La malaria en el Amazonas: conocimientos, prácticas, prevalencia de parasitemia y evaluación entomológica en mayo de 1997

Abstract

A study of malaria epidemiology was carried out in the Amazonas Department (Colombia). The study's aims were to measure the state of knowledge and practice regarding malaria frequency and control techniques among people iiving in Arica (a village on the banks of the Putumayo river) and to evaluate the prevalence of positive malaria blood smears taken from people living in this village. Malaria surveillance data forthe Amazonas (¡.e. that available for 1996) was also analysed. Using focus groups, it was found that most people identify malaria as being a mosquito-borne disease, but, in a house-tohouse survey made after the focus groups were held, an important proportion of people also believe that contaminated water could be a potentiai source of infection. 8% of people presenting recent febrile illness were positive for malaria (blood smear). Those people involved in activities related to coca growing and collection had a higher prevalence (27%) while those who were not involved in such activities were al1 negative for malaria, p