ‘is cornered’ in Pakistan and Afghanistan amid global drive to wipe out virus – Link 

Outbreak

  • UNICEF Zimbabwe Humanitarian Situation Report No. 4 (Polio Response) – 12 April 2024 – Link

Climate and Health

  • Reflections from COP28: Resisting healthwashing in climate change negotiations – Link
  • Advancing the climate change and health nexus: The 2024 Agenda – Link
  • To achieve the global goal on health, place health at the heart of climate action – Link
  • Climate change: A driver of increasing vector-borne disease transmission in non-endemic areas – Link
  • Climate change boosts infectious disease spread, hits the vulnerable hardest – Link | Link to Paper

Other

  • Unraveling Lymphatic Filariasis in an old man: a case report – Link
  • Association of haemato-biochemical indices and blood composite ratios with microfilaridermia in Onchocerciasis patients – Link
  • World Health Day: President Sheikh Mohamed says UAE to focus on providing best care – Link
  • A severe case of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in a traveler returning from Kazakhstan, a malaria-free country – Link
  • Admission of participants to the DOLF clinical trial on ‘River Blindness’ kicks off – Link
  • National Lymphatic Filariasis Mass Drug Administration review and strategic planning meeting held – Link
  • New global health and gender policy brief: malaria and most vulnerable populations – Link
  • Heterogeneity in elimination efforts could increase the risk of resurgence of lymphatic filariasis in Madagascar – Link
  • Maintaining the region of the Americas free of polio: best practices for incident management support teams – Link | Link to Paper
  • Postintervention immunological and entomological survey of Lymphatic Filariasis in the city of Olinda, Brazil, 2015–2016 – Link
  • Ministers of Health commit to accelerated action against malaria in Africa – Link
  • Act | East Expands Support to Three Additional States in Nigeria – Link

Please contact us with comments and feedback.