Corporate report

UK Malaria Expert Advisory Group: terms of reference 2024

Updated 3 December 2024

Background

The UK Malaria Expert Advisory Group (formerly the Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention) is a UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) expert group whose primary function is to formulate guidelines on malaria prevention in the UK.

The guidelines are used by medical professionals and other travel medicine advisors based in the UK and many other countries. The guidelines are also the basis for recommendations from the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC).

Today the UK Malaria Expert Advisory Group is overseen by UKHSA.

Purpose

To provide guidelines for health professionals on the prevention of malaria for travellers from the UK, updated annually or as soon as there is a significant change in the distribution or behaviour of malaria, or the need to consider new advice on drugs and anti-insect measures.

The UKMEAG will do this in light of data from the UKHSA Malaria Reference Laboratory, London (MRL), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), World Health Organization Global Malaria Programme and other sources by:

• assessing new information on methods of malaria prevention for travellers, in relation to both efficacy and any unwanted effects
• reviewing patterns of malaria and of resistance to anti-malarial agents and anti-vector measures as determinants of malaria risk to travellers
• formulating practical advice on protection against malaria for UK travellers and making this available to those who advise travellers
• formulating advice on the treatment of malaria cases imported to the UK

Membership

Membership is open to medical or non-medical professionals who have expertise in:

• antimalarial drug resistance
• the use of antimalarial drugs
• malaria prevention/treatment methods
• the behaviour of UK travellers

The UKMEAG will be chaired by a leading international expert in malaria and tropical medicine or malaria and infectious diseases.

There are no strict restrictions on the number of members able to join the committee; however, the number should be beneficial and not detrimental to the UKMEAG purpose.

Membership will be reviewed every three years, after which membership may be renewed. Members of sub-groups associated with the UKMEAG may not always be direct members of the UKMEAG.

Accountability

Individual UKMEAG members and associated sub-groups are responsible for reporting back on activities tasked to them, either directly to the committee or via the secretariat when necessary.

Review

The terms of reference (ToR) will be reviewed annually by the UKMEAG committee and proposed changes will be mutually agreed prior to being finalised by the Chair. The relevance and value of any subgroups will be reviewed on a regular basis.

Working methods

Sub-groups will be convened as necessary to take forward different aspects of the work of the UKMEAG. Essential meeting papers will be electronically circulated to all members no later than 5 days prior to the next meeting whenever possible.

Meeting arrangements

Prevention Guidelines meeting will be held twice a year, face to face.

The Country Recommendations meeting and the Treatment Guidelines meeting will be held once a year face to face.

Meetings will be chaired by the UKMEAG Chair. If the Chair is not available, the Deputy Chair will take this role.

Non-UKMEAG members may be invited to meetings to contribute specialist skills, experience or knowledge when necessary.

A UKHSA scientific secretariat will coordinate and provide scientific secretariat support to the UKMEAG.

Confidentiality and conflicts of interest

Members of UKMEAG may have access to, see or hear information of a confidential nature with respect to the business of the UKMEAG and must not disclose such data to a third party unless expressly authorised to do so by the Chair.

It is the individual responsibility of members to declare conflicts of interest annually or when their conflicts of interest status changes to the UKHSA scientific secretariat who will inform the committee.

Funding

UKMEAG is supported by UKHSA.

Equality and diversity

The UKMEAG will treat all members equally with respect to the business of the committee and will encourage member diversity.

Members, representation and expertise

• Brian Angus, Chair, lead author for Treatment Guidelines, malaria expert. Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford University
• Peter Chiodini, Deputy Chair, lead author for Prevention Guidelines, clinical parasitology and malaria expert, reference diagnosis. UKHSA Malaria Reference Laboratory (MRL)
• Dinesh Aggarwal, infectious disease and microbiology SpR. Wellcome Clinical PhD Fellow, University of Cambridge.
• Swati Bhat, clinical pharmacology expert. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
• Helena Bond, infectious diseases consultant. Royal Victoria Hospital Belfast
• Jessica Carter, general practitioner with special interest in migrant health and infectious diseases.
• Xin Hui Chan, malaria and emerging infectious diseases expert. Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford
• Jane Chiodini, travel health specialist nurse. Primary Care
• Anna Checkley, malaria expert. Hospital for Tropical Diseases
• Richard Dawood, travel medicine expert. Fleet Street Clinic
• Charlotte Frise, consultant Obstetric Physician; expertise in treatment of medical problems in pregnancy.
• Larry Goodyer, pharmacy expert. De Montfort University
• Steve Green, Infectious disease and tropical medicine consultant. Public Health Scotland
• Mahinaz Harrison, pharmacy expert. Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Oliver Koch, infectious diseases expert. NHS Lothian
• Robert Lindfield, consultant in public health, defence consultant advisor in communicable disease control. Ministry of Defence
• James Logan, vector borne diseases and medical entomology expert. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Diana Ayoola Mabayoje, infectious diseases and microbiology consultant. Barts Health NHS Trust
• Dipti Patel, travel medicine expert. National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC)
• Kate Smith, consultant in public health medicine. Public Health Scotland
• Delane Shingadia, paediatric infectious diseases expert. Institute of Child Health
• Christopher Williams, consultant epidemiologist. Public Health Wales
• Philip Veal, consultant epidemiologist. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)