Successful testing of malaria surveillance system in Cameroon

Written By Kika Tuff

In early December 2025, the GDG and their partners from Cameroon (CRID) and Italy (Hyris) successfully tested a new technology and approach the team has developed for malaria surveillance; it involves a miniaturized battery-operated PCR, a one-step sample preparation method and a pre-loaded reagents cartridge that all together acts like a "lab-in-a-box." By simply loading mosquito samples into the cartridge, this device can analyze mosquitoes in the field. It tells researchers:

  • What species of mosquito it is.

  • If the mosquito is carrying malaria parasites.

  • If the mosquito is resistant to insecticides.

  • If the malaria parasites are resistant to drugs.

  • What or who (human vs. animal) the mosquito recently bite.

The testing in a highly malaria-endemic village was a success. The biggest breakthrough is speed: while traditional testing can take six months or more to get data back, this new system provides answers in just four hours.

Supported by the Gates Foundation, this project has generated excitement among Cameroon’s National Malaria Control Program. The next step is to establish a training center and roll out the technology to 30 health districts across the country.

“Real-time malaria surveillance will be extremely beneficial to national malaria control programs by enabling timely decision-making for control campaigns”
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Kika Tuff

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