Newly Adapted tools and Network Against mosquito borne disease Transmission (NATNAT)

Malaria transmission has been on the rise in PNG and the Solomon Islands in recent years and there is increasing recognition that LLINs alone will not lead to malaria elimination.
However, at present there is no national vector control strategy or activities to control vector populations. PNG, and the region as a whole, currently has limited capacity to test the efficacy of novel Vector Control Tools (VCTs) against local vector species and in local transmission ecologies. Papua New Guinea (PNG) accounts for the vast majority of malaria cases in the South Pacific Region. Malaria control in PNG consists of nationwide distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and case management with rapid diagnostic testing of febrile illness and treatment with artemether-lumfantrine.

Effective vector control to reduce malaria and other vector-borne infectious diseases in the South-Pacific is compromised by several fundamental vector-biological factors, mainly early and outdoor mosquito biting, plasticity in host selection (lack of anthropogenicity) and preference for a wide variety of habitats. Lack of basic infrastructure and accessibility add to the challenges of implementing efficient vector control in PNG and several other South Pacific countries. Additional VCTs that efficiently reduce human vector contact under these conditions are urgently needed. To address this problem, NATNAT aims to support the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR) and PNG NDoH to adopt a ‘framework for rapid assessment and adoption of new vector control tools’ (VCTs) for PNG and the South Pacific Region.

Project description (Burnet)Project details (ACE-NTDs)

Vector Control

Jan 2020 — Dec 2023

$18.75M

Australia
Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands