From the World Health Organization
April 7, 2022
In the lead-up to World Malaria Day 2022, we spoke with Dr Audrey Lenhart, Chief of the Entomology Branch in the Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and incoming co-chair of WHO’s Vector Control Advisory Group (VCAG), about where we are in the global fight against malaria, some of the new innovations being developed to help manage the mosquitoes spreading the disease, and the role of VCAG in both expediting and assessing new technologies for WHO. This conversation has been lightly edited for concision and clarity.
Thanks for taking the time to talk today. First, could you tell us a little about your own background in malaria prevention and how you came to be a part of VCAG?
Sure. Before joining VCAG and even CDC, my background was more focused on Aedes aegypti control [the mosquito that transmits arboviral diseases such as Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever] and insecticide resistance. Then when I joined CDC about 10 years ago, my work became much more focused on malaria.
I believe I was initially invited to participate in VCAG because I had experience with both Aedes control and malaria vector control, as well as experience in conducting large field trials of vector control tools with both entomological and epidemiological outcomes. That latter experience aligned particularly well with VCAG’s role in providing feedback to applicants on vector control trial design, and specifically around building a strong evidence base for understanding the public health impact of vector control tools.