The conference takes place from 6 - 11 October 2013 at the Durban International Convention Centre.
Professor Maureen Coetzee, Director of the Wits Research Institute for Malaria and a world renowned entomologist, is one of the key speakers at the conference.
The MIM will see the launch of the Pan African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA), formed to promote control of and research on mosquitoes involved in disease transmission and to disseminate valuable information on the study of mosquitoes across Africa and worldwide. PAMCA is the first African organisation of its kind, comprised of entomologists and mosquito control specialists from across the continent and provides a unified voice for these professionals.
The Goodwill Ambassador for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, well known South African singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka, will officially open the PAMCA during a brief ceremony to be held on Thursday, 10 October.
Over 50 entomologists, researchers, and vector control specialists from around Africa will attend the meeting which starts at 4.30pm.
PAMCA's function will be, among other things, to coordinate the sharing of information concerning vector control activities amongst Africans while promoting control of and research on mosquitoes, especially dissemination of information on the bionomics of mosquito vectors across Africa and worldwide.
The mission of PAMCA is to provide leadership, information, and training /education, leading to the enhancement of health and quality of life through the suppression of mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit, and the reduction of annoyance levels caused by mosquitoes and other pests of public health importance.
"This is the largest conference of its kind in the malaria world. This year researchers from Wits have been involved on the scientific organising committee. Wits participants come from the School of Pathology, the School of Therapeutic Sciences and the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, all of whom are members of the Wits Research Institute for Malaria," says Coetzee.
Membership of the organisation is open to any individual of high professional and ethical standing who works on mosquito/vector control across the entire African continent and who supports the objectives of the organisation.
For more information, please contact Professor Maureen Coetzee on az.ca.dcin@cneeruam, or visit http://mim2013.mrc.ac.za/index.htm
