29 July 2023 – 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

  • Mosquitoes spread malaria. These researchers want them to fight it instead – Link | Link to Paper

Diagnostic testing and treatment

  • Novel noninvasive test for malaria does not require a blood sample – Link
  • Diagnostic performance of PfHRP2/pLDH malaria rapid diagnostic tests in elimination setting, northwest Ethiopia – Link

 Drug resistance

  • Antimalarial mass drug administration in large populations and the evolution of drug resistance – Link

Immunisation

  • Temporal and spatial distribution trends of polio vaccine coverage in less than one-year old children in Brazil, 2011–2021 – Link

Surveillance

  • Africa CDC, WHO and RKI Launch a Health Security Partnership to Strengthen Disease Surveillance in Africa – Link 

Elimination progress

  • WHO: Afghanistan, Pakistan Close to eradicating Polio – Link
  • Status of Onchocerciasis elimination in Gabon and challenges: a systematic review – Link
  • Mekong Malaria Elimination: epidemiology summary, volume 21, January–March 2023 – Link
  • How to avoid causing polio in the name of its eradication – Link

Outbreak

  • Outbreak response assessments boost polio preparedness, one health facility at a time – Link 

Climate and Health  

  • Amid climate change, mosquitoes migrate; will malaria follow? – Link

Other

  • Individual longitudinal compliance to neglected tropical disease mass drug administration programmes, a systematic review – Link
  • Impact of malaria diagnostic choice on monitoring of Plasmodium falciparum prevalence estimates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and relevance to control programs in high-burden countries – Link
  • Malaria diagnosis in rural healthcare facilities and treatment-seeking behavior in malaria endemic settings in western Kenya – Link
  • Applying community health systems lenses to identify determinants of access to surgery among mobile & migrant populations with hydrocele in Zambia: A mixed methods assessment – Link
  • Unite, act, eliminate: Mobilising Africa’s response against neglected tropical diseases – Link
  • The malaria blood stage antigen PfCyRPA formulated with the TLR-4 agonist adjuvant GLA-SE elicits parasite growth inhibitory antibodies in experimental animals – Link

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