Africa: Using Maths to Find the Best Weapon Against Malaria

23 October 2014

Bangkok — One major difficulty in the fight against infectious diseases is to identify the right interventions and the best way to combine them. Mathematical models allow predictions to be made about the likely impact of various strategies before funds are committed.

Lisa White, from the Mathematical and Economic Modelling Group of the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Bangkok, Thailand, explains how scientists at the unit use a data-driven approach to develop mathematical models showing how drug-resistant malaria is transmitted, as well as how it might be controlled or even eliminated. This type of model can also be used to evaluate the potential costs and benefits of diagnostics, treatment and control strategies for other infectious diseases.

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