Global Health Sciences

The Malaria Elimination Group (MEG)

The Malaria Elimination Group (MEG) is a group of 45 international experts, convened by the GHG to elaborate the scientific, clinical, technical, operational, economic, and programmatic issues that countries need to consider when embarking on, or considering embarking on, a pathway to malaria elimination. A second role of MEG is to highlight gaps in the research agenda that must be urgently addressed if elimination is to proceed successfully.

New Guidance for Malaria Elimination

On April 24, 2009, the GHG announced the publication of two major documents on malaria elimination. The guidance provided in these documents offers detailed information to help countries decide whether, when, and how to eliminate malaria. The documents were written by members of the Malaria Elimination Group (MEG), a global body of experts convened by the GHG to provide practical guidance to countries that pursue elimination.

Shrinking the Malaria Map: A Prospectus on Malaria Elimination provides a road map for those working on the front lines of malaria control and elimination. It reviews the operational, technical, and financial decisions that need to be considered for an elimination program.

Shrinking the Malaria Map: A Guide on Malaria Elimination for Policy Makers is a policy digest of the Prospectus, intended for leaders and policy makers.

MEG Members

MEG Meetings

MEG I – March 23-26, 2008
Santa Cruz, California

Summary of the First MEG Meeting

MEG II - September 30-October 3, 2008
Held outside Durban, South Africa
Co-hosted by the South African Medial Research Council

The meeting was attended by guest representatives from Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, countries that are pursuing a goal of elimination, as well as from Mauritius, which recently succeeded in eliminating malaria.

MEG III - April 20-23, 2009
Interlaken, Switzerland
Co-hosted by the Swiss Tropical Institute

The MEG’s third meeting was held in Brienz, Switzerland in April 2009 and was co-hosted with the Swiss Tropical Institute. The agenda included presentations and updates on recent malaria elimination regional initiatives and meetings, as well as work undertaken by global agencies and partner organizations. The second half of the meeting focused on future priorities for elimination and the role of the MEG and its partners, including methods and approaches for case studies, core indicators for elimination, and elimination-specific operational research needs. The meeting celebrated the completion and publication of the MEG’s two major contributions to elimination: Shrinking the Malaria Map: A Guide on Malaria Elimination for Policy Makers, and Shrinking the Malaria Map: A Prospectus on Malaria Elimination.