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Professor Joel Tarning received a Bailey K. Ashford Medal at the ASTMH 2019 Conference. The medal is awarded annually for distinguished work in tropical medicine by an early- to mid-career ASMTH member. Joel is Head of Clinical Pharmacology at MORU and his work focuses on applying pharmacokinetic-phamacodynamic modelling to optimise antimalarial drug therapies, in particular for at-risk groups such as malnourished children and pregnant women.
Assessing the impacts of short-course multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment in the Southeast Asia Region using a mathematical modeling approach
MORU Bangkok
Posted 07/05/2021. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remains a significant burden in the Southeast Asia region. Using mathematical modelling approach, Wirichada Pan-Ngum and colleagues assessed the population-level impacts of short-course MDR-TB treatment compared to the conventional therapy. Early initiation of treatment and good level of treatment eligibility are identified to be important determinants to the success of MDR-TB control programmes.
Prediction of disease severity in young children presenting with acute febrile illness in resource-limited settings: a protocol for a prospective observational study
MORU Bangkok
Posted 30/04/2021. In many low- and middle-income countries febrile children are managed by health workers with limited training, in settings where referrals can confer substantial costs and risks. Spot Sepsis, a multi-centre study being implemented by MORU and MSF, aims to develop a practical prognostic tool to help community healthcare providers identify febrile children who may benefit from referral for facility-based medical care.
Predictors of disease severity in children presenting from the community with febrile illnesses: a systematic review of prognostic studies
MORU Bangkok
Posted 16/04/2021. This systematic review by Arjun Chandna and colleagues identified clinical and laboratory prognostic factors, measured at the point of presentation, that can help identify children at risk of severe febrile illness. Most studies included only hospitalised children and further work is required to identify the best predictors to build data-driven triage tools for use by community healthcare providers.
Rolling out the radical cure for vivax malaria in Asia: a qualitative study among policy makers and stakeholders
MORU Bangkok
Posted 27/04/2021. The complete treatment of vivax malaria requires a radical cure with a course of 8-aminoquinolines. Bipin Adhikari and colleagues interviewed policymakers in Asia why the radical cure is currently so poorly implemented and what can be done to improve the uptake of the radical cure.
Deploying triple artemisinin-based combination therapy (TACT) for malaria treatment in Africa: ethical and practical considerations
MORU Bangkok
Posted 20/04/2021. Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is the first-line treatment for uncomplicated falciparum malaria, but the ACT drugs are starting to fail. Triple artemisinin-based combination therapy (TACT) is being studied to replace ACTs. In this paper, Phaik Yeong Cheah and colleagues discuss the most important ethical and practical considerations in the potential deployment of TACT.
What is the yield of malaria reactive case detection in the Greater Mekong Sub-region?
MORU Bangkok
Posted 30/03/2021. Reactive case detection has played a role in the elimination of malaria in China. The approach has been adapted and is used in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Because it requires considerable man power but only few cases are detected the approach is controversial. Jacqueline Deen, Lorenz Von Seidlein and colleagues included 8 articles in a meta-analysis that found the percentage of positive malaria cases among potential contacts using microscopy or rapid diagnostic test was 0.56%.
Protective effect of Mediterranean-type glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency against Plasmodium vivax malaria
MORU Bangkok
Posted 09/03/2021. X-linked glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is the most common human enzymopathy. Ghulam Awab and colleagues analysed their clinical study and epidemiological data from Afghanistan gathered over the last decade and showed that the G6PD Mediterranean variant provided a marked gene dose proportional protection against P. vivax malaria.
Effectiveness of a sepsis programme in a resource-limited setting
MORU Bangkok
Posted 02/03/2021. Direk Limmathurotsakul and colleagues show that a Sepsis Fast Track (SFT) programme, implemented in Thailand to screen, initiate sepsis care and fast-track them when applicable to ICU upon admission, are associated with higher chances of survival. We analyzed data of a prospective observational study, having control group from both pre and post-intervention periods.
Human, animal, water source interactions and leptospirosis in Thailand
MORU Bangkok
Posted 09/02/2021. Wirichada Pan-ngum and colleagues address key knowledge gaps on human-animal-water-source interactions and leptospirosis in high-risk settings, Thailand. Water-source sharing networks and human–animal contact patterns are key information potentially involved in the epidemiology of leptospirosis. Occupations related to animals/environmental water and consuming water from more than two sources increased the risk exposure to leptospirosis.
