Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are one of the most widespread and impactful malaria interventions in Africa. This work, led by Ph.D student Amelia Bertozzi-Villa and Dr. Samir Bhatt, combines mechanistic and geospatial modelling tools and takes advantage of data from a range of sources to generate high-resolution maps of ITN access, use, and nets-per-capita annually from 2000 to 2020 across the 40 highest-burden African countries. While highlighting the immense progress made over the past 20 years, this analysis also highlights important barriers to high ITN coverage, such as short net retention time and inefficient allocation of nets during mass campaigns. These results can inform both policy decisions and downstream malaria analyses.
Read MoreInsecticide-Treated Net Coverage in Africa
Current Project
Indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on malaria intervention coverage
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Substantial progress has been made in reducing the burden of malaria in Africa since 2000, but those gains could be jeopardised if the COVID-19 pandemic affects the availability of key malaria control interventions. The aim of this study was to evaluate plausible effects on malaria incidence and mortality under different levels of disruption to malaria control.
Read MoreAccessibility to Healthcare
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Access to healthcare is a measure of human well-being that is constrained by numerous geographically-varying factors, the most immediate of which is the time it takes individuals to travel to a properly equipped and adequately staffed healthcare facility. Under the leadership of Dr Daniel Weiss, Director of Global Malaria Epidemiology at MAP, we characterize travel time to healthcare facilities in unprecedented detail. We produce global travel time maps with and without access to motorized transport, thus characterizing travel time to healthcare for populations distributed across the wealth spectrum.
Read MoreHousing In Africa
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New research reveals a transformation of housing in sub-Saharan Africa, with the prevalence of improved housing doubling between 2000 and 2015. Read More
Catchment modelling for area-averaged malaria data
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Until recently, the limited availability and low quality of routine health care data on the incidence of febrile malaria in low resource settings has meant that the vast majority of risk mapping has relied upon direct observations of parasite prevalence as a proxy for disease burden, particularly those from the large-scale Malaria Indicator Survey program. Under the leadership of Director of Malaria Risk Stratification Dr Ewan Cameron, MAP is developing a statistical framework for simultaneous estimation of malaria risk maps and health facility catchments based on a modified ‘gravity model’. Read More
Semi-mechanistic modelling for serological survey data
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As countries near malaria elimination, serological measurements become increasingly important for malaria burden estimation. MAP is working to integrate serological data within our risk mapping framework using novel semi-mechanistic models based.
Read MoreImproved intervention coverage models
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The Global Malaria Epidemiology team generates detailed models of interventions to improve burden estimation models and attribute declines in malaria to specific measures.
Read MorePixel-level modelling in low burden areas
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In low burden areas of the world, surveillance data is often a more informative measurement of malaria burden than parasite rate surveys, but these data are challenging to use in pixel-level modelling. We are developing disaggregation models that use these data alongside pixel-level environmental and human covariates in order to produce high-resolution burden estimates.
Read MoreReducing malaria transmission in Uganda through improvements to housing
Past Project
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Rapid population growth in Africa requires an urgent expansion and improvement of housing options. Improving housing presents a promising opportunity for malaria control by reducing indoor exposure to mosquitoes. A new study led by Dr Lucy Tusting measures recent changes in house design in rural Uganda and evaluates their association with malaria in relation to a mass scale-up of control efforts. Read More
Accessibility to Cities
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The ease with which people are able to connect with the services, institutions, and individuals supportive of socioeconomic success, good health, and overall wellbeing can ultimately separate communities that thrive from those left behind. Regardless of recent advances in electronic and online communications, inequalities persist in physical access to resources and opportunities that are primarily concentrated in urban centres. Understanding where the largest gaps in accessibility remain is of critical importance to a broad range of policymakers, investors, and development partners. Under the leadership Dr Daniel Weiss, Director of Global Malaria Epidemiology at MAP, we offer a first, crucial step toward tracking exactly where gaps in accessibility remain in 2015 and where the world can collectively address the most fundamental inequalities still experienced today. Read More