The malaria eradication campaign in Colombia, 1959-1979

In the mid-fifties, Colombia adopted and implemented the Malaria Eradication Campaign (MEC), which has not been evaluated yet in the country.

To evaluate the results achieved during the attack and consolidation phases of the MEC regarding malaria transmission in Colombia between 1959 and 1979.

We conducted a descriptive and retrospective study based on the malariometric and operational results of the MEC in Colombia from 1959 to 1979 compiled from the archives of the Ministry of Public Health. We used the criteria defined by the WHO Expert Committee on Malaria. The information was stored, tabulated, and analyzed based on the malariometric indicators we developed.

In the short-term eradication period (1959-1969), a reduction of 94% (4,172) in transmission was achieved during the first year of the attack phase (1959) while in the last year (1962), there was an 88% (8,426) reduction of the accumulated load of cases compared to the annual average of the 1950s (71,031). These low levels of transmission were maintained until the end of 1969. During the intensification period of control of the eradication (1970-1979), there was an increase in malaria endemicity and a resurgence of the epidemic transmission. Due to financial problems affecting the regularity of the operations, Colombia was unable to sustain the results and achieve an interruption of transmission, which resulted in a resurgence of cases during the attack and consolidation phases.

The campaign did not achieve the goal of interrupting malaria transmission in the national territory but there was marked control in areas of medium and low intensity.