Old age is associated with decreased wealth in rural villages in Mtwara, Tanzania
MORU Bangkok
Posted 18/12/2020. Lorenz Von Seidlein and colleagues observed that poorest people in rural Tanzania were the oldest people and especially old people without children. This observation came as a surprise because generation, the baby boomers has accumulated wealth throughout life and ended up wealthier by the time they reached retirement. There is a need to provide more financial and housing security for older people in rural Africa. Currently for many older people in rural Africa the only security are their children.
Crowding has consequences: Prevention and management of COVID-19 in informal urban settlements
MORU Bangkok
Posted 11/12/2020. COVID-19 has hit informal urban settlements particularly hard. The control and prevention of COVID-19 in slums starts with organizing community infrastructure, provision of basic needs and protection of people at highest risk. Slums are a source for persistent transmission. In view of the constant risk that slums present to the entire population decisive steps need to be taken to rehabilitate and improve informal settlements, Lorenz Von Seidlein and colleagues provide suggestions.
Impact of low blood culture usage on rates of antimicrobial resistance
MORU Bangkok
Posted 08/10/2020. “No bacterial culture, no drug-resistant infections.” Cherry Lim, Direk Limmathurotsakul and colleagues show that the impact of low blood culture utilization on the observed proportions and incidences of drug-resistant infections could be high. This is likely happening in most of LMICs. A set of recommendations are proposed.
Research ethics in context: understanding the vulnerabilities, agency and resourcefulness of research participants living along the Thai–Myanmar border
MORU Bangkok SMRU
Posted 01/12/2020. This paper confirms that research is important to inform evidence-based medical care in LMICs settings. Napat Khirikoekkong, Phaik Yeong Cheah and colleagues found that migrants living along the Thai-Myanmar border, who were traditionally deemed vulnerable, exercise their agency and resourcefulness when navigating through their daily challenges, and participating in important health research
Malaria Screener: a smartphone application for automated malaria screening
MORU Bangkok
Posted 24/11/2020. Malaria Screener is a smartphone application developed by the National Library of Medicine, in partnership with Richard Maude and colleagues at MORU Epidemiology, aiming to improve the availability of high quality malaria diagnosis. It is cheap, fast and easy-to-use with a standard smartphone and microscope and detects malaria parasites by machine learning.
Antimicrobial use in food animals and human health: time to implement ‘One Health’ approach
MORU Bangkok
Posted 13/11/2020. Use of antimicrobials in animals and the environment has been established to contribute to the global antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and yet there have been inadequate collaborative efforts to tackle this problem. Sunil Pokharel, Bipin Adhikari and colleagues discuss how and why ‘One health’ approach is important to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Transmission of artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites to mosquitoes under antimalarial drug pressure
MORU Bangkok
Posted 10/11/20. Artemisinin-based combination therapies are not only effectively curing malaria, they also impact male malaria parasites in their capacity for onward transmission to the mosquito. Here, Andrea Ruecker and colleagues provide clear evidence that artemisinin resistant parasites overcome this sterilising effect to successfully infect mosquitoes under drug pressure, facilitating the spread of artemisinin resistance.
The efficacy of PPE for COVID-19-type respiratory illnesses in primary and community care staff
MORU Bangkok
Posted 13/10/2020. Xin Hui Chan and colleagues summarise their rapid reviews on the efficacy of personal protective equipment for preventing COVID-19 in primary and community care. They highlight how PPE is designed for use as an ensemble, is a complex intervention which should include appropriate training and support, and is the least effective of the hierarchy of controls.
Implementing parasite genotyping into national surveillance frameworks
MORU Bangkok
Posted 07/10/2020. The Asia-Pacific region is the epicentre of the emergence of resistance against frontline antimalarials, and also faces a high proportion of non-falciparum malaria. Sarah Auburn and colleagues review novel approaches for molecular surveillance that can help track drug resistant parasites and the spread of parasites across the region, discussed at a recent APMEN workshop in Jakarta, and how these approaches can provide important information for policy makers in malaria-endemic regions.
Case-control study of use of personal protective measures and risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, Thailand
MORU Bangkok
Posted 22/09/2020. This case-control study, conducted by Direk Limmathurotsakul and colleagues in Thailand, shows that wearing masks all the time, maintaining >1 m distance, having close contact for <15 minutes, and frequent handwashing are independently associated with lower risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19)
Estimating the proportion of Plasmodium vivax recurrences caused by relapse
MORU Bangkok
Posted 18/09/2020. New findings by Ric Price and colleagues highlight that a remarkably high number of P. vivax infections arise from relapses (reactivation of dormant liver stages). This has important implications since almost 85% of recurrent infections could be prevented if more patients were treated with primaquine. The study emphasises the important of work done by the VxWG (Vivax Working Group for the Asia Pacific Malaria Eliminiation Network) in promoting wider access to safe and effective radical cure.