24 November 2025
On 24 Nov, the GenRe-Mekong project led by Prof Olivo Miotto organized the scientific meeting, Towards P. vivax Elimination and Advancing Malaria Surveillance. Held in Vientiane, Laos PDR, the event served as a platform for sharing insights and strengthening collaborative efforts toward a sustainable, evidence-based malaria elimination programme in the region.
The meeting gathered 45 scientific partners from National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCPs) across the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)—including Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Cambodia—as well as representatives from the Menzies School of Health Research (Australia), National Institute of Parasitic Diseases China CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit (LOMWRU), the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and Chulalongkorn University.
The programme also highlighted advances in malaria-importation prediction, molecular detection and characterisation of P. vivax, and high-sensitivity detection of asymptomatic infections using droplet digital PCR.
A standout session was the hands-on workshop demonstrating the EpiGenTracker web application, developed by Dr Varanya Wasakul, Senior Scientist at GenRe-Mekong project, MORU. This analytical platform allows users to explore malaria epidemiology across time and space with ease. Participants expressed strong enthusiasm for deeper technical collaboration and data sharing, identifying key priorities to enhance integration across the GMS.
đź“ş Recordings of the meeting is available
Article and Photos by: Supaporn Mahaphontrakoon (Pop) & Varanya Wasakul