In an effort to guide research and development efforts and assist donors, technical agencies and ministries of health to select products that best respond to public health needs, the Global Malaria Programme, with input from a Preferred Product Characteristics Development Group made up of clinicians, public health experts and laboratory scientists, has developed 2 prioritized preferred product characteristics (PPCs) for tests to detect risk of P. vivax relapse. These tools are expected to improve screening, radical cure and case management for high-risk populations, as well as support population-level risk stratification for targeting of interventions and monitoring and evaluation of ongoing elimination programmes.
The PPCs submitted for public consultation describe 2 types of tests for risk of P. vivax relapse:
The first is a point-of-care test to identify individuals at risk of P. vivax relapse to guide radical cure and case management (PPC 1). This is based on detection of analytes indicative of hypnozoite carriage and/or current sequestered infection and/or recent (blood borne) infection with P. vivax.
The second is a laboratory-based test to identify communities or individuals at risk of P. vivax relapse (PPC 2). Unlike point-of-care test (PPC 1), this test will be used to screen large numbers of individuals simultaneously as part of surveillance and/or monitoring activities related to P. vivax control and elimination.
→ Read the draft PPCs for consultation
This call is closed.