Overview & Mission

The Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit (MEIRU) is a health research institution dedicated to generating high-quality evidence on population health in Malawi. Its mission is to understand the determinants of health and disease and to inform policies and interventions that improve health outcomes. MEIRU works in close collaboration with national institutions, government bodies, and international research partners.

History & Evolution

MEIRU originated in 1979 as the Karonga Prevention Study, which initially focused on leprosy and later expanded into tuberculosis and HIV epidemiology. Over the decades, it has evolved into a broader epidemiological unit, maintaining a strong focus on infectious diseases but also shifting toward the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This reflects Malawi’s health transition as improvements in infectious disease control have increased life expectancy.

Geographic Reach

Rural site: Karonga District in northern Malawi, where a longstanding Demographic Surveillance Site (DSS) tracks population and health outcomes across generations.

Urban site: Lilongwe, established in 2012, enabling comparative studies between urban and rural populations.

Both sites are supported by laboratories, biorepositories, and large-scale linked datasets that include clinical, immunological, and genetic data.

Research Focus

MEIRU’s research covers both communicable and non-communicable diseases, with major areas including:

Infectious diseases: HIV, tuberculosis, and their interactions with other health conditions.

Non-communicable diseases: Hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular risk, obesity, and multimorbidity.

Mental health: Depression, anxiety, and the intergenerational factors influencing mental well-being.

Population health studies: Longitudinal cohort studies exploring health determinants in both rural and urban Malawi.

Recent studies: COVID-19 surveillance and seroprevalence, multi-generational cohort research, and national NCD surveys.

Structure & Capacity

MEIRU is staffed by multidisciplinary teams including epidemiologists, clinicians, social scientists, laboratory technicians, and IT/data specialists. Its social science arm plays a major role in community engagement, policy dialogue, and implementation research. Over the years, MEIRU has built one of the most comprehensive health datasets in sub-Saharan Africa, covering hundreds of thousands of individuals and biological samples.

Contributions

Longitudinal datasets – decades of follow-up allow unique insights into disease trends and causal relationships.

Integrated research – combining infectious diseases, NCDs, and mental health provides a holistic understanding of health.

Capacity building – MEIRU invests heavily in training Malawian scientists, strengthening local research leadership.

Policy impact – findings directly inform Malawi’s health policies and strategies.

International collaboration – partnerships with leading universities and research institutes enhance capacity, visibility, and scientific outputs.

Challenges

Sustainable funding in a resource-limited environment.

Data governance and ethics in managing sensitive, large-scale population health data.

Participant retention in longitudinal studies across mobile populations.

Implementation gaps between research findings and integration into national health systems.

Balancing priorities between infectious diseases, rising NCDs, and mental health.