From November 17-21, the annual American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Meeting (ASTMH) will take place virtually at a time when global health is more important than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic continues across the globe, the first malaria vaccine was approved, and the need to strengthen health systems is essential.

Medical Care Development’s international division (MCDI) is at the forefront of responding to such issues by providing high-quality, cost-effective, accessible, and enduring interventions to improve the health and well-being of people around the world.

MCDI has led or coauthored numerous poster presentations for this year’s ASTMH meeting on topics related to malaria. For example, we have 12 posters related to our Bioko Island Malaria Elimination Project (BIMEP), an award-winning, public-private partnership launched in 2004 with the goal of eliminating malaria from Bioko Island in Equatorial Guinea.

Below you’ll find a schedule of MCDI’s activities at ASTMH this year. Please join us in supporting our colleagues as they share the successes, challenges, and lessons learned of their work across the globe.

Bioko Island Malaria Elimination Project (BIMEP):

11 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 18:

• 0256 - Genetic Diversity and Demographics of Plasmodium Species on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea


• 0293 - Safety and Efficacy Against Naturally Transmitted Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria of PfSPZ Vaccine In 2- To 50-Year-Olds Living On Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea


• 0298 - Giving malaria vaccinations the all clear: the importance of clearing asexual erythrocytic stage parasitemia before administration of PfSPZ vaccines


• 0300 - Impact of COVID-19 on planned and ongoing PfSPZ Vaccine clinical research and site mitigation strategies in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea in 2020

Noon, Friday, Nov. 19:

• 0631 - Detection of nucleic acids extracted from rapid diagnostic tests reveals a significant proportion of false positive test results associated with recent malaria treatment


• 0756 - Improving Indoor Residual Spraying Deployment Through a Spatial Decision Support System

2:45 p.m., Friday, Nov. 19:

• 0879 - Molecular epidemiology of filarial nematodes on Bioko Island using nucleic acids extracted from malaria RDTs

11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 20:

• 0947 - Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Utilization of Public Health Services in 2020 on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea


• 1008 - Improving Urban Entomological Monitoring in Malabo, Bioko Island


• 1094 - Impact of 6-month Travel Moratorium on Plasmodium falciparum Prevalence on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea: A Difference in Differences Analysis


• 1182 - Universal Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets Coverage on Bioko Island: The Challenge of the Net Use Gap


• 1215 - Estimating the proportion of children less than five years old who are fully immunized according to Expanded Programme on Immunization in 13 high malaria transmission communities in Malabo District, Bioko Island

PMI Impact Malaria:

Noon, Friday, Nov. 19:

• 0632 - Reinforcing microscopy skills during Malaria Diagnosis Refresher Trainings to improve the quality of malaria diagnosis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)


• 0630 - Optimization of OTSS+ to improve malaria diagnostic service delivery in Sierra Leone


• 0628 - Improving the competence of malaria microscopists through basic malaria diagnostic refresher training, Madagascar, 2019-2021

11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 20:

• 1076 - A Tablet-Based Health Network Quality Improvement System (HNQIS) for Data-driven Decision Making and Targeted Outreach Training Supportive Supervision (OTSS+) at Low Performing Sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

PMI StopPalu+:

11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 20:

• LB-5354 - Three years of combined malaria microscopy refresher trainings and quarterly outreach, training, and supportive supervision visits led to performance improvements in Guinea-Conakry

View the ASTMH Schedule at a Glance