A Research Agenda to Underpin Malaria Eradication

The interruption of malaria transmission worldwide is one of the greatest challenges for international health and development communities. The current expert view suggests that, by aggressively scaling up control with currently available tools and strategies, much greater gains could be achieved against malaria, including elimination from a number of countries and regions; however, even with maximal effort we will fall short of global eradication. The Malaria Eradication Research Agenda (malERA) complements the current research agenda—primarily directed towards reducing morbidity and mortality—with one that aims to identify key knowledge gaps and define the strategies and tools that will result in reducing the basic reproduction rate to less than 1, with the ultimate aim of eradication of the parasite from the human population. Sustained commitment from local communities, civil society, policy leaders, and the scientific community, together with a massive effort to build a strong base of researchers from the endemic areas will be critical factors in the success of this new agenda.全球疟疾传播的阻断是国际卫生与发展界面临的最重大挑战之一。当前专家共识指出，通过积极推广现有防控工具与策略，可在疟疾防控方面取得更为显著的成效，包括在多个国家和地区实现疟疾消除；然而，即便倾尽最大努力，我们仍无法达成全球疟疾根除的目标。疟疾根除研究议程（Malaria Eradication Research Agenda, malERA）对当前以降低发病率和死亡率为核心方向的研究计划进行了补充，该议程旨在识别关键知识缺口，并明确可将基本再生数降至1以下的防控策略与工具，最终目标是从人类群体中根除疟原虫。本地社区、民间社会、政策决策者与科学界的持续投入，以及针对疟疾流行地区研究人才队伍建设的大规模攻坚行动，将是这一新议程取得成功的关键因素。