Malaria in populations with mining occupation, Colombia, 2012-2018

Introduction: Malaria represents one of the biggest public health challenges, mainly in poor countries. Colombia has social characteristics such as migration, informal work, and economic shortages that favor illegal mining activities. The study of the malaria situation in these areas would allow establishing the bases for its prevention, control, and treatment in the existing public health programs. Objective: To describe the malaria situation in Colombian mining populations between 2012 and 2018. Materials and methods. We conducted a retrospective descriptive study with graphs and maps. For the statistical analysis, we used Pearson´s correlation and Moran’s index. Results. From 2012 to 2018, 44,032 cases of malaria were reported in the mining population, 43,900 of uncomplicated malaria and 132 of complicated malaria, and three deaths, two due to Plasmodium vivax and one due to mixed infection. During this period, there was a decrease of 44.7% in cases. The risk rate in 2012 was 2.5 cases x 1000 inhabitants; 87.3% of cases were in men, and 37.9% corresponded to the 20 to 29-year-old age group while 46.7% were AfroColombians. We found a possible moderate positive linear correlation: The greater the mining activity, the greater the number of malaria cases. The global Moran index indicated a significant spatial grouping of cases in mining activities in Colombian Pacific municipalities. Conclusions. The case notification decrease during this period could be attributed to an underreporting of the public health surveillance system (Sivigila) system, as most miners do not have formal jobs, which prevents them from accessing health services. A cohort study is recommended in endemic areas to establish a direct relationship between mining exploitation and the occurrence of malaria cases.