Malaria dispersal among islands: human mediated Plasmodium falciparum gene flow in Vanuatu, Melanesia

A comparison of human and Plasmodium falciparum gene flow patterns in the model island system of Vanuatu, the limit of malaria in the Pacific reveals that human movement is essential for long, but not short distance P. falciparum gene flow. This suggests that long distance movement of humans may accelerate the evolution and spread of drug resistance and therefore exacerbate the global malaria problem.