Malaria Research Unit

Director: Dr Rajendra Maharaj
E-mail: rmaharaj@mrc.ac.za

Malaria control is a dynamic process, which requires support from research and the collaboration of private and public sectors on both national and international scales. Successful control strategies must be based on sound scientific principles. To ensure continued success these strategies must be fed by continual research input, as well as government commitment to control the disease.

Malaria Research was first started at the MRC Research Institute for Diseases in a Tropical Environment (RIDTE) in Durban in 1980. The Malaria Research Unit (MRU) was established in 1992. There are currently 32 staff members within the programme, with senior staff members also being members of the National Malaria Advisory Group.

The MRU has national, regional and continental (Africa) malaria related research as its priority. Our research covers a wide spectrum, ranging from laboratory work through to field work, with an emphasis on applied research. The major thrust of this research is to markedly reduce the public health burden of malaria in southern Africa. To this end, the MRP has been instrumental in implementing and managing large scale malaria control programmes in many southern African countries.  Through research, the most appropriate and sustainable malaria control strategy in accordance with the country’s epidemiological profile is developed and implemented. The benefits of this approach can be seen in the Lubombo Spatial Development regions where malaria prevalence has dropped markedly since control programmes were implemented.

The brief of the Malaria Research Unit (MRU) is to:

1. Address national, regional, African and international malaria research priorities.
2. Conduct high level collaborative research with multi-centre, multi-discipline, multi-partner studies.
   1. Nationally
   2. Regionally
   3. Continentally
   4. Internationally
3. Establish links between research and control communities.
4. Compete for and raise substantial amounts of international funds.
5. Be a centre of expertise offering specialised courses and post-graduate training.
6. Conduct research that directly influences policy.
7. Develop new expertise and to transfers this capacity both nationally and internationally.
8. Growth in expertise base within the programme.
9. Have a director who is recognised nationally and internationally as a malaria expert.
10. Consult with Government, bi-lateral and multi-lateral agencies and the private sector.