malariacontrol.net: A thank you and some science updates

Dear malariacontrol.net supporters,It has been some time since we sent you a science post, not because we haven't been busy, quite the contrary.But before sharing exciting science, we'd like to express our deep gratitude for your continued support and computational time. Thank you!We had a busy few years working on important topics in malaria research and global health: from vector control strategies in pre-elimination countries, to optimization of malaria control tools in support of the Global Fund applications, to key analyses for policy decisions on malaria vaccines. Just to name a few.Here are some recent articles we would like to share with you:Malaria Vaccines:You may have read recently in the news that the world may be close to the first malaria vaccine being approved for use in sub-Saharan Africa. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive scientific opinion for the malaria vaccine RTS,S, also known as Mosquirix, in children aged 6 weeks to 17 months. This is a key step in the regulatory process towards making RTS,S available for the population at risk of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. The next step involves WHO reviewing the evidence base for RTS,S and making a policy recommendation for if and how this vaccine should be used alongside other tools to prevent malaria in different endemic settings. The policy recommendation is meant to provide technical guidance to endemic countries considering the vaccine introduction. The WHO has indicated that such a policy recommendation may be possible still in 2015. The modelling team and your work contributed to assessment of the vaccine in terms of its expected public health impact and cost- effectiveness, providing information in addition to the clinical trial data. Some of this work was recently published "The public health impact of malaria vaccine RTS,S in malaria endemic Africa: country-specific predictions using 18 month follow-up Phase III data and simulation models"by Melissa Penny and our team at Swiss TPHYou can access the article here: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/13/170Thanks for your help!Malaria DynamicsWe also recently published on another important issue: reasons for potential shift of burden to older ages with partially effective malarial interventions. Simulations from OpenMalaria were used to address this, so we thank you for your support."Age-shifting in malaria incidence as a result of induced immunological deficit: a simulation study" by Peter Pemberton-Ross in our modelling team at Swiss TPHYou can access the article here:http://www.malariajournal.com/content/14/1/287Cost Effectiveness of Malaria Control InterventionsTools that allow for in silico optimization of available malaria control strategies can assist decision-making process for prioritizing interventions. One such example :"Modeling the Cost Effectiveness of Malaria Control Interventions in the Highlands of Western Kenya"by Erin Stuckey previously with our modelling team at Swiss TPHyou can access the article here:http://journals.plos.org/plosone/art...l.pone.0107700Again thank you for your continued support and volunteering computer time!Best regards,Melissa Penny and the malaria modelling team at Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.

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