STRIVE: stronger surveillance for vector-borne pathogens

Infectious diseases are an increasing global health threat, especially in low- and middle-income countries. There is an urgent need for continuous monitoring, rapid diagnosis and accurate tracking of infectious disease cases.

The STRIVE project strengthens health systems across Melanesia by supporting local partners to monitor and respond to vector-borne diseases.

Vector-borne diseases are a type of infectious disease transmitted by living organisms (vectors). The vectors carry pathogens such as parasites, viruses or bacteria that infect humans. Mosquitoes are a vector that carry the parasite that causes malaria and many other vector-borne diseases.

STRIVE stands for 'strengthening integrated surveillance and response for vector-borne diseases in Melanesia.' The project aims to:

• improve surveillance (finding and tracking) of vector-borne diseases and emerging or priority pathogens
• remove barriers that are making it difficult for healthcare workers to monitor and respond to vector-borne diseases.

STRIVE operates through an explicit partnership-based approach involving joint decision-making, co-design of activities, shared resources and mutual accountability.

• Aim 1: embedded sustainable capacity and systems for integrated sentinel surveillance.
• Aim 2: consolidated genomic and serological laboratory surveillance capabilities.
• Aim 3: embedded vector surveillance and response capacity within sub-national health teams.
• Aim 4: strengthened health systems supports, enabling effective surveillance and use of data for decision-making.
• Aim 5: strengthened partnerships and empowered local researchers, partners, and organisations.
• Aim 6: One Health approach integrated into surveillance and molecular diagnostic frameworks.
• Aim 7: assess climate change’s impact on vector-borne diseases, health systems, and livelihoods.
• Aim 8: increase accessibility and utilization of gender equity, disability, and social inclusion data to inform national activities and policies.

In phase 1 of the project, Burnet and Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR) partnered with Papua New Guinea-based organisations and Australia-based organisations to identify barriers to malaria data collection, establish ongoing monitoring processes, rapidly identify new outbreaks, and support government and health workers in data-based decision making.

• We worked together with local teams to increase their ability to trap, monitor, and analyse mosquito populations, including their resistance to insecticides.
• We adopted a tool called Tupaia to visualise VBD data from 8 sentinel sites (clinics) across PNG. This tool allows for real-time surveillance and response to outbreaks.
• We improved our laboratories’ ability to test for diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, zika, Ross River virus, Barmah Forest virus and COVID-19. We also monitor if these diseases are becoming resistant to treatments.
• We assessed how health workers use surveillance data and worked out what makes it difficult for them to access and use this information.
• We started using mSupply to better manage and track our medical supplies.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, we adapted our operations so that we could measure antibodies for COVID-19 and help guide the response in Papua New Guinea.

In phase 2 of the project, we aim to use what we have learned in phase 1 to expand on existing activities in Papua New Guinea and to also share knowledge with partners in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.