Rapid point-of contact test for malaria surveillance based on serology

As malaria transmission declines, conventional surveillance for malaria based on case reporting data, malaria RDT testing, and cross-sectional parasitaemia surveys becomes less sensitive. In addition, some at-risk populations live in remote and hard-to-access regions where surveillance can be difficult. Therefore, there is a need for additional tools for surveillance, including point-of-contact tools for use by health workers and mobile teams. Specific antibodies against malaria antigens have been established as good biomarkers of malaria exposure, and can be used to help identify people with recent malaria infection and pockets of malaria transmission. ACREME members have developed a prototype low-cost rapid test for serologic surveillance of malaria exposure. We are optimising its technical performance and will evaluate its utility in malaria-endemic settings. Mathematical modelling will be used to help determine the most effective way to use this new tool in malaria-affected communities