Application of an innovative grid-based surveillance strategy to ensure elimination and prevent reintroduction of malaria in high-risk border communities in China

• Main Authors: Shen-ning Lu (Author), Wei Ding (Author), Jia-zhi Wang (Author), Shou-qin Yin (Author), Sheng-guo Li (Author), Xing-wu Zhou (Author), Qiu-li Xu (Author), Xiao-dong Sun (Author), Chris Cotter (Author), Michelle S Hsiang (Author), Allison Tatarsky (Author), Roly Gosling (Author), Shan Lv (Author), Duo-quan Wang (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: BMC, 2022-07-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.1186/s12889-022-13753-1; 1471-2458
• Keywords: Malaria elimination; Grid-based strategy; Mobile and migrant populations; China-Myanmar border region; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: BMC Public Health, Vol 22, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2022)

Abstract Grid management is a grassroots governance strategy widely implemented in China since 2004 to improve the government's efficiency to actively find and solve problems among populated regions. A grid-based strategy surveillancing high-risk groups, including mobile and migrant populations (MMPs), in the China-Myanmar border region has played an indispensable role in promoting and consolidating the malaria elimination efforts by tracking and timely identification of potential importation or re-establishment of malaria among MMPs. A sequential mixed methods was implementated to explore the operational mechanism and best practices of the grid-based strategy including through the focus group discussions (FGDs), comparison of before and after the implementation of a grid-based strategy in the field sites, and data collection from the local health system.This paper distills the implementation mechanism and highlights the role of the grid-based strategy in the elimination and prevention of re-establishment of malaria transmission.