EPPIcenter's Symposium at ASTMH 2020

Comprehensive surveillance in the setting of a dramatic decline in malaria following sustained control interventions in a historically high transmission area of Uganda: from mosquito to human and back again. Co-chaired by Drs Bryan Greenhouse and Joaniter Nankabirwa,
 
A presentation of cutting edge comprehensive surveillance data from an area that exemplifies many African settings where intensive control efforts are implemented in the context of intense, ongoing transmission. As part of an international consortium, we have closely followed the decline of malaria in Tororo District, Uganda, where the annual entomological inoculation rate was > 300 eight years ago and is now close to zero due to highly successful indoor residual spraying of insecticide and universal distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets. 

As part of our NIH-funded International Centers of Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMR), we have enrolled longitudinal cohorts across all age groups to study the epidemiology of malaria in this area in exceptional detail, collecting multiple modalities of data from the same households. This section will present 4 aspects of these linked studies followed by a general discussion on how successful control can be sustained and the presented findings and methodologies can support surveillance efforts in other endemic regions. 

Speakers will include:

• Bryan Greenhouse, PhD. of UCSF, who will give intros and an overview of the many years of collaborative work.
• Alex Musiime, Msc. of the Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Uganda. Who will discuss Changes in malaria vector biology and bionomics following intensified vector control in Tororo, Uganda
• Joaniter Nankabirwa, PhD. of Makerere University, Uganda talking about Malaria Transmission, Infection and Disease Following Sustained Indoor Residual Spraying of Insecticide in Tororo, Uganda
• Jessica Briggs, MD. Infectious Diseases Fellow at UCSF, USA on the topic of Within-host parasite dynamics following highly effective IRS in Tororo, Uganda using longitudinal amplicon deep-sequencing
• Chiara Andolina, MSc. PhD candidate at Radboud University Medical Center, Netherlands who will discuss The kinetics of gametocyte production and human infectiousness to mosquitoes following marked reductions in malaria exposure in Tororo, Uganda.

We hope you will encourage your research peers attending ASTMH 2020 to participate, and consider registering for the conference. Of note, the costs of attendance are low, with a reasonable tired fee structure for attendees from LMIC.