Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
223,421 studies31 sourcesUpdated 14 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

A Regional Approach to Malaria Molecular Surveillance in Southern Africa: Lessons from the GenE8 Initiative

  • Jaishree Raman1,2,3
  • Mukosha Chisenga4
  • Chadwick Sikaala4
  • Andrés Aranda-Díaz5,6,7
  • Allison Tatarsky6
  • Roly Gosling6,8
  • John Chimumbwa4
  • Jennifer L. Smith6,9
9 affiliations
  1. 1Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, Johannesburg, South Africa
  2. 2Wits Research Institute for Malaria, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  3. 3Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
  4. 4SADC Malaria Elimination 8 Secretariat, Windhoek, Namibia
  5. 5EPPIcenter Research Program, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
  6. 6Malaria Elimination Initiative, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
  7. 7ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
  8. 8London School for Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
  9. 9Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
Read full textDOICite

Abstract

The growing threat of artemisinin partial resistance prompted the WHO to recommend routine monitoring of drug efficacy and resistance. Advances in sequencing technologies and expanded laboratory capacity across Africa have made malaria molecular surveillance (MMS) a viable option for many countries. Despite improved access to next-generation sequencing platforms, the uptake of MMS for programmatic decision-making and the availability of antimalarial resistance marker data in southern Africa have lagged behind those in other regions. The Genomics of Malaria in the Elimination Eight (GenE8) initiative implemented a regional MMS model comprising 1) regional consensus-building and governance, 2) capacity strengthening, and 3) evidence generation. Through this initiative, standardized parasite genomic data across five southern African countries (Angola, Eswatini, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia) were generated using a targeted amplicon deep-sequencing workflow. Regional laboratory and analytical skills were strengthened, and national malaria programs (NMPs) were capacitated to use genomic data for decision-making through a regional MMS fellowship and training workshops. Although the initiative achieved important successes, persistent challenges limited its overall impact despite the implementation of integrated mitigation strategies. Challenges included constraints in regional bioinformatics capacity, delays in sample shipment and cross-border data sharing, and a lack of sustained funding. In the present case study, the GenE8 model, operational experiences, and cross-cutting lessons learned are described. The GenE8 experience reveals that regional MMS is feasible in southern Africa and that near-real-time resistance data can inform policy and intervention decisions, but that it requires sustained investment in governance mechanisms, bioinformatics expertise, and institutionalized NMP capacity to be sustainable.

Related

  1. Descriptive epidemiology of measles in the southern region of Afghanistan, 2024-2025: a secondary analysis from regional case-based surveillance data.
    Shoaib Naeemi, Mustafa Rahimi, Nisar Ahmad Niazi +1
    IJID regionsPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textEpidemiology & public healthEurope PMCPMC
  2. The invisible malaria epidemic in Somalia: why molecular surveillance can no longer wait.
    Mohamed Mahdi Hashi, Abdisamad Abdihakim Aadam, Abdishakur Ahmed Mahad +2
    Malaria journalPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textEpidemiology & public healthEurope PMC
  3. TRIAGEM MOLECULAR NO SUS (2010–2026): IMPACTO NA SEGURANÇA TRANSFUSIONAL E PERFIL EPIDEMIOLÓGICO REGIONAL DA MALÁRIA EM DOADORES DE SANGUE
    Jacqueline Viana de Carvalho Ruas Viana de Carvalho RUAS, Luciana Maria de Barros Carlos Barros Carlos BARROS CARLOS, Denise Menezes Brunetta Menezes BRUNETTA +12
    Hematology, Transfusion and Cell TherapyPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textEpidemiology & public healthDOAJ
  4. Prevalence and determinants of urban malaria among urban residents of Dilla Town, southern Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study
    Alayu Bogale, Asaye Mitiku, Alazar Amare Amdiyee +4
    BMC Public HealthPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Epidemiology & public healthCrossref
  5. Analyzing diagnostic modalities for malaria detection and surveillance in varied belts: Burning need
    Jyoti Ajagunde, Heer Shah, Nikunja Kumar Das +1
    Journal of Dr. NTR University of Health SciencesPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-SAFull textEpidemiology & public healthDOAJ

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{raman2026regional,
  title = {{A Regional Approach to Malaria Molecular Surveillance in Southern Africa: Lessons from the GenE8 Initiative}},
  author = {Jaishree Raman and Mukosha Chisenga and Chadwick Sikaala and Andrés Aranda-Díaz and Allison Tatarsky and Roly Gosling and John Chimumbwa and Jennifer L. Smith},
  journal = {The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.4269/ajtmh.25-0130},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.25-0130},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - A Regional Approach to Malaria Molecular Surveillance in Southern Africa: Lessons from the GenE8 Initiative
AU  - Jaishree Raman
AU  - Mukosha Chisenga
AU  - Chadwick Sikaala
AU  - Andrés Aranda-Díaz
AU  - Allison Tatarsky
AU  - Roly Gosling
AU  - John Chimumbwa
AU  - Jennifer L. Smith
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/14
JO  - The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
DO  - 10.4269/ajtmh.25-0130
UR  - https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.25-0130
AB  - The growing threat of artemisinin partial resistance prompted the WHO to recommend routine monitoring of drug efficacy and resistance. Advances in sequencing technologies and expanded laboratory capacity across Africa have made malaria molecular surveillance (MMS) a viable option for many countries. Despite improved access to next-generation sequencing platforms, the uptake of MMS for programmatic decision-making and the availability of antimalarial resistance marker data in southern Africa have lagged behind those in other regions. The Genomics of Malaria in the Elimination Eight (GenE8) initiative implemented a regional MMS model comprising 1) regional consensus-building and governance, 2) capacity strengthening, and 3) evidence generation. Through this initiative, standardized parasite genomic data across five southern African countries (Angola, Eswatini, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia) were generated using a targeted amplicon deep-sequencing workflow. Regional laboratory and analytical skills were strengthened, and national malaria programs (NMPs) were capacitated to use genomic data for decision-making through a regional MMS fellowship and training workshops. Although the initiative achieved important successes, persistent challenges limited its overall impact despite the implementation of integrated mitigation strategies. Challenges included constraints in regional bioinformatics capacity, delays in sample shipment and cross-border data sharing, and a lack of sustained funding. In the present case study, the GenE8 model, operational experiences, and cross-cutting lessons learned are described. The GenE8 experience reveals that regional MMS is feasible in southern Africa and that near-real-time resistance data can inform policy and intervention decisions, but that it requires sustained investment in governance mechanisms, bioinformatics expertise, and institutionalized NMP capacity to be sustainable.
SN  - 0002-9637
SN  - 1476-1645
ER  -