Dr. Leanne Robinson and Colleague, alter and Eliza Hall Institute (IMAGE)
Caption
Eliminating malaria in the Asia-Pacific could prove more challenging than previously thought, with new research showing that most childhood malaria infections in endemic areas are the result of relapsed, not new, infections.
An international study found four out of five children in Papua New Guinea (PNG) aged five to 10 years old were susceptible to recurring infection with the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax, which can 'hide' undetected in the liver. The discovery has significant repercussions for the country's -- and region's -- malaria control program.
The research study was led by Dr. Leanne Robinson (pictured left) from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, and Professor Ivo Mueller from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Barcelona Centre for International Health Research, Spain.
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Mayeta Clark/Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
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