Malaria and several of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) such as schistosomiasis and lymphatic filariasis are either in decline, currently scheduled for elimination, or already eliminated from various areas.

Amongst the many challenges associated with achieving and sustaining elimination status, the limitation of diagnostic tests to detect these diseases may well prove to be one of the most crucial.

Field-applicable malaria diagnostic tests detect only about half of the symptomatic infections and a much lower proportion of asymptomatic infections which may contribute significantly to disease transmission. The situation is similarly complex for NTDs such as schistosomiasis, soil transmitted helminthiases, and others, where novel more sensitive methods for detection have not yet reached the required stages of maturity.

We invite authors to submit original research and review articles illustrating challenges to malaria and the WHO-listed NTDs, which are listed at http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/diseases/en/.

Field based evaluation of novel and/or currently employed diagnostic methods especially for mass surveillance and/or surveillance of risk or indicator groups

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Studies describing malaria or NTD surveillance in areas of very low endemicity, specifically strategies to detect asymptomatic infections
• Basic and applied research aiming to develop novel diagnostic techniques for malaria and the NTDs
• Mathematical modelling studies, for example, illustrating the effect of improved diagnostic capability on our ability to control these diseases
• Studies describing disease resurgence or failed elimination events
• Studies that differentiate between challenges for diagnosis of different pathogen species (e.g., P. falciparum versus P. vivax and Schistosoma haematobium versus S. mansoni/japonicum)