Diagnostics for Malaria Surveillance: HRP2/3 Deletions, RDT Field Performance and Future Tools | APMEN TechTalks

Accurate and reliable malaria diagnosis is essential for effective surveillance and becomes increasingly important as countries progress towards elimination. However, malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) performance can be affected by biological, technical and operational factors, including Plasmodium falciparum hrp2/hrp3 gene deletions, low-density infections, and differences between expected and real-world field performance.
This webinar brought together experts in malaria diagnostics, implementation and surveillance to examine these challenges from complementary perspectives. Presentations explored the implications of pfhrp2/pfhrp3 deletions for RDT performance and surveillance, lessons from field evaluation of commercial and ultrasensitive RDTs, and approaches to selecting and developing diagnostic tools that are fit for different epidemiological and operational contexts. The session also connected emerging diagnostic evidence with practical considerations for national malaria control programmes as they assess whether existing tools remain appropriate and consider alternative or future diagnostic approaches.

Opening Remarks:
• Dr Daniel Salihu (President, ASTMH Committee on Global Health (ACGH))

Moderator:
• Prof Richard Maude (Co-Chair of APMEN Surveillance & Response Working Group, and Head of Epidemiology, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit)

Speakers:
• Prof Michelle Gatton (Professor of Public Health in the School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Australia)
• Dr Aung Pyae Phyo (Senior Researcher at the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mae Sot, Thailand)
• Dr Christian Koepfli (Associate Research Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences and Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, USA)