While the prevalence of malaria has declined, the rate of progress towards elimination has stalled. That’s just one of the key issues discussed in this insightful interview on Radio Australia.

Group Leader, Vector-Borne Diseases and Tropical Public Health, Associate Professor Leanne Robinson spoke with Radio Australia’s Tahlea Aualiitia about Burnet’s efforts to curb the impact of malaria in Papua New Guinea (PNG).

“The coastal and lowland areas of PNG in particular provide the ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes that transmit malaria,” Associate Professor Robinson said.

“Combined with a population that has a high number of infected individuals, this creates a cycle of transmission that is very difficult to break.

“Not only do you need to have very effective case management in treating everybody who has the parasite, you also need to find a way reduce the number of mosquitoes that are biting those people and reduce that human vector contact to break transmission.

“This is even further challenged because not all people who have the malaria parasite are sick, clinically. Therefore they don’t seek treatment at a health facility, and so they aren’t diagnosed and treated quickly.”

Associate Professor Robinson also explained the complications of malaria infections during pregnancy, Burnet’s work to improve diagnostic tests in PNG, and malaria control measures such as insecticide-treated bed nets.

Find out more about our malaria research.