The Hitchhiking Parasite: Why Human Movement Matters to Malaria Transmission and What We Can Do About It

Abstract

The failure of the Global Malaria Eradication Program (GMEP) during the 1960s highlighted the relevance of human movement to both re-introducing parasites in elimination settings and spreading drug-resistant parasites widely. Today, given the sophisticated surveillance of human movement patterns and key traveler groups, it is hoped that interventions can be implemented to protect and treat travelers, prevent onward transmission in low transmission settings, and eliminate sources of transmission, including sources of drug-resistant parasites.

Keywords: forest workers; interventions; malaria elimination; mobile and migrant populations; surveillance; women with children.