P. vivax control and elimination: Can we achieve it without radical cure?

As countries work to control and eliminate Plasmodium vivax, questions remain about the role of radical cure in reducing transmission and sustaining progress toward elimination. While elimination may be a long-term goal for some countries, others must prioritize controlling disease burden and transmission. Is radical cure essential to achieving these objectives, or can countries make meaningful progress through other approaches? How should policymakers and malaria programs weigh the opportunities and challenges of deploying 8-aminoquinolines at scale? This session will explore the epidemiological evidence behind P. vivax persistence, the role of radical cure in control and elimination strategies, and the implications for countries pursuing different malaria goals.

What we'll cover

• Policy and programmatic considerations for countries pursuing different goals
• The role of 8-aminoquinolines in national malaria control and elimination strategies
• The contribution of radical cure to reducing disease burden and transmission
• The role of relapse reservoirs in sustaining transmission
• Epidemiological considerations for P. vivax control and elimination

SPEAKERS

Dr. Cindy S. Chu — Associate Professor, University of Oxford (Moderator; based in Laos)

Professor Ric Price — Professor of Global Health, Menzies School of Health; Professor of Tropical Medicine, Centre for Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford; and Staff Specialist in Infectious Diseases and General Medicine, Royal Darwin Hospital (based in Darwin, Australia)

Dr. Lek Dysoley — Deputy Director, National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control (CNM), Ministry of Health, Cambodia

Dr. Nhu Nguyen — Southeast Asia Hub Leader and Country Director, Vietnam Country Program, PATH, and Nguyen Thanh Huyen — Malaria Team Leader, Vietnam Country Program, PATH (co-presenters; based in Vietnam)